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Portrait of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch 2000
woven by Victorian Tapestry Workshop
designed by Christopher Pyett and Normana Wight
warp: cotton no.12 seinetwine; weft: wool & cotton National Portrait Gallery Commission 2000

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE CBE (b. 1909) married Sir Keith Murdoch in 1928 and was widowed in 1952. The couple had three daughters, and one son, the publisher Rupert Murdoch. Dame Elisabeth has served on the committees and boards of many public institutions including the Royal Children's Hospital, the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and the National Gallery of Victoria. She lives in rural Victoria and received a motorised farm buggy for her 90th birthday, which she celebrated, for the benefit of a local hospice, with 500 women and Kamahl.

Dame Elisabeth is also a Founding Member of the Board of Management of the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, which opened in 1976 and is now regarded as a world centre for contemporary hand-woven tapestry. Their translation of a design by Arthur Boyd in Parliament House, Canberra, is one of the largest tapestries ever made.