We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

Esme Bell Mrs RJ Heffron

Image courtesy the artist's estate

This portrait by Esme Bell of Jessie Bjornstad is thought to be the one exhibited in the Archibald Prize 1961. The daughter of a Norwegian engineer, Bjornstad was married to Robert James Heffron (1890–1978), Labor Party premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964.