Ada Norton

Description

Photograph negative is held by the State Library of Western Australia. In 1916, Ada Norton became one of the first women to successfully claim her abusive late husband’s estate using the backdated Testator’s Family Maintenance (TFM) Act 1912. When member of the Legislative Assembly John Norton died in 1916, his estate was valued at 106,000 pounds. His will excluded his wife Ada, whom had brought divorce proceedings against him one year earlier on the grounds of habitual cruelty and adultery. She brought a claim for the estate under the Testator’s Family Maintenance Act and was among one of the first successful applicants under the Act.

Identification

Artist

Unknown artist

Medium

Daguerreotype, print on chromaluxe

Date

1927

Collection

Black and White Photography