Well before Nemo there was a creature named Little Obelia

A century ago, long before Pixar brought the ocean to life in Finding Nemo, children’s author May Gibbs did so when she created an underwater creature called Little Obelia.

Curator, Selena Griffith places a crown on Christopher Wilks’s head in the thinking room in the Little Obelia exhibition at Nutcote.Credit:Janie Barrett

The 1921 edition of May Gibbs’ Little Obelia.Credit:Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Northcott 2021

In 1921, in the third book of her Snugglepot and Cuddlepie series, Gibbs immersed readers in an imaginary marine world full of “fish folk” with characters as colourful as her illustrations including Ann Chovy, John Dory and Weedy Sea Dragons.

One hundred years on, a new exhibition at May Gibbs’ Neutral Bay home, Nutcote, showcases not just Little Obelia, who would go into her thinking room in a shell at the bottom of the sea and count her pearls of wisdom, but the people and projects she has inspired.

They include Romance was Born fashion designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, who created a line of Little Obelia fashion and swimwear; jewellery designers Erstwilder, who created brooches and earrings of Obelia riding a colourful sea dragon; and theatre, dance and opera designer Hugh Colman, who created costumes of both Obelia and John Dory for Opera Australia.

Opera Australia costumes inspired by Little Obelia.Credit:Janie Barrett

Gibbs’ underwater imaginings have also inspired generations of marine biologists including “the godfather of coral” Charlie Veron; UTS marine ecologist David Booth; UNSW researchers Dr Derrick Cruz and Dr Thomas Mesaglio, one of Australia’s best-known seashell enthusiasts.

They each, along with children’s author and illustrator Alison Lester, read a chapter of Little Obelia, on videos that form part of the exhibition, which was opened this week by fellow Gibbs aficionado NSW Governor, Margaret Beazley.

While Gibbs is best known for her gumnut babies and bad banksia men, Little Obelia has less cultural recognition.

Romance was Born’s Obelia swimwear.Credit:Romance was Born

“May Gibbs moves from the bush to under the sea, still with her message of community and conservation,” said Nutcote Trust’s Yvonne Brennan, a former marine scientist.

Exhibition curator Selena Griffith said she was inspired by the incredible detail in Gibbs’ illustrations, which are so accurate that most of the plants and animals can be scientifically identified.

“I grew up loving May Gibbs, I even wanted to become a marine scientist so I could explore the amazing undersea world of the fish folk,” Ms Griffith said.

“Some of the species that are included in Little Obelia â€" like fish, shells, seaweed, sea dragons, sea horses, pipefish, anemones, sea cucumbers, and nudibranchs- would have been both hard to see or gain access to, being under the sea and before there was access to diving gear in 1921.

“I searched through her papers held by the State Library of NSW and I have come to the conclusion that May was both very observant, and an excellent researcher who would have been able to access the library at the Australian Museum at the time of writing.”

Southern Cross University’s Dr Anna Scott, who specialies in clown fish and sea anemones which she calls “Nemos and Nemo’s homes”, said her parents and grandparents read Little Obelia to her as a child, which inspired her to become a marine biologist.

NSW Governor Margaret Beazley opens the Little Obelia exhibition.Credit:Janie Barrett

“When I look at Little Obelia it is like diving into the reef, in some parts, the scientific accuracy of those drawings is incredible,” Dr Scott, whose observations are part of the exhibition, said.

It also includes a treasure hunt, an underwater thinking room featuring Obelia’s throne and story reading spots where you can use a QR code to link to the chapters of the book being read by the various marine biology experts.

Nutcote, the 1925 built heritage-listed stucco-walled yellow house built for Gibbs as her home and art studio, also featured in the 2018 film, Ladies in Black. The Little Obelia exhibition will be there until June.

The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.

Share this post