Florence Maud Broadhurst was murdered in her Paddington home in 1977. The murder remains unsolved, but because of apparent lack of motive, it has been widely speculated that she was a victim of serial killer John Wayne Glover who was convicted of murdering six elderly women between 1989-90 and is thought by police to have perhaps been responsible for four other deaths.
In 1959 Broadhurst established Australian (Hand Printed) Wallpapers Pty Ltd., which later became Florence Broadhurst Wallpapers Pty Ltd, advertised as 'the only studio of its kind in the world'. Her brightly-coloured geometric and nature-inspired oversized designs were all hand printed. Advances made in her studio included printing onto metallic surfaces, the development of a washable, vinyl-coating finish and a drying rack system that allowed her wallpapers to be produced in large quantities. By 1972, her wallpapers reportedly contained around 800 designs in eighty different colours while by the mid-1970s, she monopolised the quality end of the Australian market and was exported worldwide.
The 2005 Gillian Armstrong documentary Unfolding Florence - The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst, details her life and murder. Several books have also been written about her life and designs including the 2006 book Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret and Extraordinary Lives by Helen O'Neill.
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