Historical Power Couples

Sharing stories of power couples throughout history
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The old saying goes that great things come in pairs and there are plenty of wonderful stories in Trove about couples who have helped each other make history. 

Come along as we dive through Trove to uncover power couples from the past. 

All’s Fair in Love and War 

A picture of Walter and Vesta in a boat on the water. Walter is standing holding an oar and steering the boat. Vesta is sitting.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter de Freece, (Miss Vesta Tilley), 1907, nla.obj-136752005 

Vesta Tilley was a talented English performer, songstress and male impersonator in the late 19th and early 20th century.  

In 1890 she married Sir Walter de Frece who also became her manager, songwriter, and composer of several of her famous songs. In return Vesta brought Walter’s lyrics to life with her colourful performances. You can enjoy this vocal score from Vesta’s performances in Feldman’s 6th Comic Annual in Trove.  

Sheet music for Feldman's 6th comic annual. There are a number of songs listed with the first being 'Love or Gold sung by Vesta Tilley.'
Vesta Tilley on the cover of Feldman’s 6th Comic Annual, 1903, nla.obj-2991877746  

A number of the pair’s songs and performances were centred around enlisting in World War I and together the pair ran a recruitment drive for the war effort. This included the song Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier, which would have resonated with Vesta when Walter served.  

Walter was knighted in 1919 for his wartime service and he later served as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom.  

It was a marriage born out of love for music, theatre, and war. One that was powerful enough to lead men into enlisting.  

A Chemical Reaction  

A black and white photo from a newspaper article of Pierre and Marie Curie in their laboratory.
‘Madame Curie was only a Polish Bottlewasher, but SHE DISCOVERED RADIUM’, Australian Women’s Weekly, 8 April 1933, nla.news-article264787079 

Some couples may describe their connection as electric, but how about radioactive?  

The union of Marie Curie (nee Sklodowska) and Pierre Curie was one that proved invaluable to the scientific community. The foundation of their relationship was a profound intellectual connection and a shared unwavering focus on their work. 

Independently, they were both confident and dedicated scientists. Together, their shared determination led to the discovery of radium and polonium. Following this scientific breakthrough, in 1903 they become the first married couple to be jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics along with scientist Henri Becquerel.  

After Pierre’s sudden death in 1906, Marie continued their life’s work and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908. In 1947 the Daily Mirror published an article on the pair describing their achievements. It reflects on how sexism in the scientific field meant Marie only truly earned credibility as a scientist once she married Pierre, despite her many solo accomplishments.  

A photograph of Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon portraying Marie and Pierre Curie.
‘ROMANCE OF RADIUM’, The Australasian, 21 October 1944, nla.news-article142419736 

In 1943, a film was made about Marie’s career and her courtship with Pierre. Madame Curie stars Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon as the couple. The Australasian wrote a newspaper article about the film including notes about how the movie was made.  

‘It was the same pattern of mutual devotion, understanding, and comradeship interweaving Frédéric and Irene's lives and work which had borne such rich fruit for her parents.’ – The Guardian, 15 October 1943, nla.news-article26665922 

Like mother, like daughter 

Marie and Pierre inspired another generation with the couple’s eldest daughter Irène marrying fellow scientist Frédéric Joliot. The pair met at the Radium Institute in Paris where Marie Curie had been conducting her research and the place that had become a second home to Irène growing up. The pair were bonded by their scientific ambitions and equal intellect.  

Following in her parents’ footsteps, in 1935, the Joliot-Curie’s became the second married couple to be joint Nobel Prize recipients. 

A newspaper article with the title 'New Radioactivity Discovery.' The subheading reads 'Daughter of Madame Curie Helps Carry On Mother's Work.' To the right of the article is a black and white photo of Frederic and Irene.
‘In the News’, The Telegraph, 5 October 1934, nla.news-article182400468 

The pair were also activists during World War II with Frédéric serving as Chairman of the World Partisans for Peace. The couple faced antisemitism throughout their careers.  

The Age published an article on Irene’s impressive career which you can read in Trove. Irene was also featured in an article in Le Courrier Australien which is written entirely in French.  

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