Myrtle Broome - Artist and Egyptologist
Council Chamber
Until 11th January 2026
Myrtle Broome was born in Holborn and the Broome family came to Bushey in about 1900. Myrtle Broome studied art with Hubert von Herkomer’s cousin, Bertha Herkomer, who taught in Bushey and Watford at that time.
Myrtle was an adventurous and versatile artist and between 1911-13. She studied Egyptology at University College London for the Certificate in Egyptology, and as a pupil of Margaret Murray and Flinders Petrie. In 1927 she worked at Qau under the auspices of the British School of Archaeology, which led to her working every summer between 1929-37 at Abydos as the assistant of Amice Calverley copying tomb inscriptions. Four folio volumes of the expedition’s work were published after the completion of the project in 1938. These made a notable contribution to the field of Egyptology and Myrtle became known amongst Egyptologists as one of the finest exponents of the art of epigraphy, the study of inscriptions.
Her father, Washington Broome, who had been associated with William Morris, was a music publisher and ran the old Bourne Press. He had a house 'Avalon' built in Grange Road, Bushey and decorated it with Myrtle’s help.
Myrtle retired from Egyptology in 1937 and returned home to Bushey for good, due to her father’s illness. For the rest of her life she spent a quiet retirement in her home of Avalon. She died in Bushey on 27th January 1978.
This exhibition has given an opportunity to display artwork items by Myrtle Broome never shown before, including craft work.
Exhibition organisers: Lucy Kinna and Laura Garrido-Gonzalez