Lucie von Look

Signed family name

Look

Signed given name

Lucie von

Given address

N.E. Valley

Sheet number

Town/Suburb

North Dunedin

City/Region

Dunedin

Notes

Biography contributed by Katherine Blakeley

Lucy/Lucie Derbyshire was born in Hulme, Lancashire, England in 1860 – the daughter of John Derbyshire, a book keeper, and Sarah Ellen Summerfield.

She came to New Zealand and, in 1887, was living in North East Valley, Dunedin where she held the position of organist at the North East Valley Baptist Church.

In 1889 Lucie was advertising in the newspaper that her pianoforte lessons were to resume.

She married Bruno Egmond Alfons von Look, a sailor in 1891. Bruno disappears from the records after this - they do not appear to have had any children.

When Lucie signed the suffrage petition she was living in Main Rd, North East Valley working as a music teacher.

She continued her musical pursuits throughout her life, becoming known as Madame von Look.

Lucie died on 8 July 1941 in Dunedin and is buried in the Andersons Bay Cemetery.

Her obituary said 'for many years she acted as accompanist for that well-known teacher of singing, Mrs Wilkie, and was herself a teacher of music and singing. She was also organist and choir leader at the Baptist Church, North-east Valley, for many years. Madame von Look was a female tenor, and always sang the tenor parts in the Choral Society’s concerts, where she will be remembered always wearing a black frock with a white front, seated among the black-coated male tenors. Possessed of a very kindly disposition, she will be missed by her circle of friends.'