From the age of 15, Paterson studied painting at the National Gallery of Victoria school (1907-12). Her oeuvre included paintings of street scenes, landscapes, portraits, and book illustration. Melbourne’s Savage Club, a private gentlemen’s club, with a focus on appreciation for the arts and science, was established in 1894 based on the London version named after the poet Richard Savage. Although it seems ironic that a gentlemen’s club would commission a female artist to design an advertising poster, Esther’s father, Hugh Paterson and uncle, the artist John Ford Paterson were members and both prepared concert programmes for the Savage Club as well.