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Calf Models - Ayrshire, Ayrshire Cross, 1879-1944
Reg. No: ST 034782
- Summary:
- Two calf models. Possibly Ayrshire breed or Ayrshire cross.
Models made by Mrs. Mary Jane Penrose-Johnston (nee Gore) of Armidale, New South Wales, (born 8 June 1858, died 25 August 1944). Mrs Penrose-Johnston began model making with her two sisters Martha and Wilhelmina during their childhood. Martha married Gustave Drabsch in 1878, and Whilhelmina married John Jurd in 1886. Mary Jane Penrose-Johnston first exhibited in 1879 at the Sydney Exhibition, receiving a "Highly Commended" for the beeswax models of four cows. Mrs Penrose Johnston continued to make the model animals until she was an old lady - 'her great-great-granddaughter remembers her working at the models by lamplight, even in the last five years of her life'.
Extract from the Dictionary of Australian Artists Online:
"The sisters exhibited model cows in a number of international exhibitions: at Sydney in 1879, at the Melbourne Centennial International in 1888, probably at the 1886 Colonial and Indian, London, at the 1888 Glasgow International and at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. They were Highly Commended by the judges of the Ladies' Court at the Sydney International Exhibition who noted kindly, 'the modelling shows a great deal of natural talent, worthy of encouragement'. Similarly recognised by the Sydney Morning Herald, they were rather romantically described as 'the untaught daughters of a shepherd'. They also entered model cows in local shows, such as the Exhibition of Women's Industries in Sydney in 1888 and that held by the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland in 1912. Examples of models by Mary Jane Gore and her sisters are to be found among the families and friends of their descendents in New England, in the Powerwhouse Museum and at Saumarez, near Armidale." [Source: http://www.daao.org.au/main/read/2848] - Description:
- The model consists of a paper mache armature, shaped with bees wax, and red and white coat consisting of cow hair. The eyes are probably made of glass, with ears & hooves of wood. Horns are made from real horn whittled down to size.
Scale approx. 1:22. [To be confirmed] - Acquisition Information:
- Donation from Mrs E. Fry, 1969
| Discipline: | Technology |
| Dimensions: | 550 mm (Height), 250 mm (Width), 750 mm (Length) |
| Dimension Comment: | Dimensions of first calf. Measurements taken for Australia Gallery redevelopment. |
More information
| Tagged with: | cattle husbandry, cows, dairy husbandry, farm animals |
| Themes this item is part of: | Sustainable Futures Collection |
| Primary Classification: | AGRICULTURE & RURAL LIFE |
| Secondary Classification: | Animal Husbandry |
| Tertiary Classification: | model cattle |
| Modelmaker: | Mrs Penrose Johnston, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, 1879-1944 Mrs Penrose began model making with her two sisters and first exhibited in 1879 at the Sydney Exhibition, receiving a "Highly Commended" for the beeswax models of four cows. She continued model making until her death in 1944. |
| References: | Jennifer Isaacs: 'The Gentle Arts: 200 years of Australian women's domestic and decorative arts', p.200 - 201. |
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