Search the collections
Male Figure Model - 1879-1944
Reg. No: ST 034783
- Summary:
- Model of man sitting, dressed in brown trousers, red knitted jumper & brimmed hat. Possibly intended to represent a cowherd. Made between 1879 and 1944.
Model probably 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 close to her death in 1944 - '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:
- Paper mache armature with hands & feet made from wood. Eyes probably made of glass (also possibly Canna Lily seeds or shoe buttons). Hair is made from cow hair.
Scale approx. 1:6. [To be confirmed] - Acquisition Information:
- Donation from Mrs E. Fry, 1969
| Discipline: | Technology |
| Dimensions: | 130 mm (Height), 80 mm (Width) |
More information
| Tagged with: | cattle husbandry, farm animals, figurines, modelmaking |
| Themes this item is part of: | Sustainable Futures Collection |
| Primary Classification: | AGRICULTURE & RURAL LIFE |
| Secondary Classification: | Animal Husbandry |
| Tertiary Classification: | (to be classified) |
| Modelmaker (Probable): | Mrs Penrose Johnston, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, 1879-1944 Acquisition details do not specifically state that Johnston made this model but a strong stylistic resemblance to her other models suggests that she also made this one. |
| References: | Jennifer Isaacs: 'The Gentle Arts: 200 years of Australian women's domestic and decorative arts', p.200 - 201. |
Add your question or comment