Henry Passmore Needlework picture of Fremantle Harbour 1890s (Collection of Western Australian Museum)
According to family records, Henry Passmore was my great-great-grandfather. He was the son of a lacemaker (England), a Crimean war veteran, a prison supervisor, a dredger, and a public servant. He also served on the North Fremantle Council.
Importantly to me, he was also a designer. In DESIGN AND ART AUSTRALIA ONLINE he is listed as Designer (Textile Artist / Fashion Designer) and Artist (Carver).
He made embroideries, wood carvings and carved and upholstered furniture.
According to Sarah Murphy, Director of Conservation, National Trust of Western Australia writing about one of Passmore’s carved sideboards in 2015:
Once a year his [Henry Passmore’s] furniture was displayed in Sandovers’ shop window in Perth with a sign “Henry Passmore’s Suite”. Passmore’s work featured at international exhibitions such as the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in London in 1886 at which he won a medal.
National trust WA news 2015
Carved iconography abounds including cornucopia, roses, thistles, acorns, grapes and swans. A pair of kangaroos hold rifles in one paw and a flag over their opposite shoulder. This quirky piece of furniture is housed in the Trust’s offices in the Old Observatory, West Perth.
There is a complex set of influences on my work, but I am often drawn to design, and crossing the bridge backwards and forwards between ‘art’ and ‘craft’. My current work could be described as maximalist so Passmore’s ‘cornucopia’ is very appealing.
Traces of Henry Passmore’s genes might have more sway than I ever imagined.
An artist's practice 
Did you know that An article on Henry Passmore was written by Dr Dorothy Erickson and featured in the August 2020 edition of the Royal Western Australian Historical Societyhttps://www.facebook.com/histwest?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZUHryzufonEnZgTBZS3HRb2I0PCvvC_xTgZmTObEyIr0WH74Az51hzkV6uIx_PsYEvFtG8X8oFHvefSZSyxBG_wPxQRhojz8PDE9L-3qFMB4e9ujGTeSn6-DtZWAF8e6UeBm-QvETVeJEqoAWQipdeX&__tn__=R%5d-R “History West” publication.
Yvonne
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Yes thanks Yvonne, I think that’s one of the ones I found – it’s very comprehensive. If you know of any others we’d be delighted to know! Cheers Deidhre
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Genes down through the ages!
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jj
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Genes down through the ages.
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Haha Kirsten, yes according to all the records I have he was my Nanna’s grandfather, therefore your great-great-great… (it all gets a bit confusing!) Love that your next novel is about embroidery and what a weird connection. There are at least 3 embroideries but not sure if they are on display but you can check them out – here’s another article https://dorothyerickson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/6.1-Passmore-copy.pdf
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I am absolutely blown away by this! My next novel is about embroidery and … speechless. Anyway, what an incredible artwork – can’t wait to get to WA to look at his work. I’d never heard about this family history – thanks so much.
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I expect that a lot of your forebears would have been very creative, Deidhre, but with little opportunity to show their creative abilities. How exciting this is. What an extraordinary artwork.
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