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 