Peter Power, potential Eureka Stockade survivor, father to Harold Septimus Power and colonial painter, was likely born on 1 May 1830, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, to his Irish parents Peter Power and Ann Sexton. Power arrived in Melbourne, Australia via the ship “Albatross” on 7 April 1853 with “hatter” as his occupation. Marriage certificate records indicate that he married Jane Amers at Scots Church in Melbourne in 1862, with both listed as living in Ballarat at the time.
At some stage between 1862–1865 the family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand to start and family and raise their children. They remained in New Zealand until approximately 1894. At that time Power, and at least part of the family, moved back to Australia to live in Brunswick, Victoria, before moving to Hampton until he died on 4 August 1920.
Power and wife Jane were the parents of one daughter and seven sons, including the highly successful artist Harold Septimus Power (1877-1951). Records indicate Power was hesitant for Harold to follow the artist path, before a conversation with the well-known artist Walter Withers convinced him that his son had special artistic qualities.
Several existing records indicate that Power was a “self-taught artist”, however, an article in the Melbourne Herald dated 6 August 1920 and titled “Veteran Artist’s Death” (which seems to be sourced from a previous interview with Power) states he actually studied art as a boy. The article also states that Power initially moved to Geelong in Victoria (no gold mining areas nearby). This may have been to work on the new Melbourne to Geelong Railway Line, which many Irish immigrants had moved to Australia to work on, before they headed to the Victorian goldfields, including the leader of the Eureka Stockade, Peter Lalor. The Herald article states that Power eventually followed the Victorian gold rush, which is consistent with other existing records. Very significant to the overall story of Power is that the article states “He was with the miners at the Eureka Stockade rising, but, getting away without injury, he went to New Zealand where his family was reared.” This is a very significant statement with potential historical implications, in that it indicates that a survivor of Australia’s most famous rebellion, the Eureka Stockade, became a well-regarded artist and also the father of Harold Septimus Power.
Available records do indicate that Power was in Ballarat during the time of the gold rush, with one record noting he was part owner in a Ballarat hat manufacturing company (which dissolved in 1858). His marriage certificate from 1862 also lists Ballarat as his address as well as “hatter” as occupation.
Power specialised in romantic colonial style landscapes, with his first recorded paintings listed in a newspaper article from 1860, with the paintings placed as part of the Mechanics’ Bazaar in Ballarat. He first exhibited in New Zealand in 1865 and was listed as a Dunedin artist in 1866-67 in Stevens & Bartholomew Directory; in 1875-78 and 1883-84 Wise’s. Power exhibited frequently as an artist, including with the Auckland Society of Arts, the Canterbury Society of Arts and the Otago Art Society. He received a second-place award at the Dunedin Industrial Exhibition of 1881. The Otago Art Society noted in 1884 that “…his (Power’s) View on the Sideland Flagstaff (No.2) exhibits evidence of very careful work, the hillside with its native scrub and the digger’s tents being nicely painted. “Twilight Diggers Camp” (No 53) is also a good picture.” The Society also noted in 1887 that “Mr Peter Power, an old member and constant contributor to the Gallery, is to the fore with quite a number of pictures, all executed in his well-known style.”
Perhaps Power’s most significant exhibitions were the two international exhibitions held in Australia over 1879 and 1880, where some of the best artists across the world also exhibited. Power exhibited his signature Dunedin landscape paintings at these two international exhibitions. The Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London 1886 was also a significant exhibition where Power exhibited three paintings. Power also travelled back to Australia in 1888 to exhibit and sell three large paintings of New Zealand scenery in the Australian market. Another aim of the trip was to establish agencies in Australia for New Zealand art.
As well as an artist, a newspaper advertisement from 1880 shows that he was also an art teacher, providing afternoon and evening lessons in drawing and painting. Power also likely continued as a hatter for a discrete stage of his life in New Zealand, owning a hat manufacturer and / or working for the hat manufacturer McLenahan and McCuaig.
On a personal front, Power was a friend of J.E Moultray, a well-known Dunedin artist. To give an insight into Power’s character, the well-known New Zealand artist Alfred Henry O’Keeffe wrote of Power as “a jolly old Irishman, who, if he sold a picture, gave a party,” which gives insight into Power’s character.
When Power moved back to Australia, he continued to paint but also teach in Brunswick, Victoria. The Herald article from 1920 indicated Power continued to paint until his death.
Power has a painting in the Geelong Gallery, Victoria, Australia and two paintings are held in the Hocken Gallery, New Zealand.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2023
