John Hennings (c. 1833 – 13 October 1898) was a theatrical scene painter and theatre manager in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. He has been identified as Johann Friederich Hennings, probably born on 6 July 1835, son of Danish-born parents Johann Hennings, merchant, and his wife Caroline, née Schutze. His mother died 22 March 1894. He is not to be confused with (1838 Bremen – 1899 München), landscape painter with a considerable career in Europe.

History

Hennings was born in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

, of Danish extraction, He learned to paint in the studio of a decorative artist and received further artistic training in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

and

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. He arrived in Australia in 1855 contracted to

George Coppin George Selth Coppin (8 April 1819 – 14 March 1906) was a comic actor, a theatrical entrepreneur, a politician and a philanthropist, active in Australia.Sally O'Neill,Coppin, George Selth (1819–1906), '' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', ...

for his new

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout m ...

Lonsdale Street, Melbourne Lonsdale Street is a main street and thoroughfare in the city centre of Melbourne, Australia. It runs roughly east–west and was laid out in 1837 as one of Melbourne's original boundaries within the Hoddle Grid. The street extends from Sp ...

, and soon was transferred to his Theatre Royal, later worked in other playhouses. He illustrated curtains, backdrops and scenery, notably architectural settings, for the great theatre managers of the age:

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer), Chicago lawyer and ...

, G. V. Brooke, and W. S. Lyster and productions from opera to vaudeville, from Shakespeare to melodrama. In those days opera was hugely popular, and the likes of ''

L'Africaine ''L'Africaine'' (''The African Woman'') is an 1865 French ''grand opéra'' in five acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Eugène Scribe. Meyerbeer and Scribe began working on the opera in 1837, using the title ''L'Africaine'', bu ...

'', ''

Semiramide ''Semiramide'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy ''Semiramis'', which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria. The opera was first performed at La Fenice ...

'' and ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' were made all the more "grand" by his illustrations — his name as scenic artist was often prominent in advertisements for the production. He was, with George A. Appleton (brother of actor F. C. Appleton) responsible for the transparencies that greeted the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

on his 1867 visit to Victoria. Like his contemporary W. J. Wilson, who left Melbourne for Sydney in 1861, he was an all-round designer and artist, and like Wilson he became involved in theatre management: in 1867 he joined in partnership with Harwood and Stewart leasing the original Theatre Royal, and with Vincent, Harwood and Stewart, then with Greville and Coppin in its successors. He quit management in later years but his hand and fertile mind remained productive to the end. Contemporary scene painters include Harry Holmes (who also tried his hand at theatre management). Harry Grist,

Alfred Clint Alfred Clint (1807–1883) was an English marine painter. Life Clint was the fifth and youngest son by the first marriage of George Clint, A.R.A. He was born in Alfred Place, Bedford Square, London, on 22 March 1807. He acquired the technic ...

(son of marine painter

), George Gordon and

Phil Goatcher Phillip William Goatcher (23 November 1851 – 8 October 1931), often spelled "Philip", signing his work "Phil. W. Goatcher", was an English-born theatre scene painter who had a considerable career in America and Australia. His American-born son ...

. His end came in early October 1898, when he contracted pneumonia and died at home, 40 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park, and his remains were buried at the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...

Personal

Hennings married Ellen "Nellie" Targett (c. 1836 – 25 March 1915) and had two married daughters *Frances "Fanny" Hennings (1858 – 5 December 1904) married Hans Phillips on 27 August 1878. *Kitty Hennings (1863–1904) was an accomplished pianist. He also had a son, scenic artist John Henry Hennings (1867–1959), by his mistress Elizabeth Collins (died 1888).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hennings, John 19th-century Australian painters Australian theatre managers and producers Australian scenic designers 1833 births 1898 deaths