Henriette Jane Wehl was born at Mt Gambier, South Australia on 18 October 1868, the sixth daughter in a family of six boys and nine girls born (two of whom died at a young age) to Dr Yohanne Deitrich Eduad Wehl and his wife Clara Christiane née von Müller, a sister of the famous botanist Sir Ferdinand von Mueller (1825-96). (The variation in spellings was provided by the family members.)

Henriette (known as Ettie) was educated at Miss Jacob’s School for Girls at Mt Gambier. She married a sheep farmer Donald Mack Sinclair in Millicent, South Australia on 16 June 1891 and had four children (the eldest died in Rockhampton at age nine). In 1894, when her youngest child was 8 months old, she arranged for the care of her family and trained as an obstetric nurse at the Royal Hospital for Women, Paddington, Sydney. After a years nursing in the slums of Newtown she went to Toowoomba and with the sponsorship of Dr Elliott set up the obstetric nursing home 'Kimora Private Hospital’ in Mort Street about 1908.

She returned to Sydney but made frequent trips back to Queensland. She began experimenting with clay in 1928. Two years later, while she was staying with her nursing associate Miss Mary Macdonald (qv) at Milton, Brisbane, she formally enrolled in L. J. Harvey 's course at the Central Technical College. When she returned to Sydney in 1931 she exhibited 13 items with the Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales. Photographs of these works demonstrate the full range of L. J. Harvey’s teaching methods. One of these works, a slab built vase dated 1930, was acquired by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Ultimo from this exhibition [now known as the Powerhouse Museum]. She exhibited 37 items at this venue in the years 1932-39.

The descriptions of these items in the various newspaper reports suggest she was still working in Queensland techniques and shapes but her pieces were now being glazed at the Fowler’s Pottery, Marrickville (by Mr Fowler himself). It appears she returned to Queensland on other occasions as one double scraffito vase is dated 1938 and marked with a 'Q’. During the war years she visited her son and daughter who had neighbouring properties 'Barngo’ and 'The Glen’ (outside Capella). Her last pieces were made with the clay she found when a bore was excavated at 'Barngo’.

She died in Rockhampton on 19 August 1953 after a two year illness.

Queensland Art Gallery: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage

Writers:

Cooke, Glenn R. Note: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage, Queensland Art Gallery

Date written:

2003

Last updated:

2011