portraitist, scene-painter and art teacher, showed 10 paintings with the Society of British Artists (Suffolk Street) from a London address between 1840 and 1847 and two at the British Institute in 1847-48. Soon after exhibiting The Parting Gift at the Royal Academy in 1852, Holmes left for Victoria. Styling himself 'of the Royal Academy, London’ in the Armchair of January 1854, he advertised his services as a portrait painter and art teacher of 181 Bourke Street, East Melbourne. He contributed 11 works to that year’s Melbourne Exhibition: nine portraits, A Study and The Parting Gift (evidently brought with him). He may also have worked as an architectural draughtsman or perspectivist in Melbourne; the partnership of Holmes & Kemp won third prize in a competition for the internal arrangement of the Melbourne Post Office in 1859. In 1862, with Frank Varley , he painted the scenery for the pantomime Harlequin Arabian Nights at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne.

By 1868 Holmes was listed as an 'artist’ of 113 Palmer Street, Sydney. He painted the scenery for Nobody’s Child at the Prince of Wales Theatre in March. Back at Melbourne in 1870, he worked with John Hennings at the Theatre Royal on the production of Ione; or, the Last Days of Pompeii . Scenes specifically attributed to him were Interior of Burbo’s Tavern, in Pompeii and Pompeian Chamber .

Writers:

Staff Writer

Date written:

1992

Last updated:

2011