Nest of Tables
A trio of nesting tables with painted wooden table tops; the painted top surface of each wooden table is covered in protective plastic/glass, rimmed with a gold coloured metal edging. The legs are of a cylindrical tapering design, wider at the top tapering to a point ending in a flat circular metal foot. The top surface of each table depicts various painted landscapes. The painting on the largest table depicts a dark ruin to the left, fences and dead tree to the right. The mid-sized table depicts a tree and structure to the left with a wheel leaning against the tree. In the foreground is a chopping block with an axe imbedded in the wood. The smallest table shows a building in black with a wheel leaning in front of it on the right of the image. A bottle is in the middle of the image. The sky in each is painted in reds, oranges and yellows possibly depicting sunrise or sunset. Each of the three painted surfaces are signed, ‘EDGILL’ in black in the lower left corner.
The table was manufactured by a prisoner at Fremantle Prison. This trio of nesting tables were purchased from the Flour Mill Emporium, an antique store in York, by Fremantle Prison curatorial staff, in 2020. The tables were painted by a former Fremantle Prison prisoner, of which there are more than one named Edgill. The physical design of the table matches a number already held in the Fremantle Prison collection made and decorated by prisoners. This set of tables can be provenanced to Fremantle Prison due to their distinctive style.
Details
Details
EDGILL
There are a number of items made by prisoners in the workshop and there are 10 examples of occasional tables most likely made by prisoners with the Fremantle Prison collection – some painted some not. Other painted examples are 1999.131, 2021.134 and 2019.58. This example, along with the others mentioned, provide a representative cross-section indicative of the different styles of painted table in the current collection.
Prison industries have a long history at Fremantle. The carpentry workshop originated in 1858 along with a blacksmiths as part of the east workshops. Both were vital to the early success and construction of the prison. The Carpenters Workshop was an integral part of the prison’s range of industries and one of the longest running; with convicts trained to work with wood essential to the Establishment’s construction. With the passage of time the type of objects the Carpentry Workshop produced changed with those in the late 20th century of a more personal nature. As an object built within the prison workshops and sold in the community, the table is of historical significance as it demonstrates the change from punishment to reform in the prison system through the establishment of prison workshops and industries. The object speaks to the value of prison industries as a form of connection between prisoners and the wider community, and a way of learning a new skill while giving back to the community.
Decorated occasional tables, such as this example, illustrate the intersection between prison industries, in this case tables made in the carpentry workshop, and more personal creative pursuits, in this case the hand painted table tops, most likely undertaken during art classes.
There are likely to be more examples of this style of decorated table, made by prisoners in the carpentry shop, out in the community for sale or in private hands. Further research may identify more examples. References to a prisoner named Edgill appear in a number of documents in the collection, however no connection can conclusively be drawn to this particular table. Further research may reveal the identity of the artist known as Edgill.
Other items by Fremantle Prison
Other items from Fremantle Prison
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Tower of London Shotgun
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Bill of Sale - 13/02/1877
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Alternative Logbook for the Catalpa
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Photograph at the grave of Captain George Anthony
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Photograph of Captain George Anthony
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Business Card for J. T. Richardson
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Printed Manuscript with Handwritten Annotations
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Mathematical Workbook
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Photograph at the grave of Captain George Anthony
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Bill of Sale - 19/10/1872
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Bill of Sale - 13/02/1877
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Bill of Sale - 13/02/1877
