Merci Beaucoup to a French man who made Australia his home!

Bonjour dames et gentilhommes, welcome to this week's Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries blog with a French feel!!

For this week and the next there will be a nod to French heritage or association in these blogs.

So, as I munch on a croissant and play Edith Piaf on full volume, I wish to present my first French born person who made Australia their home.

FRANCOIS HYPOLITE DUPAIN

Francois was born @ 1809 in the St Herage area southeast of Paris and nearer in distance to Lyon. I am unable to find much about his early years, but it is documented that he married Ann Hunt the daughter of a farmer in February 1848 at St James' Paddington, London. His marriage certificate states he was a bachelor and a pastry cook, his father, Jacques, a baker.


Croissant - Wikipedia

It seems that the Dupain’s arrived sometime in Sydney after their marriage as their first child, George, was born in Sydney in 1850 but they returned to England where their second child, Marie, was born in Oxfordshire in 1853. They made their way back to Sydney and Francois is listed as an unassisted immigrant on the "Australian" employed as the first cook and seems to have lost a few years along the way as he was listed as being 41 years of age! Their third child, Louise, was born in 1855.

The family settled in Sydney and Francois was naturalised as an Australian on 17th October 1857. I would love to know details of his work life - if he was a chef, pastrycook or other - and where he was situated.

Francois Hypolite (a French/Haitian adaptation of the Greek name Hippolytos and not an uncommon boy’s name in France) Dupain died at his Newtown Road home after a long and painful illness on the 21st September 1869. He is buried in the old Anglican area of the Cemetery. His wife Ann, joined him in 1875. Their youngest daughter, Louise, was interred with her parents in 1940.


Francois Hypolite Dupain headstone - author's own collection

Francois and Ann's eldest child was George Zepherin (also a French/ Haitian adaption of a Greek word meaning "west wind") who married Emily Janet Mortley in 1882 and he in turn, as was often the case, named his eldest son George Zepherin to carry on the name. He died in 1927 and is buried with Emily just a two-minute walk from his parents in what looks to be an unmarked grave.

George Zepherin Dupain was born in November 1882 and became a physiologist, studying living organisms. He was a big believer in physical exercise and in partnership with Max Cotton who was a senior lecturer in physiology at the University of Sydney later establishing the Dupain Institute of Physical Education. He wrote a number of books on physical education and nutrition, the most important being "Exercise and Physical Fitness (1948). They opened a pioneer school of physical education in a gymnasium at his home. George conducted a course of medical gymnastics and as the business grew had to move to larger premises in the city - this became the Dupain Institute.


George Zepherin Dupain's Fitness book - Ancestry.com

In 1910, he married Thomasina Jane Farnsworth and the following year a son was born, Maxwell Spencer Dupain.

Max, as he came to be known, was educated in Ashfield and at Sydney Grammar schools but was not an academic and failed to complete his leaving certificate. In 1924 his uncle Clarence Farnsworth, an amateur photographer, gave him his first camera. His creativity was noted from the start and within a few years he was attracting praise from the likes of Harold Cazneaux.


A young Max Dupain with camera - ancestry.com

After 1930 he was apprenticed to the photographer Cecil Bostock learning technical training whilst also attending evening art classes at Julian Ashton's Sydney Art School and the East Sydney Technical College. In 1934 with some financial support from his family he opened a small studio. The timing was right as Australia was recovering from the Depression and demand for photography both personal and commercial was growing. Upon moving to larger premises, he employed several other photographers including Olive Cotton as his general assistant. Max had known Olive since 1924 through his father’s business partner, her uncle, Max Cotton. After a long courtship they married in April 1939 but separated in 1941, divorcing in early 1944.

Both he and Olive went on to have illustrious photographic careers. Max's preferred style was black and while photography, but it wouldn't be until the 1970's that his most well-known image - The Sunbaker" would achieve iconic status.


The Sunbaker - Max Dupain - Art Gallery of NSW

During the war years Dupain was employed as a camoufleur with the RAF in Darwin and PNG taking photographs that revealed the effectiveness of different types of camouflage. Olive Cotton ran the studio in his absence. Later he travelled around Australia taking photographs for the Government's publicity campaign to attract migrants to Australia.

He remarried in 1946 and moved to Castlecrag dying there in 1992 and was cremated. The State Library of NSW holds the largest collection of his photographs.


Max Dupain in later years - National Gallery of Australia 

Olive Cotton went on to specialise in photographs which played upon light mostly with inanimate objects; her well known piece was a simple construction of a cheap tea set which seemed to dance in the light.

Teacup Ballet - Olive Cotton - Art Gallery of NSW

She retreated to the country area of Cowra in NSW, remarried and lived in a tent for 3 years. She died in 2003 aged 92.

So, all this proves that Max Dupain was the great grandson of a French pastrycook known as Francois who decided that in his 40’s he would make Australia his home.

Merci Francois, we may never have known a great photographer like Max, if you had never made your home here.

Max said he attributed his romantic nature to the combination of his father's French ancestry and his mother's Irish roots!

For today's blog I have utilised references from Ancestry.com, Wikipedia, the Australian Dictionary of Biography; a piece by Helen Ennis from 2021, the encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Art Gallery of NSW, National Gallery of Australia, amongst others

If you have any insights or information to add to this blog, please add it to the comments below or at the Facebook group found under

Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

or simply message me at

lorainepunch@gmail.com

 

Au Revoir - until next week!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Mother for All!

Accidents do happen!

A close connection to the new King's name sake