Johnston Collection: Fit for a King exhibition, East Melbourne

In August we visited the Johnston Collection in East Melbourne to see their Fit for a King Exhibition.  It is situated in a busy part of East Melbourne so the licensing restrictions mean we met in a nearby hotel and were driven to the historic house.  It was a very beautiful exhibition by tour only.  

I really enjoyed the collection but was aware of many politics of class and privilege.  The tour was most of two hours with a sense of no time to stop and ask questions or just wander around each room and chat.  The commentary focused on design, which I suspect reflected Johnston's interest.  I would have been interested in more social and political history.  In this post I am sharing photos with minimal information because I can't remember the details and don't have any information online or otherwise to refer to.

Our tour started in a plain room in a terrace house used for administration and talks.  We were offered a hot drink and given an overview.  The Johnston Collection is the legacy of collector and antique dealer Willliam Johnston (1911-1986).  He travelled regularly to acquire Georgian, Regency and King Louis XV of France's furniture and artworks.  His house Fairhall, in the next building is regularly decorated with different themes and can be visited by booking a tour.

We then started our tour in the hallway of Fairhall.  The house had been decorated by Vincent Jenden to be Fit for a King.  Though the furnishings change regularly, the coloured walls and floors make a unchanging setting for the decorations.

Off the hallway was a receiving room.  Our guide referred to the decorations on this mirror, with little black children incorporated into the ornate gilt frame, as being a product of its time.  I would have liked more of the context of this sort of colonial artwork and how it is now received today.

From the receiving room we entered a small drawing room.

Across the red hallway was a large room for entertaining.

This is a room of two parts with lounge seats set up at one end.

On the other side of the room is a lavishly set dining table with large dressers of plates on either site and French doors out to the garden.

Look at these settings with all that cutlery and gilt edged plates.  It is not how we eat today unless at a very fancy dinner.

We then wen t to the kitchen.  I was a little confused about what it was meant to represent.  I got the impression that this was used until close to Johnston's death in the 1980s but that it was remodelled to its mid Twentieth Century with the old gas stove.

Upstairs to the bedrooms.  At the top of the stairs was this painting of King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King.  I was struck by his high heels that are so unlike what we expect a king to wear today.

This is a small sitting room by one of the bedrooms.

This is the bedroom that is serviced with the sitting room.

This bedroom was set up for the king and queen.  I would love a sweet little table by the bed for someone to bring me a hot drink in the morning.  It also featured a large desk  and a sofa.

The last room we saw was a study with a desk and bookshelves.

Like all the rooms, there were many details of interest that might be set up for a royal visit.  Such as this bust by the bookshelves.

A collection of a miniatures and watches in this display case.

Behind this little figurine is an invitation by the Queen.  There were small allusions to the royal family in most of the rooms.

At the end of the tour we walked through this door which was disguised as a bookcase.  It led to a gift shop in the next door terrace house where we had started.  I was glad we did the tour even though it did not quite satisfy my interest in social history.  Sylvia was not keen on the tour but enjoyed seeing the house.

Johnston Collection
East Melbourne
https://johnstoncollection.org/

Fit for a King Exhibition
28 February to 8 September 2024