Brown soft covered booklet with numerous photographic plates.thomson's foundry, thompson & co, machinery, castlemaine tools, foundry, foundries, boiler shop, air compressor

Boyd's view of the development of Australian architecture's progression over the years and the slowly forming identity of Australian architecture.Typewritten (c copy), quarto, 5 pagesmodern australia, o-y-o (on your own) flats, robin boyd, manuscript

a statute of a modern Australian Infantry soldier holding a F-88 with NVG, it recorded the best soldier of C Company 5/6 RVR of each year

Discusses twentieth century architecture and the evolution of modern architecture. Describes present architecture in three categories, namely vernacular, professional and creative. Examples of house designs within the new architecture are given.This manuscript was published as a book titled "The New Architecture" (The Arts in Australia Series), Longmans, Melbourne, 1963.Typewritten (c copy), pencil edits, quarto, 18 pagesmodern architecture, australia, young architects, creative architecture, new architecture, robin boyd, manuscript

ill, maps, p.32.non-fictionA promotional book by the Western Australian Government Railways about progress in the railways up to 1966.modern railways - western australia, railway achievements - western australia

A newspaper cutting from the Sun dated Monday Jan 20th 1966. A story on Careers in Australia's modern Army have changed almost 100%in Australian Modern Army.newspaper, army

This 24th edition of the Australia Handbook presents a snapshot of 'modern' Australia, including its people, history, geography, economy, culture and relations with the world.159 p., illus. (come col.).australia history, handbooks

"Modern Developments in the Australian Wool Industry", c.1923. Examines the operations of the Yarra Falls Spinning Co. Pty Ltd and the Australian Knitting Mills Limited (makers of Golden Fleece and Kookaburra knitted underwear). Includes photos of processes and of the buildings.Book, front cover: "Modern Developments in the Australia Woollen Industry" c.1923; Yarra Falls Spinning Co. Pty Ltd and Australian Knitting Mills Limited.weaving textile industry - history textile production machine knitting textile mills, yarra falls spinning co. pty ltd australian knitting mills limited, yarn - woollen, cloth - worsted, yarn - worsted, wool tops, yarn - cashmere, logo merino: sheep in australian art and design - exhibition (29/07/2000 - 04/02/2001), weaving, textile industry - history, textile production, machine knitting, textile mills

A larger white soft cover book with the title written in large red letters at the top underneath this is a sepia photo of the Bulletin front page January 31st. 1880 followed by bold black letters 1880 - 1980 One Hundred Years Of Australia's Best All In This Issue followed by fourteen lines across the bottom of the cover listing 76 Australian authors.non-fictionbulletin, 1890, 1980, art, history, poetry, writing, centenary, souvenir, edition.

Brown, hard, cloth covered book of 260 pages, including an index and illustrations. The contents include the Philosophy of the Stamp-Milling Process; Gilpin county colarado; Typical Stamp Mills of California; Milling in Black Hills South Dakota; Early Australian methods, more modern Australian Methods; Gold Milling at Bendigo; Double discharge Mortars in Victoria; Stamp Mills of Otago New Zealand, Review of Australian Practice, Wear and Tear of a Mill; Flouring of Mercury. Illustrations include South Clunes United Company, Crushing Mill at Ballarat, Battery at Bendigo.mining, milling, colorado, ballarat, bendigo, california, clunes, america, united states of america, modern australian methods, star of the east, sebastopol, britannia united, bakery hill, north cornish mill, daylesford, new normanby, north cornish

Article in Domain Property Supplement to The Age, 16 December 1998. 'the 70's make a comeback' (Australian modern designs) and ' Design by cooperation (Fashion-Johnson Building Company).bindy street, blackburn south, no 2, fasham-johnson, houses

"Australian wool classing: a text for the modern professional" - Australian Wool Corporation, 1990. Includes Code of Practice for the preparation of the Australian wool clips July 1989, Woolclasser registration scheme terms and conditions of registration.woolclassing woolclassing - objective measurement, australian wool corporation, woolclassing, woolclassing - objective measurement

This photo appeared in The Answer Dec 1997, the article said: "We were honoured to have his Excellency The Honourable Sir James Gobbo AC, was "guest speaker at Legacy House on Ladies Day at the Legatees Tuesday Luncheon on 2nd September 1997 during Legacy week. He spoke on "Volunteering in Modern Australia". His Excellency and Lady Gobbo also paid a visit to the 2nd floor widows' clubrooms and spoke with some of our widows who were taking part in the activities there." The photo shows ladies around tables with cups of tea, being introduced to the Lady Gobbo. Names unknown. It was with a bunch of other photos with the label, "Misc guests of the club . . Governor - 95".A record of a social function for widows and the close relationship with the Governor of Victoria.Colour photo of Lady Gobbo visiting the 2nd floor widows' clubrooms.Printing on the back "

Exhibition of paintings by Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, John Perceval and Albert Tucker at the Museum of Modern Art of Australia, Oct 17-Nov 14, 1961arthur boyd, sidney nolan, john perceval, albert tucker, australian painting, walsh st library

The can(product) of powdered Mortein was used throughout Australia and especially in rural regions where environmental conditions of crops, cattle and other livestock resulted in greater amount of "invasions" from insects. The eradication of unwanted invaders into the homestead required either manual extermination or a relevant poison which in low doses would not affect humans. Fly squats were still a good measure of eradication of flying pests however those lurking in cupboards or "hard to get at" locations needed a method, such as the Mortein powder to do the deed. This product and especially this can was used at the fore front of pest eradication. Powders and pellets are still in use 100 years later and the core ingredient is still environmental friendly and meets health conscious modern Australians. The basic product has survived the passage of time and was invented by a German immigrant to Australia in the late 1800s.This can and what it represents to rural households and outhouses, is in some ways immeasurable to the peace, health and tranquility within the household of all the families within the Kiewa Valley. Although small in size the relief of those within the sanctity of the home from annoying pests is enormous. The relief not only physical but also mentally to those residents, from the sometimes grueling and painful rural existence in a "sunburnt" countryside cannot be truly expressed in words. Kiewa Valley residents are part of the sometimes harsh rural environment where the introduction of helpful products such as this powder are noticed and used more prolifically. Any product, especially invented within Australia, which allows for a easier existence is of a great significance.This small cylindrical can contains powder of crushed the chrysanthemum flowers(pyrethrum extract) and has two circles of small circular perforations in the lid (to allow contents to be sprinkled onto other surfaces). It is constructed of mild steel with both ends crimped onto the main cylinder. A paper information label has been adhered to the outside of the cylinder.Printed on the outside label is: 1st line "MORTEIN!" 2nd line "THE GREAT INSECT DESTROYER" underneath "(Registered)" and underneath "It is without doubt the best and most reliable Insect powder in the World" underneath this line "In order to use Mortein with profit it is best to get a Mortein spreader through", next line "which by pressure of the hand the powder is ejected and well diffused." An inflection mark appears over the e in "Mortein" as to signify that the word "mort" is french for (dead) and the "ein" is german for "one". The word "mortein" therefore is diffused and translated into "dead one". A thin line separates the above from the list of insects which the powdered contents will kill together with the suggested application targets. T the bottom of the instructions is printed the manufacturer "J. HAGEMANN PTY. LTD., MELBOURNE," Below is "Sole Proprietors"natural insecticide products, environmentally friendly products, household pest dispensers, australian inventions

In the words of the Donor, Betty Stone, "According to family tradition, this small leather case containing a prayer book and a hymn book was originally owned by Susan (nee Ellis) Chamberlain who brought it with her when the family left Thriplow England in 1854 to come to Australia. Later, Susan passed it on to her granddaughter Ann (nee Lees) Dale who used the little books for some years in 1912, Ann Dale (my grandmother) gave the case and books to my mother Daisy Elvena Dale. Daisy, aged twelve years at the time, was the youngest child of Ann and Ellis Dale, of Latrigg, Wangoom, Warrnambool. There is no date of publication but it would be mid-1800's, as it was brought to Australia in 1854 . The hymn book has a notation - “From Mother to Daisy 1912 Print too small” and is signed by A. Dale. (ie Ann Dale, granddaughter of Susan Chamberlain)" (Note: For additional information please refer to Betty Stone’s book “Pioneers and Places - A History of three Warrnambool Pioneering Families” ie. Chamberlain, Dale and Lees Families) This item is associated with families of Chamberlain, Dale and Lees. These families are listed in the "Pioneers' Register" for Warrnambool Township and Shire, 1835-1900, published by A.I.G.S. Warrnambool Branch.Miniature leather case with two books inside - Book of Common Prayer and Hymns Ancient and Modern, Brought to Australia by Susan Chamberlain when she emigrated in 1854. From the 'Chamberlain Dale Lees Collection'. Hand written inscription is inside the cover. One end of the handle has been repaired by sewing it in place. Hand written inside the cover is "From Mother to Daisy, 1912 Print too small (signed) A. Dale"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, chamberlain, dale, lees, stone, betty stone, warrnambool pioneers, miniature bible, miniature hymn book, worship, emigration

Bibliography, index, glossary, ill (b/w)non-fictionA collection of anecdotes and excerpts from diaries that have never been published.australia - history - military - personal narratives, australia - military culture

This item contributes to an understanding of the experience of Australian society and attitudes to the war in Vietnam.Yellowed newspaper Army recruitment article from The Sun 20/01/1969. Photo of 3 young men in Australian Army uniform a Sioux helicopter with a kangaroo emblem. Beneahan article are the words 'Go Army Now" and a coupon to be detached, filled and posted.The Sun newspaper Jan 20 1969. Careers/in Australia's modern army/changed almost 100%. Picture of Australian helicopter with pilot inside and two soldiers beside the helicopter. Flying kangaroo on the side of the helicopter.careers, army, recruitment, vietnam

"Modern Developments in the Australian Wool Industry", c.1923. Examines the operations of the Yarra Falls Spinning Co. Pty Ltd and the Australian Knitting Mills Limited (makers of Golden Fleece and Kookaburra knitted underwear). Includes photos of processes and of the buildings.F H Murgatroyd/20 Kensington Rd/ Leopold 3224weaving textile industry - history textile production machine knitting textile mills, yarra falls spinning co. pty ltd australian knitting mills limited, yarn - woollen, cloth - worsted, yarn - worsted, wool tops, yarn - cashmere, weaving, textile industry - history, textile production, machine knitting, textile mills

Australia’s first modern sea kayak expedition: “The journey they said couldn’t be done” Members: Earle de Blonville & John Brewster First kayak expedition to circumnavigate Tasmania’s 1,600 km coastline Route: The 1798-99 route of Bass and Flinders in the ‘Norfolk’ Start and finish Georgetown: anticlockwise via the west coast and Hobart. Media covers the Tasmania expedition itself, plus the pre-Tasmania training voyages in Scotland and the Hebrides, plus resulting articles.Kayak used in 1979 circumnavigation of Tasmania by Earl Bloomfield, accompanied by journal of expedition and photographs Sea Kayak, Nordkapp designsea kayak, circumnavigation of tasmania, earl de bonville, earl bloomfield

A brown spiral bound book titled 'Collector's Choice of Music for Old Time, New Vogue and Modern Ballroom Dances in Australia. Vol. 3.' Compiled by Peter Ellis. Includes over 300 tunes for 40 dances, with a section for Special Occasions and Novelties.Companion to 'Take Your Partners' by Shirley Andrews. Published by The Victorian Folk Music Club of Victoria Incorporated. Box 2025S, G.P.O., Melbourne, 3001. Printed by Ajax Printing & Duplicating Pty. Ltd. 23 Nevin Drive, Thomastown, 3074. 202 pgs. Ill., music, ph. Presentedto the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Bendigo Branch, with kind regards from Peter Ellis 3/12/1988.entertainment, dance, bush dance, peter ellis, collection, dance, dancing, dances, music, old time dancing, new vogue dancing, modern ballroom dances, australian history, colonial dancing, bush dancing, bush dances, shirley andrews, recreation, leisure, book

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.