JAMES NORTHFIELD (1887-1973) WATTLE TIME / TRAVEL BY TRAIN. Circa 1925.
40 1/4x25 1/4 inches, 102 1/4x64 cm. Syd Day Ltd., Sydney.
Condition A-: repaired tears and minor abrasions in margins.
"Northfield was one of Australia's most successful and well-known commercial artists between the early 1920s and the late 1950s . . . Northfield's training as a colour lithographer, his excellent sense of design and an ability to understand and appeal to his audience enabled him to prosper from the extraordinary growth in advertising experienced in Australia after World War I" (Northfield p. 1). The golden wattle (Acacia Pycnantha), Australia's national flower, grows on trees and can reach heights of over 25 feet tall. Since 1899, Wattle Day has been held on September 1, the first day of Australian Spring. The flower, which appears on the country's coat of arms, is very much a part of the Australian psyche. This rare early poster, "Vic Rlwys Poster No. 39," is previously unrecorded. We could find no other auction records.