PERCIVAL (PERCY) ALBERT TROMPF (1902-1964) AUSTRALIA. 1929. 39 3/4x25 inches, 101x63 1/2 cm. Troedel & Cooper Pty., Ltd., Melbourne. Condition B+ / B: replaced losses, repaired tears and extensive overpainting in margins; overpainting in upper image; expertly-repaired tears in image. A view of the beachgoing crowd and busy parking lot of Bondi Beach is seen from the front of the former Astra Hotel. Although the beach is not named on the poster, nor is the perspective correct, the beach is unmistakable. This iconic image is considered a "national treasure [and]. . . the embodiment of a national culture in the interwar years" (Australian Beach Cultures pp. 1-2). This scene of Bondi Beach was one of the first posters produced by the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) formed in 1929. It promoted Australia as a travel destination to American and British markets. "To communicate its message to a world that knew little of Australia, the ANTA had to resort to producing striking imagery and simple slogans . . . ANTA became heavily involved in commissioning travel posters" (Trading Places p. 5). Voyage p. 64, Lebovic 4, Trading Places 5.
