The Seaside Calls, Go by Train, Take a Kodak

Maker Gert Sellheim (Australian - German, 1901 - 1970)

Date1930s

Object number00029433

NamePoster

MediumColour lithograph on paper

DimensionsOverall: 1020 x 630 mm, 0.05 kg

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionBy the 1930s beach culture was becoming a cornerstone of the Australian way of life. This poster advertising train travel to the beach with its streamlined diver and wave reflects the modernist aesthetic of the day. Artists working for the Australian National Travel Association commonly used imagery emotive of beach culture to promote Australia as an exotic and desirable tourist destination.HistoryIn the nineteenth century railways emerged as an advocate of domestic tourism. The Australian National Transport Association and Victorian Railways Betterment and Publicity Board, developed posters with striking images and simple slogans to meet the emerging need to market Australia to the international and domestic traveller, increasing the profile of Australia as a desirable tourist destination. By the 1930s, beach culture was becoming a cornerstone of the Australian way of life. The Australian National Tourism Association and Victorian Railway developed posters to communicate to the world that Australia, a young country largely unknown to the overseas market and unique in resources and scenic beauty, was worthy of the world's tourist business. People were often the feature of posters developed by the ANTA as a point of identification, transporting their audience to an attractive alternative reality. Gert Sellheim, (1901-1970) born in Estonia, studied Architecture in Berlin. He migrated to Australia in 1926 and began producing travel posters in 1931.Sellheim went on to design iconic posters that represent Australian culture and society, Sellheim created recognisable works such as an Aboriginal two shilling stamp in 1948 and the flying kangaroo logo for Qantas. Sellheim was one of the first poster artists to use the semi- abstract style and bold use of colour.SignificanceThis poster is a vivid symbol of an era when Australia undertook an aggressive campaign of promotion. Posters commissioned for the Victoria Railways, commonly used themes of Australian beach culture, to promote travel to the local and international market. This travel poster is representative of work by acclaimed poster artist, Gert Sellheim.