Images(3)

SS YPIRANGA , SS HWAH PING and SS KIAMA

Artist Hallett Robertson Bartlett (Australian, 1906 - 1989)

Date1919 - 1922

Object number00027448

NamePainting

MediumWatercolour on paper

DimensionsOverall: 400 x 570 mm, 0.05 kg

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Geoffrey Martin

Terms

DescriptionTwo watercolour paintings by Hallett Bartlett. On one side is a depiction of the Brazilian vessel SS YPIRANGA in the Bay of Biscay featuring the flag of the League of Nations. On the reverse of this page is China Australian Mail Line vessel SS HWA PING coming up Sydney Harbour from China with Watson's Bay in the background. These watercolours are part of an album of approximately 90 images (00027420 - 00027528) drawn by Hallett Bartlett when a teenager.HistoryThe YPIRANGA was a German-registered cargo-steamer owned and operated by Hamburg-America Line. She found herself at the centre of a poltical and naval standoff between Mexico, Germany an the United States in 1914 as she tried to deliver a cargo of armaments to Veracruz harbour to fulfill an order by the then Mexican President Victoriano Huerta. The event became known as the "YPIRANGA Affair" . This album illustrates, in the popular style of the period, portraits of ships and some aeroplanes; all identified. The ships are mainly those of the Australian coastal trade including merchant and government vessels, troopships and cargo vessels in Sydney Harbour and elsewhere, although many intercontinental vessels on the Australian run are featured. Bartlett has also incorporated company house flags and pennants into the works. The aircraft depicted are those seen in Australian skies at the conclusion of WWI. Hallett Bartlett was born in Young, New South Wales. His father Charles Henry Falkner Hope Bartlett was a distinguished solider and aide-de-camp to the governor-general, the Earl of Dudley. Although not a lot is known about 'Hal' Barlett, anecdotal evidence suggests that he had aspirations to be an architect at a young age. His craftsmanship is clear in these drawings as is his attention to detail shows a clear military influence, possibly from his father's career and WWI. Bartlett himself joined the armed forces first with the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a voluntary reservist and later to the RAAF where he served in the Middle East. After his return to Australia due to an injury sustained during service, little is known about Bartlett or whether he continued with his love of drawing. His brother, Faulkner 'Hope' Bartlett, was a well-known race driver in Australia and New Zealand and there is evidence that Hal Bartlett was also involved in the automobile industry. SignificanceThis album of drawings by Hallett Bartlett reflect the aeroplanes and ships of the WWI era that captured the imagination of young Australians.