Sea & Sunshine Go By Train! Take a Kodak

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

Publisher Australian National Travel Association

Date1930s

Object number00015751

NamePoster

MediumPhotolithograph

DimensionsOverall: 1006 x 630 mm, 0.3 kg

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis poster advertising train travel features a photolithographic print that uses striking images of the sea and sunshine, simple and emotive slogans popular in Australian advertising, to promote Australia to travellers. Posters commissioned for the Australian National Travel Association commonly used scenes of popular Australian icons to promote travel and coastal tourism.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. ANTA promotional travel posters worked across the spectrum depicting the beach and the outback as desirable travel destinations. Railway travel posters often depicted beach resorts, landscapes and other colourful scenes rather than the trains themselves. 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) was born in Estonia and studied Architecture in Berlin. He migrated to Australia in 1926 and began producing travelling posters in 1931. Along with his many posters Sellheim later went on to design iconic symbols representing Australian society namely an Aboriginal two shilling stamp in 1948 and the flying kangaroo for Qantas. Sellheim was one of the first poster artists to use the semi- abstract style, bold use of colour and later adapted Aboriginal motifs for advertising purposes.SignificanceThis poster is a vivid symbol of an era when Australia undertook an aggressive campaign of promotion. This poster was commissioned for the Australian National Travel Association and commonly used scenes of Australian beach culture, to promote travel to local and international markets. This travel poster is representative of work by acclaimed poster artist, Gert Sellheim.