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Phillip Island Pleasureland

Artist Percival Trompf (Australian, 1902 - 1964)

Date1930s

Object number00015138

NamePoster

MediumColour lithograph on paper

DimensionsOverall: 1010 x 633 mm, 0.05 kg

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis poster advertising travel to Phillip Island, Victoria features a coloured lithographic image promoting the island as a 'Pleasureland' tourist resort, listing a multitude of activities found around the island to entice the traveller. The poster uses natural land formations, a multitude of activities and wildlife present on the island to attract attention and promote Phillip Island as a desirable and complete tourist destination. The work was commissioned by the Victorian Railways to promote Phillip Island as a desirable tourist destination. HistoryPhilip Island was developed and promoted chiefly as a complete tourist resort providing tourist with a variety of iconic Australian attritions, popular activities and native wildlife. This poster represents Philip Island as a complete tourist destination. In an effort to place Australia on the world's tourist map the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) was created in 1929. As part of their marketing campaign ANTA distributed thousands of travel posters specifically targeting British and American audiences. By 1934 during the peak period in Australian poster production, ANTA had printed 140,000 posters of which 3,000 were issued overseas. Posters produced for the local market were more likely to advertise the charms of a specific location than those developed for an international audience. Percival Tompf (1902-1981) is one of the best known Australian poster artists and was commissioned to produce posters for ANTA. Trompf was born in Victoria and attended Ballarat School of Mines and Industries; he opened a studio and designed thousands of advertising posters for such prominent Australian companies as Bryant & May Pty Ltd, Palmolive Co Ltd and the travel magazine 'Walkabout'. This poster contrasts other works by Trompf as the emphasis and composition, colour and form differ from many of Trompfs other promotional posters for tourist resorts. SignificanceThe poster promotes Phillip Island as a complete tourist resort offering visitors a multitude of desirable and popular attractions. The work is an evocative, vivid symbol of an era when state and federal government agencies undertook an aggressive campaign of promotion- with the beach and environment featuring as major attractions.