1938 Empire Games poster
Object No. 2009/52/3
This poster promotes a healthy white male athlete participating in the 1938 Empire Games held in Sydney from 5 February to 12 February, 1938. These Games, only the third Empire Games held, were timed to co-incide with Australia's sesqui-centennial celebrations which celebrated 150 years since the foundation of British settlement in Australia. The poster announces that Sydney welcomes visitors to the celebrations from 26 January (Australia Day) through to April 25 (Anzac Day), 1938. Venues for the 1938 Games were the Sydney Cricket Ground which was the main stadium, the Sydney Sports Ground, North Sydney Pool and Henson Park. The star of the games was the Australian athlete Decima Norman, who won numerous gold medals in track and field events. Margaret Dovey, later the wife of the Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, participated in the breaststroke swimming competition. Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator 2009
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Summary
Object Statement
Poster, '1938 Empire Games / Sydney', colour lithograph on paper, designed by Charles Meere, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1938.
Physical Description
Poster, '1938 Empire Games / Sydney', colour lithograph on paper, designed by Charles Meere, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1938. Poster, 1938 Empire Games, colour lithograph on paper, designed by Charles Meere to advertise the 1938 Empire Games Sydney, rectangular poster in portrait format. The poster depicts a male athlete wearing black spiked shoes, white shorts with a red stripe down the side and a white T-shirt with a design of the Union Jack mid front. He is leaping over an aerial scene of Sydney Harbour, with the Harbour Bridge viewed below him. Signed lower right, 'Charles Meere'. Text inscribed within poster, printed in black, red and white "FEB. 5 … FEB. 12… / 1938 / EMPIRE GAMES / SYDNEY / CALLS YOU…/ AUSTRALIA'S 150 ANNIVERSARY / CELEBRATIONS / JANUARY 26 TO APRIL 25 1938'
DIMENSIONS
Height
1025 mm
Width
640 mm
Depth
20 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Designed by Charles Meere (1890-1961) Charles Meere was born in London and studied at the West Ham Technical School and the Royal College of Art in London where he gained a diploma in mural painting and design. He then undertook a brief period of study at Colrossi's in Paris. He migrated to Australia in 1932. In Sydney, Meere worked as a freelance artist before joining the Sydney Morning Herald in the early 1940s, where his formal artistic style was quite successful. In 1938, when the Art Gallery of New South Wales established the Sulman Prize for murals and figure compositions, one of the first awards went to Meere's painting of the classical goddess, Atlanta. Meere also won the Wynne Prize in 1951.
HISTORY
Notes
Designed by Charles Meere to advertise the 1938 Empire Games, Sydney. The donor of the poster is an avid art, photography and design collector. He acquired the poster as one of a group of posters from the Josef Lebovic Gallery, Paddington, and the poster hung for a time in his VIP Freight office. The rarity of original historical Australian celebratory posters and their important relationship to Australian history make this a welcome gift for the Museum's collection. This is one of several donations that businessman and collector, Mr Pat Corrigan has made to the Museum. The poster places Australia and the Australian tourism industry in an international context.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Pat Corrigan, 2009
Acquisition Date
16 July 2009
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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