CARTOONS

This blue Two Pence New South Wales stamp with a 'rays' type cancel is adorned with four black cartoon- like characters as well as a scroll to the addressee: Miss Dibbs, Commercial Bank, Sydney,  Their is no identifier for the artist (Figure 1).

ALBERT HENRY FULLWOOD (1863-1930), ARTIST

This illustrated cover has two N.S.W. lilac 1d ‘View of Sydney’ stamps, postmarked with the duplex SYDNEY/ AP 4/ 11-AM/ 95/ 32 with the N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Mrs Bradford, "Hillside", Lower Sandy Bay, Hobart. The cover shows a black ink sketch of a man peering through a telescope, steps, and a sailing boat with 4 men watching the scene (Figure 1).

AN UNUSUAL WW I POSTCARD to a SOLDIER in EGYPT

This home-made postcard was made from cut-outs of red Australian KGV heads and postage due stamps pasted to the front of a blank "Graphic' post card that was sent, presumably under cover (as there were no stamps for postage nor postmarks), to an Australian soldier in Egypt on leave from fighting at Gallipoli in Turkey. The design was drawn in black ink, but the red and green colour was filled in by the stamps.

CHARLES DANA GIBSON, ILLUSTRATOR, 1868-1944 [USA]

The pen-and-ink drawings of illustrator Charles Gibson came to represent the spirit of the early twentieth century in America. His illustrations appeared in a number of popular magazines and they both influenced and reflected attitudes, behaviours and mores in the country. The onset of the First World War was said to have ended the public's romance with Gibson's images, for the collective outlook changed from confident optimism to reserved cynicism; the latter outlook made Gibson's perspective to be out of place.

F.A. PACKER, HOUSE of ASSEMBLY, HOBART (1839-1902)

This illustrated humorous cover was addressed to F.A. PACKER ESQ, House of Assembly, and was stamped with the 1d sideface which was postmarked with a duplex HOBART/ SE 24/ (18)82. The illustration is quite complex and the key figure is a large plump screaming baby, associated with a basin of boiling water, a candle stick, a book of sketches with one sketch lying on the ground, and the fleeing legs of a man. The address is highly stylized with multiple thin streamers and there may be a pipe at extreme left and possibly a long cigarette holder at the fleeing man's feet. The artist is not identified and the meaning of sketch is open for discussion. The vendor gives his interpretation as "an amusing satirical illustration of a famous Packer 'dummy-spit'", a term unbeknownst to me. I am assured it is an Australian colloquial term, interpreted by the Macquarie Dictionary as to throw a tantrum, deriving from the image of a baby spitting out its dummy when it is feeling cantankerous (Figure 1).

FRANK COLE MADDEN F.R.C.S., from GREAT ORMOND STREET to CAIRO [ENGLAND]

Four covers, with illustrated fronts and reverses, were found at an auction site, and all four were sent from Melbourne to London, between March 1897 and May 1898. Only the first cover was sent to a private address of 4 Endsleigh Gardens London N.W., whereas the other three were addressed to the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London W.C. Whereas the first two covers gave no clue as to the identity of the person addressed, the third and fourth had the letters 'F.R.C.S.' (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, London) added to the name. The third cover was dated April 6, 1898, and Madden received this fellowship on March 10 th 1898, so the news traveled fast to Australia.

GEORGE SHIRLEY PENNEFATHER, LAUNCESTON CRICKETER

This 1890's front only from N.S.W. (barred numeral for town and date not legible) with the blue 2d QV stamp was sent to G. Shirley Pennefather Esq., Commercial Bank, Launceston Tasmania via Melbourne. The vendor stated that the cover had “amusing hand drawn illustrations involving conversations between the Spider and Fly” and that all surviving items from this correspondence are fronts only. He also stressed that “illustrated items from New South Wales are very scarce, particularly this early”, a point with which I have no experience to confirm (Figure 1).

ILLUSTRATED COVERS to Pfc. GERALD O. KEATING, S.A.A.A.B. [U.S.A.]

Two letters to Private first class Gerald O. Keating, both illustrated by the same artist and sent by Mrs J. Keating from Brisbane appeared on eBay the same day. The first had a roller postmark with a boxed BRISBANE/ QLAND/ 2 23 JAN 2/ 1945/ POSTED IN/ PILLARS as well as a boxed 1/ PASSED/ BY/ CENSOR/ 164. The blue 3½d KGVI stamp was applied, and the most obvious finding was a painted tropical scene occupying the left hand side of the envelope. The cover was addressed to Pfc. Gerald O. Keating, A.S.N. (Army Service Number) 19064631, Section E. 1040 AAF. B.U.- R.S #4, S.A.A.A.B, Santa Ana, California U.S.A. (Figure 1).

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN (1836-1914) & TARIFF REFORM [ENGLAND]

When I first considered this paper in 2003, I gave it the title of "Donkey/Mule and Teddy/ Joey", for I could not differentiate whether the kicking quadriped was a donkey or a mule and whether it represented a monocled Teddy Roosevelt or Joey Chamberlain. Additional research confirmed that Joseph Chamberlain was the subject of this cartoon postcard, which was probably of English manufacture.

S.S. STEWART PHILADELPHIA BANJO MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE [USA]

This remarkable illustrated cover has 2 x 1d plus ½d Tasmanian stamps with Hobart, Tasmania duplex cancels with a printed drawing of a washerwoman standing on a rug, holding a large letter and a mop and bucket. The letter is addressed to Mr. S.S. Stewart, Banjo Manufactory, Church Street, Philadelphia, U.S.A. The reverse is backstamped Philadelphia 1897 (Figure 1).

SCOUT JAMBOREE, FRANKSTON VICTORIA, 1934-35

This illustrated cover specifically prepared for the Jamboree was postmarked with a faint AUST. JAMBOREE FRANKSTON/ 2.30 P 3 JA 35/ VIC. and it was addressed to Tom Fielding, Penguin, Tasmania. The front had a small printed AUSTRALIAN JAMBOREE FRANKSTON/ VICTORIA 1935, with a kangaroo and a boomerang in the centre, as well as a scout badge. It had a total postage of 1½d made up of the green 1d and orange ½d KGV head stamps (Figure 1).

SIR JOSEPH COOK, N.S.W. POSTMASTER GENERAL & FUTURE PRIME MINISTER

It is unfortunate that the title of this paper gives too much information, does not leave an element of surprise, but neither Miss Eva Moxham nor Wallerawang Railway Station nor the postal officer at Seven Hills provide enough ‘fodder’ to warrant a philatelic paper. Yet the cover screams out that it is unique, and one can only suspect that the sender from Seven Hills, Sydney is attempting to ‘curry favour’ with the blooming Miss Moxham of Wallerawang.

TAXED CARTOON POSTCARD from INVERELL, N.S.W. to PEKING, CHINA

I am always intrigued how inadequately addressed mail is sent out into the world, and this postcard really takes the prize. It is an English postcard, identified in green print vertically placed on the left hand side as being produced by the Cyn( )cas Publishing Co., Ltd , Tayport, Fifeshire. The postcard is simply addressed to Miss Isabel Pi( )y, Pekin (sic) China!

THE WHOLE DAM FAMILY: A CARD SENT to a 2nd YEAR ARTS STUDENT

My intent with this humourous card was to find out something about this Sydney University second year Arts student who was sent the card postmarked SYDNEY/ 8 JY 05 - 2PM/ 35 on the red ‘Arms’ 1d N.S.W. stamp. To date this has not been achieved, for after 6 months I am unlikely to obtain an answer from the Registrar’s Office at the University of Sydney (Figure 1).

UNCLE SAM in AUSTRALIA [CORRECT MAP of AUSTRALIA]

A 'humorous' postcard has been seen recently at two different sites, but whereas the card may be comical in the U.S.A., Australia's attitude is most certainly different, particularly at present.

WARTIME PATRIOTIC COVERS: A FORM of ADVERTISING COVER [U.S.A.]

A series of World War II patriotic covers became available from the same artist or distributor on E-Bay after I found this one posted from Australia. It has a prominent Mussolini (not requiring the 'MUSSO' on the sleeve for identification) consulting a book on 'HOW TO FIGHT'. He is sporting a black-eye and one arm is in a sling and he is saying "IT'S ALLA GREEK TO ME!" This was certainly the Australian view of Italian soldiers fighting prowess during WW II.

WILLIAM MORRIS HUGHES, LONGEST SERVING FEDERAL POLITICIAN