Roger Butler
Printed images in Colonial Australia 1801-1901
A handsome and beautifully illustrated work, Roger Butler's work will quickly establish itself as a standard reference and a necessary companion for scholars, curators, collectors and dealers, and anyone interested in the history of illustrated books, printing and print-making in Australia. Butler provides a thorough synopsis of prints and print-making in the colonial era, with the works of the great figures of Australian printing represented. Published to accompany the exhibition The Story of Australian Printmaking, and evidence of the National Gallery's commitment to their printed collections, Printed: Images in Colonial Australia 1801-1901 is vital to any collection of Australian illustrated works and prints. "... a book which makes us rethink what we know... has a significant impact on our knowledge and understanding of Australian art." John McPhee in The Bulletin
Book of the Month August 2008
Australian: $89 (Approx. US $93, Euro €71)
ISBN 9780642541802
Worldwide 7 - 10 days, Australia 3 - 7 business days
About the Book
Printed images in Colonial Australia 1801-1901 is the first of three volumes (the second, Printed images by Australian Artists 1885-1955, has already been published and is also available for purchase on the Hordern House publications website). Although the three volumes are designed to form a set, each is a stand-alone reference in its own right, and we particularly recommend this first volume as an important and long-awaited reference for all of our customers (indeed as it is for us). With a wealth of information on all of the major processes of print-making, the work encompasses natural history illustrations, topographical views, right through to advertising, illustrated books and the beginnings of fine-art printing. There are particularly good notices, for instance, on John Lewin, Absalom West, James Wallis, S.T. Gill, Eugene von Guerard, among countless others. 377 images are reproduced in the book, many of them exceedingly rare or long overlooked, are presented alongside Butler's original research and information not previously assembled in order to give full weight to the important role of the printed image in Australian art and culture.
About the Author
Roger Butler is Senior Curator of Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Australia. During his years at the National Gallery, Butler has established the foremost collection of prints, posters and book arts of the Australasian region. He has written widely on Australian prints, curated exhibitions and lectured on the subject as well as participating in arts organisations. Major exhibitions and publications include Thea Proctor, the prints, with Jan Minchen (1981), The prints of Margaret Preston (1987, revised 2005); Poster art in Australia (1995), Sydney by design, wood and linocuts by Sydney Woman artists between the wars (1995), The Europeans: Emigré artists in Australia 1930-60 (1997), Islands in the sun: Prints by indigenous artists of Australia and the Australasian region (2001), place made: Australian Print Workshop (2004). Butler has a particular interest in access initiatives for large works on paper collections, and is particularly involved in the Gallery's web access project http://www.australianprints.gov.au/ established in 1997. He has been the NGA's representative to the National Library of Australia initiative Pictureaustralia and is on the working party of the University of New South Wales Dictionary of Australian Art Online (DAAO).