ARTIST CARDS - WHO WAS "R.H.I." ???

[Ross Ewington]

A small series of "artist" cards with painting of Tasmanian "beauty spots" (Tesselated Pavement, Corra Linn, etc)
were printed by The Examiner (Launceston) c.1906.

Each painting has the initials "R.H.I." in the lower RH corner.


Does anyone know the actual name of the artist who produced the paintings used in the series?

[Mike]

R.H.I. is R H Isherwood. A Tasmanian water colour artist. Produced a set of 6 cards from his paintings. Some cards are known with advertising on the back.

Cora Lynn, Tas
Princes Square, Tas
Mt Wellington, Tas
Kings Bridge, Tas
River Derwent, Tas
Tesselated Pavement, Tas

[Ross Ewington]

Thanks Mike ....... I checked the "I" section a number of Australian artist sites with alphabetical listings
of artists but a R.H. Isherwood was not to be found, thus my inquiry (above).
In fact, a "Google" search (using the whole name) results in only one direct reference so they must have been a painter of "local interest only".

The A.N.A. Exhibition overprint certainly makes it much easier to "date" the card - i.e. the exhibition was held
in Launceston during 1908.

[Mike]

A little more information from Tasmanian Artists of the Twentieth Century by Sue Backhouse, pub 1988.

R H Isherwood

Watercolourist, painter. Active in Tasmania 1915 - 1936. Gained a prize at the Launceston Art Society exhibition 1931. Taught at the Friends School, Hobart 1934 - 1935 and later returned to the school to teach art.

Selected group exhibitions

1916 Art Society of Tasmania.
1927 -31, 34- 36 Launceston Art Society.
1954. Sesquicentennial Art Exhibition 1804 - 1954 Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

Collections.
TMAG

[Ross Ewington]

I have just sighted one of these cards (below) with a message date "Oct 19th 1905" ...as the cards have a divided back, this would constitute a very early usage date.

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[Ross Ewington]

The MOUNT WELLINGTON card.

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