S9E80 - Australia’s Great Christmas Card Competition

In 1881, after years of a Christmas card market dominated by wintry imports, the John Sands company launched a competition for Australian-themed designs, with the best and most popular artworks to be reproduced for sale to the public. Who would win? What did this contest and ongoing card mania mean for Australian cultural identity, women's employment, art and culture, education and industry – and for the authenticity of our creativity and communication?

Bessie Rouse's scrap album, featuring early Christmas card designs:

https://mhnsw.au/stories/general/bessie-rouses-scrap-album/

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