Art in Australia, No. 1, 1916

In 1916, three prominent identities in the Sydney art world - Sydney Ure Smith, Bertram Stevens and Charles Lloyd Jones - got together to publish Australia's first art magazine. Their aim was to make the work of Australian artists know to the Australian public, and, through high quality reproductions, to give an idea of its quality to those who were unable to see the originals. All of the 102 issues of Art in Australia, published between 1916 and 1942 have now been made available, complete with illustrations, on the National Library of Australia's Trove web site. The first issue of the magazine consisted mainly of short biographical sketches of contemporary Australian artists, illustrated by examples of their work, including Arthur Streeton, Norman Lindsay, Julian Ashton, and a single female artist, Florence Rodway. - Summary by Phil Benson