JARDINE Walter (1884-1970), 'The Skyways are today's Highways.'
An advertising poster for Qantas Empire Airways designed by leading Australian commercial artist Walter Jardine in 1939. The poster depicts the Short "C" Class Empire flying-boat 'Cooee' taking off at Rose Bay, Sydney. This plane was part of the Qantas fleet during the early years of the Second World War; this kind of aircraft maintained essential air links with the UK. It was the first to fly the Sydney to Southampton route on 5 July 1938. The route took 4 days to cover, with Qantas crew changing to Imperial Airways crew in Singapore. When the Japanese attacked in the Pacific the aircraft was one of several cut off in Africa. In August 1942 Qantas transferred Cooee to the British airline BOAC, receiving another "C" Class aircraft in exchange. BOAC then used Cooee until the end of the war. It was broken up for scrap at Hythe in the UK in 1947.
Offset Lithograph on Paper (101.5x64cm) (overall)

Provenance: Australian War Memorial, Canberra (deaccession).
Estimate $200-400