Description

Extended Data

DAAO URL

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/david-c-barker

Birth Place

Ballarat, Vic., Australia

Biography

cartoonist, illustrator, painter and etcher, was born in Ballarat (Vic.). He studied art with Norman Carter at the Royal Art Society, Sydney, then worked his way to USA as a deckhand aboard the Makura and worked for Curtis Publishing Co. in Philadelphia. Barker served in Gallipoli, France and the Middle East during WWI, where he co-edited The Anzac Book and Kia Ora Coo-ee (set at Mitchell Library: Spencer 5702) and was art editor for Australia in Palestine (Angus & Robertson 1919). Charles Barrett, his co-editor on Kia Ora Coo-ee , donated a small collection of original material to State Library of New South Wales (Dixson Library uncatalogued Pix): a poster showing an air battle advertising the magazine’s August [1917?] issue signed A.R. Betteridge; a title page for 'Snakes’ by Charles Barrett with snakes forming the word, initialled 'D.H.I.’, used in the soldiers’ magazine The Stretcher ; a small comic ink title page by 'D.B.’ for Charles Barrett’s 'rare soldiers’ paper’ called 'Nature Studies in Palestine’, showing Barrett with a microscope inspecting a caterpillar among falling bombs; and a cartoon signed 'D.C. Barker '17’ showing an old bearded soldier on walking sticks looking at a 'special communique 1940’ proclaiming 'It is confidently predicted that the war will end in the early spring’, used in Kia Ora Coo-ee . After Gallipoli, Barker was lent to the British Army to work as cartographer in Mesopotamia under the orders of Col. T.E. Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia’). A member of the first council of the Sydney Painter-Etchers Society, he exhibited with it and showed etchings and watercolours with NSW Society of Artists in the 1920s. Writers: Kerr, Joan Date written: 1996 Last updated: 2007

Born

b. 1888

Summary

Early 20th century Sydney and wartime cartoonist, illustrator, painter and etcher. Barker served in Gallipoli, France and the Middle East during WWI, where he co-edited 'The Anzac Book' and 'Kia Ora Coo-ee' and was art editor for 'Australia in Palestine'. After Gallipoli he was lent to the British Army to work as cartographer in Mesopotamia under the orders of Col. T.E. Lawrence, otherwise known a

Gender

Male

Died

1946

Age at death

58