Description

Extended Data

DAAO URL

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/lawrence-b-tayler

Birth Place

Victoria

Biography

painter and illustrator, was born and bred in Victoria. While studying at Melbourne’s National Gallery School in 1908-11 he exhibited with the Victorian Artists’ Society and provided illustrations for various journals, including New Idea , Native Companion , and Lone Hand . The latter included The prehistoric golfer 1 February 1908 (429) and a drawing of a young woman (1 January 1910, 345). Dated 1909 The indispensable gem (on the straw hat, with a page of women wearing them – schoolgirl, suffragette, charwoman, etc.) – was published in Lone Hand 1 March 1910, 581. Tayler designed at least six series of comic postcards in Australia, all monogrammed 'LTB’, as well as a set of eight coloured cards advertising Prince’s Court, an amusement park in Melbourne that opened on 15 December 1904 and closed in 1907. (Postcards of stylised comic figures by Tayler were on display in the Performing Arts Museum, Melbourne Concert Hall, in May 1985.) A member of the Melbourne Savage Club, he drew a lively programme cover Gentlemen!!! showing an elderly bearded gent (the Club porter?) banging the club’s gong made out of an ammunition shell by Savage George A. Cartwright (ill. Dow, 173). Tayler held an exhibition at Melbourne in March 1912, which possibly included The Novelette 1912 (a servant girl reading a novel while preparing food in room with washing hanging out) oil on canvas, 75 × 52 cm (ill. Sotheby’s Fine Australian Paintings Melbourne 28-29 April 1997, lot 283). The following year (1913) he went to London and established himself as an illustrator and poster artist. He had work in the exhibitions of Australian Art in London in 1924 and 1925 ('Australian Art Exhibition’, Spring Gardens Gallery) and sent work back to be shown at the New Gallery, Melbourne. He also sent cartoons to the Bulletin , e.g. His View . “Do you really think this dress suits me?”/ “Oh, yes, suits you 'down to the ground’!” 18 July 1918, and possibly 'Sockitis’, Bulletin 16 September 1915, 24 (or is it by Alf Vincent ?) Tayler designed British propaganda postcards during WWI. (Moore states that he was awarded the prize for a poster for Great Western Railways from 600 entries but appears to have confused him with the English Fred Taylor, the most celebrated railway artist of the 1920s; a book on the company’s poster artists doesn’t include Tayler.) He apparently also wrote articles for the Australian Salon from London. He illustrated Quiller-Couch’s The Delectable Duchy and several English children’s books; also some of Mary Grant Bruce’s Billabong books in the 1930s (see Muir). Writers: Kerr, Joan stokel Date written: 1996 Last updated: 2007

Born

b. 1873

Summary

Early 20th century Melbourne painter, cartoonist and illustrator.

Gender

Male

Died

None listed

Age at death

None listed