Framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard

c. 1940
Overview

World War Two era Australian Red Cross Society postcard of a fundraising poster in a varnished timber frame.
The postcard has a depiction of a female Red Cross nurse standing on a flight of steps. A woman, holding a young boy and a baby, sits at the bottom of the steps with a suitcase. Next to her are two soldiers: one has a wounded foot and leans on a walking stick; the other sits in a wheelchair with a bandage around his head, holding a book on his lap. They all look up at the nurse who gestures to them with her arms open wide, as if showing them the way up the steps.
A buff coloured tag with the motto 'Help Red Cross continue it's [sic] work of mercy' appears on an angle in the lower right, while the name of the artist who designed the image, Northfield, is printed in white on the lower left. 'The Australian Red Cross Society' is written in white block letters across the bottom.
There is a rectangular light coloured timber frame around the postcard, with a darker, broader timber frame around the outside of that. There are curved pieces removed from each corner for decoration.
The reverse of the frame is plain.

Historical information

James Northfield (1887-1973) was a Melbourne based poster artist who specialised in producing lithographs.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-119-RoW00642
Width
180 mm
Height or length
250 mm
Depth
20 mm
Inscriptions and markings

"Help RED CROSS
to continue
it's [sic] work of Mercy"

"NORTHFIELD"

"THE AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY"

Place made
Australia
Year
Primary significance criteria
Artistic or aesthetic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Last modified
Sunday, 10 August, 2025
Completeness
100
Recollections of War

Recollections of War

Organisation details
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Framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Close up of framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Close up of framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Oblique view of framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Oblique view of framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Reverse of framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard
Reverse of framed Australian Red Cross Society postcard

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