Please note: The Barr Smith Library does not have copies of the individual art works listed in this Index, nor do we have anything to do with their copyright. There is no point in asking us for a copy of an illustration or for permission to use a particular art work. For information on how to find images of art works, please visit our Help page.

This is an electronic version of an index to reproductions of Australian artists which have been used as illustrations in books on the arts and in major exhibition catalogues.
The work was first published in book form by La Trobe University Library in 1990; we are very grateful that they have generously given us permission to publish it on the web for the benefit of a wider audience.

Illustration Index to Australian Art was compiled by Ray Choate. The printed version was converted to web format by Alan Keig.
A printed copy is in the The University of Adelaide Library's Barr Smith Library Reference collection, at call number 709.94016 C545i.

How to use the Illustration Index to Australian Art

There is a separate page with detailed Information on how to use the Index.

Introduction

There has long been a need for an index to the many reproductions of Australian artists which have been used as illustrations in books on the arts and in major exhibition catalogues. It is the hope of the compiler that this index will be of use and value to students and teachers, to collectors, and to librarians who are seeking illustrations of specific artists. Many artists included in the indexed texts do not as yet have books dedicated solely to their works, and this index will be one of the few means by which one can readily locate examples of their work. In addition to providing listings of illustrations, it can frequently direct the interested user to biographical or critical material in the text of the books analyzed. Also, the location of the art work is often mentioned in the text, thereby leading users to the original should they wish to view or consult it.

Over three hundred monographs and exhibition catalogues, including most of the major ones published up to about 1985, have been analyzed. It is likely that most libraries will have several of these texts in their collections, and this publication will also serve as an index to at least a portion of their Australian art collections.

The reproductions are arranged by title under artist and information is given, when known, concerning the medium of the original, whether it is in colour or black/white, and the page or other reference number in the text where the reproduction occurs. Information about a reproduction is taken from the book cited, and no attempt has been made to standardize titles. The compiler believes it to be better to adhere to the original text, accepting that the area is fraught with problems of subtitles, different works with the same title, and other variations. It was deemed advisable, therefore, to list items by title without alterations, at the risk of listing the same work under several variant titles. Otherwise, it would have been necessary to have had all the texts indexed at one's immediate disposal, a situation unfortunately not available to the compiler.

In some instances where a large number of reproductions occur in a single text and where the compiler did not consider it essential to list each of them by title (e.g. portraits where the subject is the title). the listing indicates the number of reproductions with no references to titles.

The artists' names and dates have been confirmed, when possible, in the Artists' working names authority list compiled at the Australian National Gallery; spellings conform also to this listing. Other dictionaries and encyclopedias (McCulloch, Germaine, and Renniks) have been consulted. When there is doubt concerning an artist, the entry has been left as it is in the original text. Engravings and similar material are listed by artist with references, when available, to the engraver.

Under each letter, artists known only by initials are listed first. Also included in the author sequence are painters who, because their real names are not known, are referred to by a phrase (e.g. 'Port Jackson Painter') and collectives (e.g. 'Naval Historical Association').

At the end of the Index, works for which there is no specific attribution are listed in title order, under the heading 'Anon'.

It is the intention of the compiler to update this work occasionally by indexing new imprints as well as older ones newly discovered. Many new publications were issued as a result of the Australian Bicentennial. and it is hoped to include them as well as major illustrated sale catalogues. Thanks to the marvels of electronic storage and manipulation, such an objective is feasible.

Australian Pictorial Thesaurus (APT)

The Australian Pictorial Thesaurus (APT), hosted by The State Library of New South Wales, is a hierarchical thesaurus of 15,000 Australian subject terms for the indexing of images and other original material collections held in Australian libraries, archives, historical societies and museums. It is an authoritative vocabulary, compiled and maintained on established principles of thesaurus construction.
The APT uses contemporary Australian words and phrases to describe objects, people, places, activities and concepts. The Thesaurus is still growing and indexers are encouraged to suggest new terms on the electronic form provided.

Illustration Index to Australian Art

Copyright © Print edition: La Trobe University Library 1990
Copyright © Electronic edition: University of Adelaide Library 2000