| Accession Number | AWM2022.449.1 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Sheet: 53 x 33.5 cm |
| Object type | Work on paper |
| Physical description | ink and wash on paper |
| Maker |
Lindsay, Norman |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | 1944 |
| Conflict |
Period 1940-1949 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright |
Called up...
Description
This illustration by Norman Lindsay was published in the 'Bulletin' on Wednesday July 5th 1944. It was captioned ‘CALLED UP; Miss Liberty, you are in a non-essential occupation. You are directed to report again after R-Day for service in Bourke or a pickle-factory.
During the First World War Lindsay rallied behind the ideology of the duty of service. But, Norman’s younger brother Reginald Lindsay was killed in France on 31 December 1916, a death which would have a profound affect on Norman Lindsay. By the time conscription was introduced for the first time in 1942 for all eligible Australians, Lindsay’s own son was of enlistment age, and Norman Lindsay’s attitude towards conscription markedly changed. As such, in the proposed acquisition, ‘Called Up’, Lindsay depicts Miss Liberty being conscripted in the wartime administrative office somewhere, ordered to serve in Bourke or a pickle-factory, to protest the senselessness and deprivation of mandatory service.