Qantas Air Map by Rhys Williams

Rhys Williams (1894-1976), 'A New Air Map from the Australian Viewpoint...' An advertising poster for Qantas Empire Airways designed by leading Australian commercial artist Rhys Williams c.1938. The poster depicts the globe laid flat divided into four areas with concentric circles highlighting the various flight paths from Australia (top left is S.E Asia to Europe; top right North Pacific Ocean and USA; bottom left Indian Ocean and Africa; bottom right South Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean and South America). Beneath the map is graphic of a C. class flying boat hovering over the company title. In the lower right corner is a small Australian flag and a silhouette of a plane. Sydney is placed in the very centre of this map, which is where the first Qantas flights departed from. The work highlights the accessibility of the rest of the world from Australia due to the advent of Qantas Airways. The C. class flying boat went on to maintain important links between Australia and the UK during the Second World War, and these airplanes were sometimes converted into military aircraft or were employed to carry supplies. Also, many Qantas commercial pilots were taken into the RAAF., offset lithograph on paper, (102 x 66 cm) (overall). Provenance: Australian War Memorial, Canberra (deaccession).