Item SH 970001 Banner - Amalgamated Society of Carpenters & Joiners, Victorian Branch, 1914

Summary

This banner was painted for the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters & Joiners, Victorian Branch, by W.G.Dunstan in 1914. It was unfurled at a Smoke Night Social of the ACJS on Saturday 18 April 1914. The Society, amalgamated in 1860, was the forerunner of the Building Workers Industrial Union. The Australian branches of the Society broke away from Britain in 1916.

The banner is painted on canvas. On one side, Dunstan depicted allegorical figures representing Victoria, the United States, New Zealand and Canada acting as handmaids to Britannia above the slogan 'United Throughout the World.' The main 'Australian' imagery is the entwined figures of eight representing the Australian demand for an Eight Hour Day. The reverse side of the banner depicts the membership certificate of the Carpenters & Joiners, designed in 1868 by William Warby, illustrating many aspects of the work of carpenters and joiners, including bridge building, education, and house construction. Saint Joseph, given prominence as a significant carpenter, is seated above the Society's coat of arms, granted to the London Guild in 1466. This illustrative device was used on Carpenters' & Joiners' banners in Brisbane, Kalgoorlie, Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand.

It was included on the Victorian Heritage Register 8 December 2005.

Physical Description

Painted on canvas. Side A: Dunstan depicted allegorical figures representing Victoria, the United States, New Zealand and Canada acting as handmaids to Britannia above the slogan 'United Throughout the World.' The main 'Australian' imagery is the entwined figures of eight representing the Australian demand for an Eight Hour Day. Side B: Dunstan depicts the membership certificate of the Carpenters and Joiners, designed in 1868 by William Warby, illustrating many aspects of the work of carpenters and joiners, including bridge building, education, and house construction.