Crowned crane

Pencil on card, 150 x 120 mm (image), 255 x 160 mm (sheet); artist’s monogram in the image lower right, and date ‘Melb. Jan. ’39’ lower left, with caption beneath; verso inscribed by the artist ‘A more finished pencil drawing, from the original sketch [made] in Melbourne Zoo’, and below it the artist’s name and address: ‘Edwin Slater, 7 Bangarra Road, Canterbury, Melbourne, E.7., Australia’; in fine condition, unmounted and unframed.

Edwin W. Slater was born in England in 1875 and some time prior to World War One emigrated to Australia. He settled in Melbourne, where he had a career as advertising manager for Foy & Gibson. Slater was an accomplished amateur artist in watercolour, pen and ink, and pencil, who had a penchant for ornithological subjects.

From a large archive of Slater’s original drawings and watercolours.