Night fall in the ti-tree

Woodcuts by Geraldine Rede and Violet Teague. Melbourne and London : Sign of the Rabbit and Elgin Mathews, 1906. Small folio, ribbon-tied woodcut-printed wrappers (lightly rubbed, ribbons replaced, the original silk ribbon as always deteriorated, and preserved separately), illustrated endpapers, fourteen leaves folded in the Japanese manner illustrated with original woodcuts by Teague and Rede, with illustrations hand-signed by the artists ‘V.T.’ or ‘G.R.’.

“The earliest known example of colour relief printing in Australia.” – Art Gallery of New South Wales

‘In 1905 Violet Teague, in collaboration with her friend Geraldine Rede, handprinted Night Fall in the Ti-Tree at the Sign of the Rabbit Press, in the Teague family home at 89 Collins Street, Melbourne. Nine decades later the charm of this book remains, the National Gallery of Australia having published a facsimile edition in 1988. Although Teague produced other prints and illustrated other books her reputation as a graphic artist rests on this publication’. Roger Butler, Violet Teague and Japonisme, Printed Works, in Violet Teague 1872 – 1951, The Beagle Press, 1999.

Night fall in the ti-tree was privately printed by hand in 1905 and a few copies released for sale in December that year. The price was three shillings and sixpence. A copy made its way to art publisher Elkin Mathews in London, probably via distributor and publisher Robert Jolley, who agreed to sell the book in Britain. Teague re-designed the title page, crediting herself as author of the text, and changing the imprint to add Elkin Mathews as publisher and the date as 1906. The artists cut and coloured each of the blocks (some images requiring multiple blocks), as well as signing many of the images – all original artworks – in fine black ink. Examination of institutional copies reveals distinct variations in the quality of print and colour; this, coupled with the fact that not all copies are signed on the same plates, is reflective of the hand-made nature of the book. Butler comments that ‘…despite having an English agent it seems that very few copies of it were printed or sold. The dozen copies known to exist come from family, friends and fellow artists. Nevertheless, the book stands as the earliest and purest example in Australia of printmaking and book production in the Japoniste style. It also remains as a compelling children’s story’. Butler, p. 71

‘Their book is the earliest known example of colour relief printing in Australia, and a very early example of the influence of Japanese woodblock techniques on Australian printmaking.’ – AGNSW website https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/250.1983/#about

As the covers of this book are handprinted woodblocks (as are all the pages), they are susceptible to rubbing, which is very pronounced in both the examples in the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with some of the imagery obscured.

A fragile work, this example is in splendid condition.

Exhibition history (this copy):

Adventure, Elves and Gumnuts: Australian Children’s Book Illustrators from the early 20th Century. Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, 7 December 2024 – 23 February 2025.