Conrad Freiboe

Conrad Freiboe was active as an illustrator in New Zealand during the 1940's and 1950's. I've found little biographical information about Freiboe with an article in British magazine Flying Saucer Review dated July-August 1957 indicating Freiboe was living on Oriental Parade in Wellington during the late fifties. Freiboe's fine hatching and sturdy draughtsmenship featured in early issues of the New Zealand School Journal and many A.H. and A.W. Reed Publications including article illustrations for Conquest magazine during it's two years of publication over 1945-1947. Conrad also contributed illustrations to the NZEF bulletin Cue and I suspect he was a staff artist for the New Zealand army bulletin Korero during World War Two although Korero contributions were typically uncredited.

First issue of Conquest The Magazine for Youth published in 1945

Article excerpted from Flying Saucer Review July-August 1957:

"Mr. Adrian A. C. Mills, of London, writes that his correspondent, Mr. Conrad Freiboe, of Quental [sic] Parade, Wellington, reports : "I was in Christchurch (South Island) over Easter and enjoying the continuous sun-shine. I first noticed the phenomenon when looking up at the sky near the sun and, of course, could not make out what was floating earthwards." The Christchurch Star-Sun of April 29 stated : "What is the nature of the mysterious, gossamer-like substance which appeared to fall from the skies in many suburbs yesterday after-noon. To the uninitiated it appeared to be spiders' web. But its texture was very different. When handled it immediately dissolved into nothing; though apparently very light, it was not light enough to defy gravity except with the help of a very high wind. A Woolston resident who happened to be looking towards the hills with an astronomical telescope about midday noticed the substance falling in large quantities. He immediately set his telescope to observe various distances, increasing them until he was observing at a height of 15,000 ft. At this altitude the material was really thick, and plummeting down steadily in sheets which appeared about the size of a dinner table. The Meteorological Department reported a westerly air stream extending to Australia at the time, so that it is almost certain it came from overseas. Similar substance has been reported in New Zealand before at Onehunga two or three years ago said the Woolston man. It has also been reported from France, the United States and South America. An American scientist has associated its appearance with that of 'un-identified flying objects,' the suggestion being that it is caused by the exhaust of some unknown type of engine."

During it's first year of publication each issue of Conquest featured companion articles by Everard Anson, The World of Today and The World of Tomorrow, with illustrations by Freiboe.

Leonard Cornwall Mitchell

Leonard Cornwall Mitchell designing in his Wellington studio. Photographed by an Evening Post Staff photographer on the 20th of June 1970.

Some more examples of Leonard Mitchell's advertising and New Zealand tourism illustrations courtesy the Alexander Turnbull Library.

Robert Semple presenting a prize to Leonard Cornwall Mitchell, winner of a road safety sticker competition. The second prize winner B A Marris looks on. Behind the men, a page of 12 sticker designs is displayed on a bookcase. Photograph taken circa 6 December 1937, by an unidentified photographer for the Evening Post.

Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall, 1901-1971 :New Zealand for your next holiday. Issued by the New Zealand Government Publicity Office. Wholly printed in New Zealand by Coulls Somerville Wilkie Limited, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland [ca 1925-1929]

Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall, 1901-1971 :Mitre Peak, Milford Sound, New Zealand / Government Tourist Department.

 

[Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall], 1901-1971 :New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Wellington, Nov. 1939 - May 1940. [Sticker. 1939]

Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall, 1901-1971 :Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand / Govt Tourist Dept. G H Loney, Government Printer, Wellington [1934-1937].

 

New Zealand Post Office Savings Bank :Your boy - look ahead a few years! / L C Mitchell. [1945?]

Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall 1901-1971 :Sport in New Zealand; trout and salmon fishing, big game fishing. [ca 1935].

  Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall 1901-1971 :Rotorua and New Zealand's thermal wonderland. [1930s].

Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall, 1901-1971 :Haere mai! (Welcome) to New Zealand. [Booklet front cover. 1932?]

Mitchell, Leonard Cornwall, 1901-1971 :Mt Egmont, 8,260 ft. New Zealand / Government Tourist Department. G H Loney, Government Printer, Wellington. [1934-1937]

Leonard Cornwall Mitchell 1901-1971

Leonard Cornwall Mitchell (1901-1971) was born in Wellington and completed a signwriting apprenticeship in Palmerston North, before commencing work for the Government Publicity Department on tourism paraphenalia. Mitchell designed posters, booklet covers, coins and over 90 NZ stamps. Mitchell's son Victor Leonard William Mitchell (1925-1980) became an artist in his own right and was the owner of Wellington's mid century Lambton Art Galleries. The colour images below come from a tourism booklet that combined Mitchell's bold colour depictions with black and white photography showcasing early twentieth century New Zealand.

I found a couple examples of Mitchell's work as a cartoonist in the New Zealand edition of Aussie magazine dated June 14th 1924. The New Zealand edition of Aussie featured a New Zealand section edited by journalist Pat Lawlor who also edited a series of New Zealand Artist's annual that featured many of fine cartoonists of the era in the late 1920's/early 1930's. Other New Zealand cartoonists featured in Aussie included Noel Cook, Geoffrey Keith Townshend, Unk White, and George Duncan.

Grateful thanks to Geoff Harrison for supplying the Aussie Magazine images.

Juliet Peter 1915 - 2010

 

When I was a young lad part of the education curriculum was provided by New Zealand School Journals which combined short stories, plays, poems and illustrations to help kids learn the fundamentals of reading.

Many New Zealand cartoonists have contributed artwork to the New Zealand School Journal including Dylan Horrocks, Trace Hodgson, Lorenzo Van Der Lingen, David Bromhead, Murray Ball, Tom Scott, Dick Frizzell, Conrad Freiboe, Rosemary Mcleod, Matthew Hunkin, Jared Lane, Mat Tait, Bob Kerr, Andrew Burdan, Tim Bollinger and very likely a few more.

 
I didn't know them by name as a child but do recall the particular appeal of journal illustrations by Murray Grimsdale and Juliet Peter. Their artistic styles were familiar to me from my budding interest in comics and cartoons. Grimsdale's work was colourful and cartoony, and Peter's all sleek black and white linework.

Juliet Peter on her early art education in an interview with Art New Zealand,


We were staying with an aunt and uncle who were still farming in Canterbury, and the aunt - a practical, wonderful person - said to me 'Now dear, what do you want to do?' I mumbled that I didn't know, and she said 'Well dear, you have talent. How would you like to go to the School of Arts in Christchurch?' I probably said that would be just too wonderful. Being a busy, knowledgeable, practical person, she went off to Christchurch and then there was a free, four-year place waiting for me at the School of Art. She found a place for me at a student hostel where someone had to withdraw owing to illness. In no time at all I was embroiled in working for a diploma in fine arts, and, well, that's the end of that part of the story

Juliet Peter's husband Roy Cowan was also a prolific illustrator of the New Zealand School Journal.


Fishink blog have biographical notes and a gallery of Peter's work including some of her ceramic pieces.

Read Art New Zealand's interview with Juliet Peter here.

Russell Clark - Living in a Maori Village

Prolific New Zealand illustrator Russell Clark previously featured in posts here and here. Living in a Maori Village is another example of his work for publisher A.H. & A. W. Reed. Written by co-publisher Alexander Wyclif Reed who wrote many books about the indigenous people of New Zealand and Australia. Reed had no firsthand knowledge of the Maori, deriving his research from secondary sources. Reed considered his role as an author to be a populariser and simplifier.

Reference: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4r9/1