Outfitting vessels at Tullochs

by Robert Emerson Curtis

Dimensions:

39.2 cm x 29 cm

Medium:

Watercolour on paper

Place made:

Parramatta, Sydney

Date:

1945

Setting:

WW II (1939-1945)

Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial

Two ships are tied together at the outfitting berth and the work proceeds on the ‘internals’, superstructure and the engine room. Engineer workers, electricians, plumbers, joiners, crane drivers, painters and dockers are all on the job together at this stage.

About Robert Emerson Curtis
Robert was born in Croydon, England in 1898. His family migrated to Australia, settling in Stanthorpe, Queensland. Both his parents and two sisters painted, and Curtis decided to study art via correspondence.

In 1918, he moved to Brisbane where he worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for the Brisbane Mail. This work funded a trip to the United States in 1922, where Curtis studied art and undertook various commissions. Curtis returned to Australia in 1928, in time to record the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

In 1940, Curtis gained permission from the Department of Information to depict activities in Commonwealth munition and aircraft factories. Curtis' reputation as an artist was enhanced when the Sydney Morning Herald published some of his drawings.

In 1941, he joined the Department of Home Security, where he worked as a camouflage officer and was accredited for service with the RAAF. He was appointed Officer in Charge of Camouflage in New Guinea and seized every opportunity to record the activities of the Australian and American troops.

In January 1945, Curtis accepted an appointment as an official war artist. He covered the civil and industrial war effort in Australia, as well as the activities of the service organisations. Much of his work depicts shipbuilding, a subject which gave him the opportunity to explore his interest in technological achievements. In these drawings, the men are dwarfed by the vessels upon which they work and yet are shown to be in control.

The Australian War Memorial holds over two hundred works by Curtis.

More paintings by Robert Emerson Curtis
About Sailors at work
Since entering World War 1 in 1914 with 16 ships, two submarines and 3800 RAN personnel (including 850 from the Royal Navy) the number of serving personnel in the Royal Australian Navy has fluctuated depending on the strategic and shifting financial environment. Over more than a century, the RAN’s and people have seen action in every ocean of the world.

Of the tens of thousands who have served, 2658 members have made the ultimate sacrifice defending Australia’s interests in warlike and peacetime operations across the globe.

Fortunately, for the vast majority who served in periods of peace or survived periods of hostilities the experience was positive.

In addition to their service in a particular category which involved specific duties, they also participated in communal duties such as coaling ship. Thus, the artworks included in this section relate to a mix of specialist and communal activities.