Commercial artist and portraitist, supposedly did the original drawing of 'Pelaco Bill’, a laughing Aboriginal man in a white shirt (and nothing else), for Pelaco Pty Ltd in 1906, according to Richard Broome, though Pelaco’s scanty records only prove that the image that became the 'Mine Tinkit It Fit’ Pelaco shirt ad for decades was around by 1922. It had ceased by 1950 when Bambi Shmith took over with the slogan, 'It Is Indeed a Lovely Shirt Sir’.
The Aboriginal who modelled for the Pelaco ad. was supposedly a Port Hedland (WA) Aboriginal called Fred Wilson (1874(?)-1948).
A. T. Mockridge later had three portraits exhibited in the Archibald Prize (one each in 1933, 1936 and 1937), at least two of which were watercolours.
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- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
