Douglas Annand

Douglas Annand was born 1903 in Toowoomba, Queensland.

At an early age he was introduced to the Arts and Crafts ideal of craft people, artists and designers working together on the whole design process.

Have a look at what he did when he was 24 – NGA. He went on to create advertisements, car designs, camouflage, tea-towels, wrapping paper, scarves, coins, fabrics, sculptures, and murals. He had a go at everything and yes he was very good at drawing.

Let’s stick to the textiles.

| Douglas Annand, Captain Cook scarf, 1970, screenprint on silk and Australian city, c 1949, screenprint on rayon |

He was commissioned to design some fabrics for a Royal visit in the late 40s. Called Australian city, The Home magazine described the design as ‘particularly delightful’. They are wispy little vignettes of Sydney. The interior designer Marion Best also had him working for her along with other artists in the 40s to ‘design gay and original furniture fabrics’. Although one department store rejected Annand’s designs considering them too ‘advanced’ for the Australian public.

Then in the 70s Qantas ordered 7,000 of his silk Captain Cook scarf for the bicentennial of Cook’s landing in Australia. Wonder where those 7,000 scarves are now?

| Douglas Annand, Kangaroo scarf, c 1970, screenprint on silk |

Annand moved away from textile design in the mid 50s and started experimenting with glass and metal.

The images and quotes above are from Anne McDonald’s, NGA catalogue of the Douglas Annand exhibition in 2003.

Julia Ritson