Japanese Maritime Postcards – Movement is Convenient

What happened when Japanese art met western steamships? A series of beautiful postcards that combined traditional design with photographs of innovative technology.

Showcased in the museum’s Vaughan Evans Library, this display features a selection of postcards from the early twentieth century, issued by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha. NYK was a major Japanese shipping line whose vessels regularly visited Australia. But what messages did their postcards convey, and how were they received in the era of the White Australia Policy? This display also considers the impact of war on Japanese shipping, including the tragic sinking of SS Montevideo Maru in 1942 with over 1000 Allied prisoners aboard.

The Vaughan Evans Library is located in the museum’s Wharf 7 building at 58 Pirrama Road. It is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Please enquire at reception on the ground floor for directions.