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Trade union banner

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Acknowledgements:
Copyright Reproduced courtesy of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Creator George Tutill, manufacturer, 1899
Identifiers Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa number PC004649/1 TLF resource R2037
Source Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Description:

This is an image of a painted silk banner (front and back view) made in 1899 by the London firm of George Tutill & Co Ltd for the Westport District Gold Miners Industrial Union on the West Coast, South Island in New Zealand. There is a link from the page to a detailed description of the banner.

Educational value:
  • This asset is evidence of the early unionisation of some sectors of the New Zealand workforce - the first coal-miners' union was established in 1885.It shows the use of symbolism in trade union banners - in particular, Christian symbols such as the angel, the three virtues and the all-seeing eye, to evoke ideas of moral correctness.
  • It suggests that trade unions used banners, and the parades during which they were displayed, as a means of gathering support and membership - this banner was used in parades on Labour Day (a public holiday celebrating the eight-hour working day) up until the 1930s.
  • It is evidence that New Zealand organisations contracted English companies to supply specialised items - the rubber treatment was patented to George Tutill & Co Ltd, who created thousands of trade union banners.
  • It indicates, by depicting a Māori person, that the Westport District Gold Miners Industrial Union sought to unite workers and enlist the support of Māori people.
  • It reveals the gender-defined employment roles prevalent at the time - only men are shown as members of the Union and workers in the industry.
  • It illustrates the skill of the artists who worked on this and similar union banners.

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