A collection of tea towels from State Library of Queensland is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world. 

Queensland to a T presents snapshots of history through the tea towels of the Sunshine State and examines how we see these functional souvenirs now, decades on from their tourist-oriented beginnings and the qualities that made them desirable mementoes during the second half of the twentieth century.

The origin of the collection is fascinating in itself. More than 1,500 souvenir textiles were acquired from the late Glenn R Cooke, a social historian, curator, and collector. He claimed, ‘For me, collecting is about learning and these tea towels help tell the social history of the state and explain how Queenslanders saw their local communities.’ 

Even after the invention of the dishwasher, tea towels are an important household item. They were invented in the eighteenth century to dry dishes and cutlery as well as to keep pots of tea warm and to clean up after spills. Tea towels were usually made of hard-wearing cotton, linen or a combination of both. Although they were originally quite plain, with the growth of screen-printed art many manufacturers quickly discovered a market for colourful tea towels illustrating scenes, stories, and communities. 

Many of the tea towels, which date back to the 1950s, were originally made of Irish linen by well-known textile mills such as the family-owned Samuel Lamont & Sons Ltd in Antrim, Northern Ireland. In the 1960s and 70s Dennis Lamont travelled around Queensland by rail to persuade local businesses to buy their product as a promotional tool. When he returned to Northern Ireland, Lamont’s designers would create their interpretations of the Sunshine State and ship them to Australia. 

Exhibition curator, Jacinta Sutton, said: ‘at a time when commercial airline travel was taking off, these tea towels helped sell a certain idea of Queensland attractions, particularly the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast, to domestic and overseas tourists. Some tea towels even feature unique works by First Nations artists from Queensland, such as Thancoupie’s stunning Peetheree, the willy wagtail and the beautiful crocodile design created by Cairns-based artist Jenuarrie, both printed by Reef Productions.’ 

Important for advertising promotions of the region, tea towels with a Far North Queensland focus were bought as souvenirs to remember a special holiday, particularly one visiting the ‘reef and rainforest’. These were gifts after returning home or were kept for nostalgic memories. They often show quite a different Queensland to the one we live in now!