Antique & Vintage Postcards

From the ferny shadows of the Dandenong Ranges, a child's face rises from terracotta-coloured stone — one of dozens of Aboriginal figures that William Ricketts spent a lifetime carving into the mountain at his sanctuary near Melbourne. Ricketts (1906–1993) was a self-taught sculptor and passionate advocate for Aboriginal Australians at a time when such solidarity was profoundly countercultural; he lived at his Mt. Dandenong property for decades, regarding his works as spiritual offerings born from his relationships with Arrernte people of Central Australia. The sanctuary, now managed by Parks Victoria, remains one of Australia's most unusual and moving outdoor galleries — 25 miles east of Melbourne in a forest reserve of towering mountain ash and tree ferns. This "National View" chrome card by Murfett Publishers presents a close-up of one of the most evocative groupings: a full-figured child emerging above a cluster of faces, all rendered with striking individuality and emotional depth.