Newspaper clipping, 'We say, "Sweet Greens" for Spring '59.'

Description

Newspaper advertisement for James Smith's 1959 Spring Fabrics featurng the headline 'We say, 'Sweet Greens' for Spring '59'. The illustration features a woman lying down on the floor;a glass vase from which fabric swatches emerge, and butterflies made from fabric swatches.

Significance

This advertisement for James Smith Ltd was illustrated by Kate Coolahan.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Kate Coolahan studied art at the East Sydney Technical College, and on graduation secured a position as an illustrator with Farmer Co, a high-end department store in Sydney. In 1952 she moved to New Zealand to take up a position with Wellington advertising agency J. Inglis Wright Ltd. She went on to work for rival advertising agency Carlton Carruthers du Chateau and King in 1954 and subsequently James Smith’s department store. Coolahan worked for James Smith's from 1959 to 1960, and on a part-time basis from 1962 to 1964. She developed an instantly recognisable style for the store, and remembers receiving fan mail.

The copy for this advertisement references Vogue New Zealand. The highly influential magazine operated from 1957 to 1968.