Poster incorrectly titled ‘Governor Davey's Proclamation to the Aborigines, 1816’. The original boards were issued by Governor Arthur in 1829.

A fabric poster, dating from 1866or 1867, titled ‘Governor Davey’s Proclamation to the Aborigines, 1816’. The hand coloured lithograph is based on the original oil-painted wooden boards designed by George Frankland in 1829, under the authority of Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur. The poster, one of a series, was presented as a curiosity and used as an advertisement for the newly born colony of Tasmania.

The original boards, on which the lithograph is modelled, were issued during the administration of Governor Arthur and designed by George Frankland in 1829, as part of the so-called ‘Black War’ when hostility between Tasmania’s Aboriginal population and colonists escalated. The lithograph posters were initially printed in a run of 500 for the 1866 Melbourne International Exhibition. They were produced by the office of the Surveyor-General in Tasmania and distributed as a souvenir to attract visitors to the Tasmanian stall. A second print run is thought to have been made as the lithographs were also used at the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition. The lithograph posters were incorrectly titled ‘Governor Davey’s Proclamation to the Aborigines, 1815’.