Banner, Lord Mayors Hospital Appeal c1925

Summary

This banner dates from around 1925, a few years after Lord Mayor John Swanson (1920–23) initiated a conference in 1921 to coordinate charitable giving to Melbourne’s metropolitan hospitals and charities. Swanson’s vision for coordinated philanthropy, based on a community chest, derived from the patriotic funds that were established during the Great War. Named the Lord Mayor’s Metropolitan Hospitals Fund, the scheme was embraced for its capacity to assure a steady income stream, the funds from which could then be allocated to hospitals and charities around Melbourne. This linen banner, presumably used to promote the appeal during its annual activity, came into the Art and Heritage Collection through donation in 2016.