| Place | Asia: Netherlands East Indies, Sumatra, Palembang |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART29436 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 3 x 9.4 cm |
| Object type | Work on paper |
| Physical description | pencil on paper |
| Maker |
Gunther, Pat |
| Place made | Netherlands East Indies: Sumatra, Palembang |
| Date made | 1943-1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright |
Footwear, Palembang
Description
Various footwear is on a table and a crying face is above the words 'Siesta hour'. These drawings were done while Gunther was a P.O.W. The artist would sell her drawings in order to get money to buy food on the black market. Gunther was one of 32 Australian nurses who became prisoners of the Japanese in Sumatra. Together with approximately 500 civilian internees, mainly British and Dutch women and children, the nurses occupied the Palembang camp from September 1943 to November 1944. Remarkably, during her imprisonment Gunther was able to produce a number of small drawings, depicting the nurses' experiences in captivity, which she sold to buy food on the black market.