Teapot of Truth – Michael Leunig – Maximum Card – 1998 – First Day of Issue.
Renowned cartoonist Michael Leunig is undoubtedly one of Australia’s endearing favorites. He is one of the very few Australians to be honored with the “National Trust Living Treasure” accolade in 1999.
Celebrating Leunig’s fantastic power of capturing the essences of humanity, peace, love and hope, this card is one of five in a series honoring his foresight and uniquely Australian passion.
Design
 Australia Post has produced pre-stamped postcards since 1977 although these have appeared in a variety of different guises over time. Today, these postcards are issued regularly in association with each new stamp issue on what is more commonly referred to as, “maximum cards”. Some of these postcards are issued by Australia Post’s regional authorities for local sale and are not easily obtained such as this one here from the Tea Gardens in New South Wales. These are now becoming very scarce indeed. A pre-stamped postcard but a philatelic delight none the less from the Leunig Collectible Stamps issue.
History
Michael Leunig (born 2 June 1945), often referred to as Leunig, is an Australian cartoonist. His best known works include The Adventures of Vasco Pyjama and the Curly Flats series. He was declared an Australian Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia in 1999. Leunig, a fifth generation Australian, was born in East Melbourne, Victoria, grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray and went to Maribyrnong High School before entering an arts degree at Monash University. His first cartoons appeared in the Monash Universitystudent newspaper, Lot’s Wife, in the late 1960s. He was conscripted in the Vietnam War call-up, but he registered as a conscientious objector; in the event he was rejected on health grounds when it was revealed that he was deaf in one ear. After university Leunig enrolled at the Swinburne Film and Television School and then began his cartoon career. He has noted that he was at first interested in making documentaries. In the early 1970s his work appeared in the satirical magazine Nation Review, Woman’s Day, London’s Oz magazine and also various newspapers of that era. The main outlet for Leunig’s work has been the daily Fairfax press, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age (Melbourne) newspapers published in Australia. In recent years he has focused mainly on political commentary, sometimes substituting his simple drawings with reproduced photographic images with speech balloons attached. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has also provided airtime to Leunig to discuss his views on a range of political and philosophical issues. Leunig’s drawings are done with a sparse, quavering line, usually in black and white with ink wash, the human characters always drawn with exaggerated features. This style served him well in his early years when he gained a loyal following for his quirky take on social issues. He also made increasingly frequent forays into a personal fantasy world of whimsy, featuring small figures with teapots balanced on their heads, grotesquely curled hair and many ducks.
*All historical information taken from Wikipedia for educational purposes only