Arthur von Tossau was a talented “lightning sketch” artist who knocked about Australia in the years before WWI. In 1897 there is a glimpse of him, self-styled as ‘Baron von Tossau, the aquatic king and world’s premier natator’ performing at the Coogee Aquarium. His act included 37 underwater tricks, including eating and drinking underwater, playing cards, and ‘the Monte Cristo change trick’. His act concluded with a piece of escapology when he was tied up in a bag which was set on fire and thrown into the water. He was something of a pioneer in the art of window-dressing – the idea that artistic decoration could be used in stores was still comparatively novel. He decorated stores in Perth and Adelaide, on one occasion being arrested for causing an obstruction, so many spectators had gathered to see him work. He decorated Perth Town Hall for the 1902 Coronation festivities.
He is mentioned in various press reports of the 1900s, making claims such as that he had studied art at the Berlin Royal Academy, that he was English by birth, that he had performed at the Crystal Palace, London. It is not known how much of this is embroidered.
He is mentioned in various press reports of the 1900s, making claims such as that he had studied art at the Berlin Royal Academy, that he was English by birth, that he had performed at the Crystal Palace, London. It is not known how much of this is embroidered.
In 1906, he performed on Manly Beach in front of 3000 people, painting with great speed posters for well-known companies such as Schweppes, Lipton Teas, Reckitt’s Blue and Lasseters’ Wares. He could paint blindfolded on a subject called out from the audience. Some of his posters can be seen on Picture Australia, in the collection of the State Library of Victoria.
He helped organise the first carnival of the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club in 1909, and designed the club’s badge.
It is not known how he spent the war years, but he reappeared in the Manly area in the 1920s, now spelling his surname “von Tosseau”, perhaps to lessen its German look. He was a Vice-President of the Queenscliff SLSC in the 1920s. Something of an extrovert, he was in great demand for vaudeville concerts. In the 1920s he leased the new Concert Pavilion on West Esplanade, Manly (adjacent to the Manly Art Gallery). The annual lease was £108, and it proved difficult to make the venue pay, but on the opening night of the Concert Pavilion, 10,000 spectators turned up. The late Bert Owen recalled in the 1970s: “The Poster King ran a variety show for two or three seasons. He had three big easels on the stage and he would do lightning sketches, like Rolf Harris - White Wings Flour and all this sort of thing, and of course he was paid for that and then after the interval he’d do another three there, he had some good artistes there and of course why I know all these was, I worked at the Serenaders as a boy. I worked at the Poster King’s, and he used to pay me 7/6d a week, which was a lot of money, you know, in those days.”
Mr von Tossau and his wife travelled widely, and drove by car around Australia in the early 1920s, which must have been demanding on both car and travellers. He died in 1927, aged 54, in a traffic accident in Wellington, NSW. His widow, known to friends as ‘Tossy’, died in the 1960s.
He helped organise the first carnival of the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club in 1909, and designed the club’s badge.
It is not known how he spent the war years, but he reappeared in the Manly area in the 1920s, now spelling his surname “von Tosseau”, perhaps to lessen its German look. He was a Vice-President of the Queenscliff SLSC in the 1920s. Something of an extrovert, he was in great demand for vaudeville concerts. In the 1920s he leased the new Concert Pavilion on West Esplanade, Manly (adjacent to the Manly Art Gallery). The annual lease was £108, and it proved difficult to make the venue pay, but on the opening night of the Concert Pavilion, 10,000 spectators turned up. The late Bert Owen recalled in the 1970s: “The Poster King ran a variety show for two or three seasons. He had three big easels on the stage and he would do lightning sketches, like Rolf Harris - White Wings Flour and all this sort of thing, and of course he was paid for that and then after the interval he’d do another three there, he had some good artistes there and of course why I know all these was, I worked at the Serenaders as a boy. I worked at the Poster King’s, and he used to pay me 7/6d a week, which was a lot of money, you know, in those days.”
Mr von Tossau and his wife travelled widely, and drove by car around Australia in the early 1920s, which must have been demanding on both car and travellers. He died in 1927, aged 54, in a traffic accident in Wellington, NSW. His widow, known to friends as ‘Tossy’, died in the 1960s.
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