In the mid 1890s Bert is now living in Sydney and starts free lancing with his sketch work. In his bio piece in 1911 from the Lone Hand Theatre Magazine he starts to make enough money to give away the scenic art work. Bert writes……..

Bert’s break through with the Sydney Bulletin seems to take place in 1897. The Bulletin was possibly the most popular of all illustrated journals and was a strong advocate for Federation and certainly the White Australia Policy. In early January, he is mentioned here in Sydney’s ‘The Australian Workman’ newspaper, possibly owned by the Bulletin owner.

In case you are wondering what ‘Letterpress’ is – Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing. Using a printing press, the process allows many copies to be produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper.^[1]