>I am not sure how one decides if a marque is famous or not.As an
>Australian i was pretty happy to discover Malvern Star was
>considered important enough to be on Dale's web site.I figured that
>along with the great rides of Sir Hubert Opperman and recognition on
>CR then it must be famous but I might be biased.As for their hand
>painted graphics.It has been my observation that many Australian
>frames from that era and even a bit later were hand painted and I
>wonder if decal technology had not reached our shores at that
>point.Many frames that were built in Melbourne seem to share very
>similar lettering styles (block letters with shadows) making me
>think that they may well have been painted by the same painter.It
>was also common to see the original owners name painted on the top
>tube.
>Geoff Duke Melbourne Australia
I often wondered whether Herse also could not get decals when they started during World War II. By the end of the war, their name (and style) was well-established, and so it may have remained hand-painted from then on.
I'll ask Lyli Herse whether she knows, in the upcoming interview with her in one of the next issues of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. -- Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com