Skip to main content 1
  • Library website
  • Catalogue
  • Digital Collections
  • Eresources
  • Public Library Services
  • Library Shop
  • Find Legal Answers
  • Drug Info
  • Gather
  • Atlas Club
  • Gallery guides and podcasts
  • Library Bar
  • Ask a Librarian
  • Give
  • Log in
  • Join
Home Gallery guides & Podcasts
  • Gallery Guides and podcasts
  • Gallery Guides
  • Podcasts
  • Gallery Guides and podcasts homepage
  • Paintings from the Collection
    • Captions and audio guide
    • Kids' audio guide
  • Map Rooms
    • Captions
  • Gallery Guides homepage
  • Podcasts homepage
SL logo

Today's opening hours

Galleries

9:00am - 5:00pm

Reading Rooms

9:00am - 5:00pm

Library Shop

9:00am - 5:00pm

Shakespeare Room

9:00am - 5:00pm

Library Cafe

9:00am - 5:00pm

Friend Room

9:00am - 5:00pm

The Library Bar

9:00am - 5:00pm

Special Collection

9:00am - 5:00pm

All opening hours

Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to newsletters

Recent news

News

Contact Us

1 Shakespeare Place

Sydney NSW 2000

Australia
+61 2 9273 1414

Plan your visit

Free for reuse - unless otherwise stated, this content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. You are free to copy, distribute, remix and build upon this content as long as you credit the author and the State Library of NSW as the source. For suggested attribution, see our copyright page. To view a copy of this license visit:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright
  • Privacy
  • Right to information
  • Website accessibility
  • Contact us
  • Feedback
  • Site map
Kids' Audio Guide
9
Icon

Ure Smith’s Flat

A painting depicting one side of a tidy room, with an open window, cushions on a bed, knick-knacks on a bookshelf.

Ure Smith’s Flat, 1939 by Norman Carter

[{"nid":"64","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/family-group-canoe-possibly-near-clovelly-house-watsons-bay-1886","field_location_number":"1","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/01-thumb.png?itok=7rzAqW39","title":"[A family group with canoe, possibly near Clovelly House, Watsons Bay], 1886","field_ag_locations_color":"#6c1b78","field_audio_media":"31","status":"On"},{"nid":"65","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/founding-australia","field_location_number":"2","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/02-thumb.png?itok=zViaIc_6","title":"The Founding of Australia","field_ag_locations_color":"#6c1b78","field_audio_media":"32","status":"On"},{"nid":"75","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/barangaroo-headland-park","field_location_number":"3","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/03-thumb.png?itok=dKPRblWs","title":"Barangaroo Headland Park","field_ag_locations_color":"#6c1b78","field_audio_media":"33","status":"On"},{"nid":"76","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/scene-inside-newgate-prison","field_location_number":"4","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/04-thumb.png?itok=AXIeOqBK","title":"Scene inside Newgate Prison","field_ag_locations_color":"#2976a0","field_audio_media":"34","status":"On"},{"nid":"77","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/bushfire-view-night-naylor-gill","field_location_number":"5","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/05-thumb.png?itok=0ZnS5OwJ","title":"Bushfire [a view at night], by Naylor Gill","field_ag_locations_color":"#2976a0","field_audio_media":"35","status":"On"},{"nid":"78","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/stoneleigh","field_location_number":"6","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/06-thumb.png?itok=kxEcRIJa","title":"Stoneleigh","field_ag_locations_color":"#2976a0","field_audio_media":"36","status":"On"},{"nid":"79","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/castle-rock","field_location_number":"7","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/07-thumb.png?itok=4uh9fjPU","title":"Castle Rock","field_ag_locations_color":"#2976a0","field_audio_media":"37","status":"On"},{"nid":"80","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/interior-burrangalong-cavern","field_location_number":"8","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/08-thumb.png?itok=swOGzmvB","title":"Interior of Burrangalong cavern","field_ag_locations_color":"#2976a0","field_audio_media":"38","status":"On"},{"nid":"81","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/ure-smiths-flat","field_location_number":"9","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/09-thumb.png?itok=JNxyLD4s","title":"Ure Smith\u2019s Flat","field_ag_locations_color":"#df521d","field_audio_media":"39","status":"On"},{"nid":"82","path":"\/kids-audio-guide\/ancestral-portrait-quong-tarts-mother","field_location_number":"10","field_location_image":"https:\/\/s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/slnsw.audio-guides\/staging\/s3fs-public\/styles\/large\/public\/2019-10\/10-thumb.png?itok=D0HgJ-QS","title":"Ancestral portrait of Quong Tart\u2019s mother","field_ag_locations_color":"#df521d","field_audio_media":"40","status":"On"}]
Audio file
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Transcript

In 1939 when this painting was painted, life seemed hard. The Great Depression was here and that meant no phones like we have today, no cheap clothes like we have today and no multiculturalism. The Great Depression was the time between WWI and WWII. Life was completely different to how it is nowadays.


I think the artist tried to create a place that seemed different to the outside world and create a place to come home to that was homely and comfortable. The artist didn’t use a wide range of colours to create the painting, mostly reds, brown, gold and beige. It makes it more sustainable but not elaborate.


Even though he didn’t put every single detail into the books and the view it still looks very intricate. Even though it looks happy inside the house I know that it was different outside the house. If I could step into the painting, I would try to help the poor people in the village below because life was difficult, and many children couldn’t afford a lot of things including a house, clothes, shoes, toys, food and schooling.


Knowing that climate change is a big thing now, if I could go back in time, I would try to spread the word about how we really need to help the environment and get people in the 1930s to start helping.


If I could add something to the painting, I would add a fireplace and a few comfy chairs. I would also grab a book and a cup of milo and lie on the bed.

Curators/Speakers
Arielle
rgb(223,82,29)