Australian Coat of Arms, c1908

An Australian Coat of Arms, Advance Australia, c1908 cotton embroidery on linen, 41 x 45 cm (overall size). Artist unknown. This embroidery was more than likely, inspired by the first official Commonwealth, Coat of Arms which was granted by King, Edward VII in 1908. The design comprises, a white and blue shield displaying six small, escutcheons and a cross of St. George, featuring five six-pointed white stars. Above the shield, supported by a, kangaroo and an emu, is the seven-pointed, gold 'Star of Federation' (also known as, the 'Commonwealth Star'). Six of the, Star's points represent the six original, States of Australia, while the seventh point, represents the Commonwealth Territories. The motto 'Advance Australia,' inscribed on the, scroll at the base of the shield, was used for many, years on unofficial coats of arms, before Federation, in 1901. It was included in the 1908 Coat of Arms, and was popularly accepted in association with the, 19th century song 'Advance Australia Fair'.