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Hi @HONDO

This rare long daybill (along with other Sherlock Holmes Australian one sheets) has surfaced at Heritage.

I have a few questions on the printer details I would appreciate your input on

1) Did WE Smith exist in the early 1930s?

2) Have you ever seen other daybill examples that have "Lithographed &" preceding the "Printed By W.E. Smith..."

3) The dots between the "W" and "E" are centre aligned rather than bottom aligned. 

Interesting question.

W.E.Smith were certainly printing many daybills from the 1920s onwards so it is possible that the details on the Sherlock Holmes daybill are correct.

I had a quick look through my long daybills and the1935 film The Healer has the printers details listed as "Lithographed & Printed By W.E. Smith Ltd. Sydney." I have a couple of other examples of Smith printed daybills from the mid 30s with the same notation. It would take a lot of time to go through everything but I also have a long daybill for 3 Keys (1925) which carried the printers details as "Printed by W.E.Smith Ltd Sydney Australia.

There is always a possibility that the printers details on the Sherlock Holmes poster were added by the restorer as a "best guess" but you can never be sure with linen backed posters unless you have a before and after photo.