Welcome to the Vasco Club

What is the Vasco Club? 

To be completely honest it is just a little silliness on my part, prompted by the fact that Vasco was taking over my Great War Ephemera blog.

How do you become a member of the Vasco Club?

A full member of the Vasco Club is deemed to be anybody who has a caricature drawn by Vasco Urbano Loureiro, also known in the last few years of his life as Louis Vasco. There are no membership fees. There are no benefits, either, apart from the joy of owning a Vasco sketch and being able to contact other Vasco owners.

An associate member of the Vasco Club is deemed to be anyone who has an interest in the life, times and/or works of Vasco Urbano Loureiro, his father Artur Loureiro, or in any member of the wider Loureiro family.

Just drop a comment here, stating your eligibility. A link to a scanned copy of your Vasco would be icing on the cake.


Who is currently a full member of the Vasco Club and why?

1. Me, by owning a caricature of "Les at Frasers" collected by my Grandfather.
2. Alison Miller, author of Death Sat on a Pale Horse (Midland Heritage Press), by owning a caricature dated 1906 of "Stevo", her father Harold 'Hal' Stephens, done on a Sydney Harbour ferry.
3. Tamara, by owning a caricature of her great-grandfather "Moss", France, Christmas 1917.
4. The Town of Livermore, California, by possessing some 40 caricatures produced in 1910 and reproduced in Anne Homan's book Vasco's Livermore, 1910 - Portraits from the Hub Saloon (Hardscratch Press).
5. State Library of Victoria, by owning a collection of postcards from the Meet Me, Boarding House and  Tarts series plus a couple of personal caricatures.You can find these by a search on his name at Picture Australia.
6. State Library of New South Wales, by owning over 200 works, mostly from the World War One period. Unfortunately, these are not viewable on-line.The two reproduced (self caricatures) in Anne Homan's book are wonderful and whimsical; one dates from only a short time before Vasco's death.
7. Someone who has displayed a Vasco Australian Rules player card on-line on an AFL footy card webpage.
8. Australian War Memorial, an honorary member because it has Vasco's effects sent back to Australia after his death and possibly some of his sketches.
9. J S Battye Library of West Australian History, by owning an undated “ Pencil caricature, man in felt hat, Vasco Loureiro.” 

Who might be a member of the Vasco Club?

1. Whoever came into the possession of the Vasco caricatures of early 20th Century "bohemians" of Melbourne that once graced the walls of Fasoli's. I do so hope that these survived.
2. Anyone whose ancestor (usually male) travelled on a Sydney Harbour Ferry in 1906 and was willing to pay a shilling for a sketch.
3. Anyone whose ancestor was a WW1 soldier at Fraser's Paddock, on the ship with Vasco to France, or served with him in France.
4. Postcard collectors. Series: Boarding House, Tarts of ..., Meet me at the ..., Australian Rules Football cards.

Who is currently an associate member of the Vasco Club?

1. Isabel, who is known to be researching the Loureiro family. Note: Isabel has offered to be Honorary Translator of Portuguese. She could possibly also be a full member, by virtue of a sketch from Panama where Vasco was known to be around or just before 1910.

Upcoming posts: My Vasco, The Story of Vasco, The Adventures of  Gwendolyn, and more

So, let us see what comes out of the woodwork.