'AUSTRALIA ILLUSTRATED' Unused & Postally Used Lettersheets
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1001
Symbol: PS
Cat No: W1)
1840 (May 15) use of double-rate British Mulready 1d black lettersheet Stereo 'A 64', to the Colonial Office in New South Wales with light 'PORTSMOUTH/MY15/1840' cds & very fine Maltese Cross overstruck with very fine oval 'PAID SHIP LETTER/16MY16/1840/LONDON' d/s & "tombstone" ' F /PAID/16MY16/1840' d/s all in red, endorsed "p 1/4" also in red, fine '[crown]/GENERAL POST OFFICE/AU*30/1840/SYDNEY' arrival b/s rated "6d" for an inwards double-rate shipletter, largely very fine strike of the scarce octagonal 'NOT TO BE/FOUND' h/s (White et al #W1), pencil endorsement "over" where noted "Surveyor Generals/office" where it was apparently delivered, minor defects & light soiling. Carried per barque 'Mellish'.
An extraordinary postal history item, being the earlier of only three recorded Mulready usages to Australia. Obviously, this is an important item of British philately. However, for anybody collecting inwards mail to the Australian Colonies, this may be considered the most important item of all.
This wonderful artefact was selected by Dale Forster as the frontispice for his 'Australia Illustrated' exhibit. The Mulready lettersheets & envelopes were the world's first illustrated postal stationery. Although roundly ridiculed in Britain & viciously lampooned by numerous imitators, William Mulready's design was the forerunner, and sometimes the inspiration, for the myriad illustrated mail items that were later created in all corners of the globe.
The Mulreadies were issued on 6th May 1840, the same day as the more famous Penny Black & Tuppence Blue adhesive stamps. As is the case with the stamps, usages in the first month of issue are highly prized. So are overseas usages: an example of the Penny Envelope to Germany, dated one day earlier than this, sold at a European auction in May 2019 for €21,000.
By any measure, a usage to the Antipodes, especially with the combination of markings found here, is a more important item.
At the time this article was received at Sydney, the Colonial Secretary was Edward Deas Thomson, whose tenure of almost 20 years was the longest on record. The Surveyor-General was the explorer, Major Sir Thomas Mitchell.
1840 (c.) 'VIEW OF THE OLD MILITARY/BARRACKS/from George Street Sydney' 4to woodblock on laid paper, creased at U/L clear of the main illustration & light soiling, unused. Artist & printer unknown. Believed to be the earliest printed Australian lettersheet: a later edition included the imprint 'J FERGUSON PUBLISHER GEORGE ST' at L/R.
An interesting & busy study that includes a military parade at L in front of the impressive building, several soldiers in the foreground one being greeted by a pickpocket (?), a genteel family, and an aboriginal family (the men in European clothes, the woman in a native tunic). Located in Macquarie Street, Sydney, the Hyde Park Barracks was commissioned by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, designed by the convict architect Francis Greenaway and completed in 1819 by convict labour. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the pre-eminent Australian convict sites (Number 3 of 11).
1843 (c.) 'Wharf, Melbourne' printed from an etching on a copper plate, the outer edges of which are evident at base & left, four pages 186x220mm with central horizontal fold, light soiling, unused. The engraver was Henry Gilbert Jones and the printer was John Green. [The original copper plate was discovered in Melbourne in 1922. Reprints made in 1934 were of the image only]
The scene, from across the Yarra River, shows the original Coles' Wharf between King & Spencer Streets. Rowing boats are dwarfed by a large paddle-steamer in front of several major buildings including the original Customs House, completed in 1841 at the then highest navigable point on the river. The later Customs House, now the Immigration Museum, was begun in 1855 on the same site but, because of economic setbacks, was not finished until 1876.
1843 (c.) 'Elizabeth Street' (Melbourne) printed from an etching on a copper plate, the outer edges of which are evident at top & left, single page 180x216mm with central horizontal fold, light soiling, unused. The engraver was Henry Gilbert Jones and the printer was John Green. [The original copper plate was discovered in Melbourne in 1922. Reprints made in 1934 were of the image only]
The scene shows the extraordinary width of surveyor Robert Hoddle's major streets of 1½ chains (one chain = 22 yards or 20 metres). A horse & cart are in the foreground & 'LONDON MART' (with Reversed 'N's) in the distance. The store, noted as "the most splended building in the province", was owned by the Jewish merchants Samuel Henry Harris - a convict transported in 1837 for stealing £100 from his employers - and Jacob Marks. It was completed in 1843, just as a major depression hit, causing the business to fail.
1849 usage of 'POST OFFICE, SYDNEY' with imprint 'F Mansell Sc' at L/R 4pp 4to, to "Union Store/Yass" with letter headed "Sydney 3 Feby 1849" & signed "Geo A Lloyd", light '[crown]/GENERAL POST OFFICE/FE*3/1849/ *SYDNEY*' b/s, rated "1/-" for a letter carried between 230 & 300 miles (the scenic route because the direct route is 175 miles, for which the appropriate rate was 11d), light vertical fold across the address panel & clear of the illustration. A marvellous pre-stamp entire. [NB: 'Sc' = Latin sculpsit, originally identifying the originator of a sculpture but later the engraver of an artwork by another person]
The 'new' post office was erected in 1846, on George Street. 10 locals mingle in front of the classic portico. The building was found to be unsuitable & by 1863 had been abandoned in favour of temporary wooden premises on Wynyard Square. The well-known GPO - it is now the Radisson Hotel - was erected at Martin Place, constructions commencing in 1866 and taking 25 years to complete (!).
Interesting content: "...John came from Tahiti to the Navigators, & on the way told Russell that he had never been paid by Salmon...& had been obliged to take security on Salmons property in Tahiti...Russell says that Johns honesty is unquestionable but he has been thoroughly humbugged by Salmon..." [Alexander Salmon was descended from a family of Jewish bankers in England. Ruined by an unwise speculation in 1837, he travelled to Caifornia, then to Tahiti where, by marrying into the Royal Family, he became one of the most influential residents. He was instrumental in causing a French Protectorate to be proclaimed & was awarded the Legion d'Honneur. You couldn't make up this stuff!]
1850 (c.) 'Sydney from Mrs Darling's Point' with imprints 'Quarrill & Co' at L & 'Sydney No 90' at R, lithographed on laid paper 4pp 8vo, minor blemishes only & unfolded, unused. The lithographers E & R Quarrill were established in Sydney from the late-1840s & in Melbourne from the early-1850s.
The illustration is a truncated version of a larger 1842 study by John Skinner Prout. The view shows several early prominent buildings including Government House, constructed 1837-43, and Benelong Point, where the Sydney Opera House was erected in the 1970s. Named after Governor Darling's wife, Eliza, the area was renamed Darling Point by the 1860s. Even in the 1840s, it was an exclusive enclave: in 1841 there were only six residences, swelling to 13 by 1850. An 1857 journal referred to the locals as "darlingpointonians".
1850 (c.) 'Willoughby Falls/NEAR SYDNEY' with imprints 'Quarrill & Co' at L & 'Sydney No 93' at R, lithographed on laid paper 4pp 8vo, minor blemishes only & unfolded, unused. The lithographers E & R Quarrill were established in Sydney from the late-1840s & in Melbourne from the early-1850s.
Although John Skinner Prout painted the Falls in the 1840s, this is a very different rendering of the subject. A popular picnic spot for early residents of Sydney, what remains of Willoughby Falls is in Primrose Park, Cremorne. It's flow was disturbed in the 1890s when the North Sydney Sewage Scheme was constructed. The sewage works closed in the 1920s but the Falls never recovered.
Grade A-
Estimate AU$250
Opening AU$ 190.00
Sold...AU$ 190.00
Closed..Apr-26-2022, 20:00:00 EST
Sold For 190
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1008
Symbol: D
1850 'ST PAUL'S CHURCH/MELBOURNE' in a fancy architectural frame with imprints 'J & C Webb Archts' at L/L & 'Ham Bros Sc' at L/R, lithographed on a single page of very thin 4to paper from an engraved plate, some creasing & overall light foxing, unused.
The State Library of Victoria has a larger version of the same illustration but without the ornamental border, that they date to 1.8.1850. The foundation stone was laid seven weeks later, on 24.9.1850, & the church was completed in -.12.1852. (St Paul's Cathedral was constructed on the same site from the 1880s). St Paul's Church was the most important early commission for Charles & James Webb. James Webb was married there on 1.11.1853. Charles Webb had the more distinguished career, with commissions including Wesley College, The Grand Hotel (late renamed The Windsor) and South Melbourne Town Hall.
1851 usage of 'UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA, corner of COLLINS & QUEEN STREETS MELBOURNE/1850 Published by John Hunter, Elizabeth St Melbourne' with 'HAM LITHO' in white at L/R & 'No 3' at U/L away from the image, lithographed from an engraving with a sepia wash & frame, to Yorkshire with lengthy cross-written letter, light 'SHIP LETTER/[crown]/JA25/1851/MELBOURNE' d/s in red & London arrival b/s of 22MY22/1851 also in red, minor imperfections & light soiling still an exceptional entire. [Thomas Ham was the engraver & printer of Victoria's Half-Lengths, issued 3.1.1850, and the Queen-on-Throne 2d. He also engraved the seal of the Town of Melbourne plus highly regarded maps of the Port Phillip District. In 1860 he moved to Brisbane as Lithographer in the Survey Office. John Hunter was a printer in Melbourne but seems to have been active for only a few years]
This is the original building. The edifice that still stands today was completed in the 1870s & major alterations were effected in the 1920s. The bank was founded in 1837. In 1951, a merger with the Bank of Australasia created the Australia & New Zealand Bank Ltd (ANZ).
1851 (c.) 'CHARLOTTE PLACE - SWANSTON STREET/MELBOURNE' with imprints 'GILL Archt' at L/L & 'HAM Engr' at L/R and shop-fronts 'CAMERON', 'WADE', 'BICKERTON', 'WALSH' & 'McLEAN', lithographed on very thin 4to paper from an engraved plate, 4pp, light soiling & minor foxing mostly below the illustration, minor repaired tear at U/R, unused.
The National Gallery of Australia has a version of the same illustration as a bookplate, stated to be printed by intaglio. We have been unable to find any information about Charlotte Place, and it may not have been completed. [John Gill, not related to the famed illustrator ST Gill, was both an architect of note & a cartoonist, using the pseudonym 'Quiz'. He designed mostly houses but also the Baptist Church in Collins Street, finished in 1845 & the oldest Baptist church in Victoria that is still standing]
1851 (c.) 'BENEVOLENT ASYLUM/MELBOURNE' with imprints 'C Laing Archt' at L/L & 'T Ham Engr' at L/R, lithographed on very thin 4to paper from an engraved plate, 4pp, horizontal fold that has caused the lower part of the page to be lightly stained, a few faults on the second leaf, unused.
The Asylum was erected in 1851 on a ten-acre site at what was then the western end of Victoria Street, flanked by Abbotsford, Elm, Curzon & Miller Streets, in Hotham. Until its closure in 1911 it served as eveything from an orphanage to an infirmary, from a lunatic asylum to a home for the destitute. The original building - as depicted in this illustration - was later greatly expanded & dominated the skyline to the NW of the city. [Charles Laing was trained as an architect in England. He was the City of Melbourne Surveyor from 1845 to around 1850]
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1012
Symbol: C
Cat No: Collection
1852 'THE AUSTRALASIAN LEAGUE' illustration of a flag superimposed on a bucolic landscape with imprint 'T BROWNE' at L/R and a printed manifesto in a tiny font lithographed on blue wove 4to paper, 4pp, lengthy cross-written letter head "Tullachgorum Fingal/5 January 1852" and signed "Alfred Sikes", to Yorkshire "Per Elizabeth Thompson/via Launceston" with postmaster's manuscript endorsement "Fingal/5.1.52" unusually in red & rated "5", Launceston 'PAID/6JA6/1852' tombstone d/s, London transit b/s of 27MY27/1852 where rated "8" for an incoming shipletter, & 'HUDDERSFIELD' arrival b/s of the same day in blue, minor blemishes. An outstanding Tasmanian pre-stamp entire, of historical significance. One of the most important items in the collection. [Thomas Browne opened a printing & stationery business in Hobart in July 1844 & a daguerrotype studio in 1846. He is believed to have been the first professional photographer in Hobart. His earliest known daguerrotype was of three Tasmanian aborigines (now lost). 'Tullochgorum' was 7km W of Fingal, the subject of an 1824 land grant to James Grant. This letter is "No 15" in the correspondence. "No 10", on a similar lettersheet dated 8.9.1851, sold at our auction of 20.5.2004 for $2910]
The Australasian League was formed in Tasmania to agitate for an end to transportation of convicts. Branches were quickly established in the other eastern colonies & in New Zealand. The group's flag featuring the Union Jack & Southern Cross bore a striking resemblance to the Australian Flag. A border was inscribed 'AUSTRALASIAN LEAGUE - TASMANIA - FEBRUARY 1851' (the name 'Tasmania' not being officially adopted until 1.1.1856). The text is a declaration presented to a meeting "at Melbourne, January 1851" recounting the end of transportation to NSW & a pledge by Britain not to send convicts to other Colonies, and calling for an end to transportation to van Diemen's Land, which finally occurred in 1853. The view includes a ribbon inscribed in Latin 'IN HOO [sic] SIGNO VINCES' (in hoc signo vinces, which translated means, "In this sign, you will conquer").
1852 (c.) 'PORTLAND BAY, VICTORIA, 1852' with imprint 'Stringer Mason & Co' at L/R lithographed on thick blue 4to paper, 4pp, horizontal fold well clear of the illustration, some light soiling, unused. [There is an example of this lettersheet in the National Library of Australia]
Portland, on the SW coast, was the site of the first permanent European settlement in Victoria. The Henty Brothers, Edward & Francis, arrived from van Diemen's Land as squatters in late-1834. Portland became a significant port because it had the only deep-water anchorage between Adelaide & Melbourne (settled by John Pascoe Fawkner and John Batman in 1834). The engraving shows an array of ships in the Portland Roads. [Stringer Mason & Co was active by 1852]
1853 (c.) 'CUSTOM HOUSE/MELBOURNE' with imprint 'LITHOGRAPHED & PUBLISHED BY STRINGER, MASON & Co MELBOURNE' below, on thick blue 4to paper, 4pp, horizontal fold well clear of the illustration, some light soiling, unused. [There is a smaller version, probably a book plate, in the National Library of NZ]
The first 'customs house' was a tent on the banks of the Yarra River. The second was a wooden hut. The illustration is of the bluestone structure, Melbourne's first stone building, completed in 1841.
1853 (c.) 'ST JAME'S [sic] CATHEDRAL/MELBOURNE' - an unexpected inscriptional & grammatical error for the times - with imprint 'LITHOGRAPHED & PUBLISHED BY STRINGER MASON & Co MELBOURNE' below, on thick blue 4to paper, 4pp, horizontal fold well clear of the illustration & faint diagonal bend across the illustration, some light soiling & a few foxing spots, unused.
St James' Old Cathedral, erected at the corner of Collins & William Streets, is the oldest church - and one of the oldest surviving buildings - in Melbourne. The foundation stone was laid by Superintendent Charles La Trobe on 9.11.1839, and the building was completed in 1847. The illustration dates from after completion, showing the east-west orientation. Structural problems developed early in the 20th century. It was disassembled and moved to its current location one mile further north in William Street, with the orientation changed to north-south.
1854 usage of 'SUPREME COURT & GAOL/MELBOURNE' with imprint 'LITHOGRAPHED & PUBLISHED BY STRINGER MASON & Co MELBOURNE' below, on thin blue 4to paper, 4pp, to London "Per Lady Jocelyn" rated "1/-" with 'Octagonal' 1/- (cut-square but with a fault at the base) tied by Barred Oval '1/V' & 'MELBOURNE/[crown]/SE30 E/1854/VICTORIA' d/s alongside, London arrival b/s of 2JA2/1855 in red, small defects & some soiling. [3pp letter signed "M Prentergast", to his father at Serjeant's Inn states "...The Lady Jocelyn also takes the nugget I mentioned in my last letter..."]
Melbourne's Old Gaol was built between 1839 & 1845 at the corner of Russell & La Trobe Streets. The Supreme Court building was completed in 1852 beside the Gaol and was later the site of the Magistrates' Court. The current sandstone Supreme Court building at the corner of William & Lonsdale Streets, one kilometre to the west, was erected between 1874 & 1884. The Gaol housed prisoners until 1924, was the site of Ned Kelly's execution in 1888, and is now a macabre tourist attraction. [The National Library of Australia has an apparently cut-down but hand-tinted example of just the illustration]
1854 (c.) usage under cover of 'ST JAMES CHURCH SYDNEY' with imprint 'C Ashton Sc' at L/R on thick 4to blue paper, 4pp fully written & being part of a longer missive, ink-blotch affects the right-hand side of the illustration & a few other minor blemishes still quite fine for these. [The letter, from an American, is full of animated and largely positive social commentary, & states "...The Anniversary of the Founding of the Colony was an important time...equivalent to the 4th of July at home...Sydney [has] all sorts of people. Its nearness to the East Indies has brought crowds of their inhabitants here. There are a great many Jews here as well as at Melbourne...I think them more nice than wise...They are all rich...& own some of the finest shops & houses in the city...I have spent my Sundays...reading old Yankee Papers...information can so readily & cheaply be gained through the medium of newspapers..."]
The heritage-listed St James' Church, in King Street, was consecrated in February 1824 by the infamous Rev Samuel Marsden. Designed by the convict architect, Francis Greenway, and erected by convict labour, it has been called by art historian Daniel Cruickshank, "one of the world's 80 greatest man-made treasures". It is the oldest-surviving church in Sydney. Charles Ashton was an engraver active in Sydney between 1844 & 1869. This appears to be a little-known image.
1854 usage under cover of 'ST MARY'S CATHEDRAL SYDNEY' with imprint 'C Ashton Sc' at L/R on thick 4to blue paper, 2pp only fully written - & being part of a longer missive - signed "Your Brother/Joseph", some minor aging/discolouration; with the envelope - the stamp sadly removed - to "Miss Helen F Smith/ Aurora/Cayuga Co/New York" with unframed 'SYDNEY/MR*21/1854/N. S. W' cds on the reverse & American 'STEAM SHIP/ 20 ' postage due h/s. [The letter, like the previous lot, is full of animated and largely positive social commentary, & states "...just look at the above building. It is a plain sort of building...but there are extensive additions going up now...[In Wooloomooloo]...I see an old long-coated Priest standing over the laborers & I fancy that he threatens them with excommunication...if they don't work like Slaves...they are exhibiting a Panorama called 'Uncle Toms Cabin'...crowded every night...I have seen enough [N-word] shows in my day. Last Friday night I went to the Circus..."]
Governor Lachlan Macquarie laid the foundation stone for St Mary's Church on 29.10.1821. It was designed by James Dempsey, and probably erected by convict labour. As noted in this letter, it was extensively modified during the 1850s. The church became a cathedral with the appointment in 1835 of John Polding as the first Catholic Archbishop in NSW. The cathedral was destroyed by fire on 29.6.1865 and the current cathedral erected on the site between 1868 & 1882. Again, this appears to be a little-known image.
(Qty 2 items)
1855 usage under cover of 'THE WATER SEEKER' and 'THE GOLD SEEKER' diptych with imprints 'G Strafford Delt' at L/L & L/R, and 'Published by Cyrus Mason 77 Collins Street Melbourne' at centre, lithographed on flimsy 4to paper from engraved plates, 4pp but separated, stained & some aging with archival-tape repairs but still presentable, with chatty letter featuring numerous idiosyncratic spellings headed "1855 Fryers Creek October 14th" & signed "Robert Driver" who writes "...There is plenty of work to be had but wages are low...I have two cows and sell my Milch...when the weather is faverable I digg a little. I hope to bring a few nuggets of pure Gold hom...I posted a news paper...by the Ship Ben Nevis...and this letter as come by the Ship champion of the Sea..." The survival rate of such lettersheets sent in an envelope appears to be even less than for those sent as folded entires.
The 19th century meaning of 'water seeker' seems to be lost. Shown is a prosperous family watching a team of labourers reaping a fine harvest. The 'gold seeker' may have perished: behind him is what appears to be the skeleton of a horse. The message appears to be, thrift & labour will be rewarded, while idle dreaming will lead to destruction.
Also lost in time is the abbreviation 'delt'. Certainly, George Strafford was the artist and - although lacking his imprint - these engravings were the work of Thomas Ham. Strafford was a goldfields artist who had serious mental issues, spent long periods in institutions & died in 1896 at the Beechworth Asylum. Cyrus Mason was a lithographer who published engravings by Thomas Ham. It has been stated that Mason & his partner Francis Stringer "took over" Ham's business in late-1853. He left publishing in 1855, later working as a draftsman, a mining agent & a sharebroker.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1020
Symbol: D
Cat No: Collection
1855 usage under cover of 'The City of Melbourne 1854' with central imprint 'Printed & Sold by C Mason 35 Swanston St' on flimsy 4to paper with the panorama printed across both internal pages & identifying notable buildings etc, lengthy 4pp letter headed "1855 November 12th Fryers Creek" & signed "Robert Driver" who complains about settlers wasting their money "...their throtes are widenough to swallow it all...[I] never tastes and kind of intoxecating likers...I told my mates where I was going to try for gold, they laughed at me...[Eureka!]...I took the Gold to the best Gold Smith in the Colony and ordered a ring...and a pair of Ear Rings...the most splendid Ear Rings I ever saw...made of Gold that I dug with my own hands...in a forighn land...", some aging/staining still quite presentable & wholly legible. In fact, Robert's excitement is almost palpable. [The only lettersheet of this layout in the collection]
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1021
Symbol: D
Cat No: Collection
1856 usage under cover of 'MAP OF MELBOURNE & COLLINGWOOD' with imprint 'PUBLISHED BY JAMES J BLUNDELL & CO 44 COLLINS ST WEST' either side of the title and 'Engraved & Printed for the Publishers by Campbell & Fergusson' at L/L on flimsy 4to paper, 4pp, the letter headed "Colingwood Jany 20th 56" & signed "Harry Taplin" (?), minor blemishes still remarkably fine for a used example of any of the illustrated lettersheets.
The 3pp chatty letter states "...it was indeed a sad disappointment...the wreck of the Schomberg...the passengers were brought to Melbourne by the steamer Queen...no lives lost...there is not much to be done at the diggings now and the travelling to them is dreadful..." The much-vaunted 'Schomberg' was wrecked on its maiden voyage from England, running aground off Cape Otway on 27.12.1855.
The map features Hoddle's Grid, is remarkably detailed & shows the location of many of the other buildings depicted in this collection, notably the Benevolent Asylum at extreme U/L, St James' Cathedal, St Paul's Church, the Customs House, the Supreme Court & Gaol, etc. It also identifies many other mostly long-vanished buildings including Abattoirs, Powder Magazine & Military Barracks all along Spencer Street, Cattle Yards at the top of Elizabeth Street (now the Dental Hospital) and Old Cemetery (over which the carpark for the Queen Victoria Markets was built). The Carlton Gardens became the southern portion of the Exhibition Gardens. "Collingwood" was originally the whole of the NE section but, since the 1870s, the area west of Smith Street has been known as Fitzroy.
James J Blundell & Co were booksellers & publishers from at least 1852. They are most well known for publishing much of the work of ST Gill: see Lots 1041 to 1048. Among their books were 'The Diggers & Diggings of Victoria' (1855) - the four parts of which are currently for sale online for A$20,000 or US$16,000 - & 'The Squatters' Directory of Victoria' (1859).
JS Campbell and the successor firm Campbell & Fergusson were lithographers & printers, famous for production of Victoria's stamps after Thomas Ham's contract was not renewed in 1854.
1857 'ABORIGINES OF VICTORIA/DRAWN BY M[onsieur] CHEVALIER, FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY H HASELDEN/ THE above are Portraits of two well known ABORIGINES who frequently visit Melbourne' with three imprints 'Geo Slater, Publisher, Melbourne' at L/L, 'WH Williams, Printer' at L/R & 'F GROSSE SC' above that on thin bluish 4to paper, 4pp, to London "p City of Sydney & overland" with scarce franking of Woodblocks 6d orange with Serpentine Roulettes on Three Sides SG 58 (Cat £180; faults) tied by Barred Oval '1' of Melbourne (b/s of NO*16/1857), backstamped with London arrival of JA-13/58 in red & undated 'MOORGATE-ST'-in-circle, redirected on a large plain label to "Cleveland Square/Hyde Park/W" with Stars 1d tied by 'LONDON EC/ 5 / JA13/58 - 79 ' duplex, overall light soiling, some minor splits repaired internally with archival tape & a filled punch hole on the woman's chest. Ex Floyd Risvold (Lot 1178): sold for US$660. [NB: the endorsement "JG Allan/11 Market St, Melbourne" was the original sender's address. Unusually for the time, the lengthy partly cross-written letter is between women & includes commentary on a friend's separation from her husband. See also Lot 1055 for another version of this image]
Nicholas Chevalier, an artist & illustrator of Swiss & Russian descent, came to Victoria in 1855 for what was intended as a short visit. However, both the Illustrated Australian News and Melbourne Punch requested his services so he stayed. Chevalier was a popular cartoonist who also introduced chromolithography to Victoria. His oil painting 'The Buffalo Ranges' (1864) was the first Australian work obtained for the National Gallery of Victoria, estd 1861. Befriended on a visit to Australia by the then Duke of Edinburgh, the artist returned to England with the Duke in 1868.
Frederick Grosse, a Bavarian Lutheran engraver arrived in Melbourne in 1854, where he also worked for the aforementioned publications. He is best-known for designing & engraving the Beaded Oval and Laureated stamps of Victoria. He later became a celebrated vigneron. Virtually nothing is known of WH Williams, except that he was active by 1852 until the 1860s, first at 23 Little Bourke & later at 94 Bourke Street. Henry (?) Haselden was a photographer at 107 Elizabeth Street, from only 1856 to 1858, when he returned to England.
1857 'SKETCH IN BOURKE ST ARRIVAL of the MAILS from the DIGGINGS. Pub by JJ Blundell & Co' with scrawled 'GEO THOMSON' at L/L on cream 4to paper, 4pp, to London with Woodblocks Imperf 6d orange tied by superb BN '3' of Castlemaine (crowned-oval b/s of JU 21/1857), very fine London arrival cds of 5SE5/1857 in red on the face, minor soiling, some splitting along folds & internal reinforcing with archival tape, the lengthy cross-written 3pp letter, to a woman, headed "Campbells Creek C'maine June 18 57" but written across 3 days. The scene is of of a ragtag band of diggers & the corpulent nouveau riche, a Chinese who has struck it rich alighting from a hansom cab, and a stream of humanity into the Albion Hotel. An important historical letter & a rare provincial use of an illustrated lettersheet.
The unidentified writer gives a fulsome eye-witness account of life on "the diggings" with a healthy dose of uninhibited racism, stating "...No one can fully appreciate the slavery endured by the pressgangs...life on the diggings teaches one to dispense with comforts...a rise in the market [prices] would press very heavily on the diggers...The people of this Colony...feel very uneasy at the immense influx of...hordes of Mongolians...in some of the gold fields they are more numerous than other miners...they evince a disposition to monopolize the ground...aliens in language, religion, laws and customs...partial exhaustion of Forest Creek as a gold field...population of somewhere about 6000..."
Campbell's Creek is 5km SSE of Forest Creek, which was renamed Castlemaine on 1.1.1854.
George Thomson was a goldfields illustrator who lacked both the deft touch & artistry of his contemporary ST Gill but who nonetheless had an eye for detail & a sense of the absurd. He is easily confused with the political agitator of the same name, but the latter was an educated man & the artist's signature hints at a semi-literate background. JJ Blundell & Co are best known for publishing an extensive body of work by ST Gill.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1024
Symbol: D
Cat No: Collection
1857 usage of 'CASTLEMAINE' with 'NC' monogram of Nicholas Chevalier at left & 'F Grosse' at R plus imprints 'AT Hodgson Castlemaine at L/L & 'Geo Slater' at L/R on flimsy 4to paper with the panorama printed across both internal pages, to Germany "per European/via Marseilles" with 3-colour- 3-issue imperf franking of Emblems 4d red, Octagonal 1/- blue & Woodblocks 2/- green slightly overlapped tied by BN '1' cancels of Melbourne (oval b/s of DC13/1857), transits of faint French mailboat cds in red & 'PBR' (?) in diamond-of-dots both on the face plus Paris b/s of 2/FEVR/58, Hamburg arrival b/s of 4/2/1858, lengthy letter in German headed "St Kilda 14 Dec 1857" to the writer's mother & signed "Hermann" with a small Christmas illustration buried in his text, some foxing mostly within & minor pluts & reinforcing. A really attractive & enchanting postal history item, to a scarce destination. Absent from Ben Palmer's Census, in which his earliest item to the City State of Hamburg is of 31.1.1859: we have recorded only one other earlier than this. Palmer at page 256does quote a rate to Hamburg of 3/4d for a letter weighing between ¾oz & 1oz. [The only lettersheet of this layout in the collection]
1858 (c.) 'BALLARAT POST OFFICE' with imprint 'H Deutsch Lihd Pbld Ballarat' at L/R on thick vertically-laid 4to paper but reduced to a little larger than the illustration, faint discolouration mostly on the reverse, unused. [The illustration is of the newly-completed stone post office with much detail including the clock showing 12.20pm, a gaslight & buggy at L, a postman with a full bag at R, more than 20 other mostly genteelly-dressed figures including a child in an early perambulator & a newspaper vendor selling 'The Weekly Despatch & Star'. The caption & imprint are both unusual for using the 'usual' form of Ballarat with three 'a's, rather than the 'original' spelling with four 'a's: ie Ballaarat'. Very few pictorial lettersheets were produced outside Melbourne & Sydney.
A history of the Ballarat Post Office states that the first office, in 1851, was merely a tent. Two wooden buildings on different sites followed, and the bluestone building shown here was erected in 1858. However, it was adjudged a 'monstrosity' & was demolished in 1863, being replaced by the first stage of the impressive building, erected between 1863 & 1871, that is now part of the University of Ballarat.
Herman Deutsch was a German Silesian immigrant & member of the Ballarat Hebrew Congregation. who worked on the Goldfields as a lithographer & printer between mid-1858 & 1865. His best-known works are 'The Ballarat Album' & rather out-of-proportion studies of an 1862 Ballarat v England cricket match.
There is a badly defective copy of the illustration with the Ballarat Historical Society. The State Library of Victoria has a badly stained version on blue paper - probably also from a lettersheet - and dated to 'c.1852', which pre-dates the building's construction so cannot be correct.
Sale No: 247
Lot No: 1026
Symbol: D
Cat No: Collection
1858 usage of 'THE TREASURY MELBOURNE' by an unidentified hand with central imprint 'Published by Cyrus Mason, 77 Collins St East, Melbourne' lithographed on thin blue 4to paper, 4pp, to Denmark "Via Triest and Overland" with Woodblocks Imperf 6d orange (largely removed) & large-part poorly-cut 'COLDSBOROUCH/[crown]/AP 12/1858/VICTORIA' b/s of Goldsborough, transits of Melbourne (AP13), London (JU21 & 'P.'-in-oval both in red on the face), 'KDOPA HAMBURG/23/6/12-1' Danish Postal Agency in Hamburg cds & 'St PA/23Jun58'-in-oval, various rate markings, the illustration is barely affected by the soiling, discolouration & repaired peripheral tears. A rare provincial use of an illustrated lettersheet, to a most unusual destination.
The scene is of the 3-storey Treasury built of stone & a group of lesser buildings, mounted police probably from a Gold Escort & various conveyances plus a group of interested bystanders at L/R. The lengthy letter in Danish is headed "Dunolly 11 April/1858" & signed "AD Fahne" (?) and, being from the goldfields, probably contains interesting commentary. [Cyrus Mason published under his own name apparently only in 1854-55. Dunolly is 24km N of Maryborough & Goldsborough is 6km NW of Dunolly. Addressed to "Nestvel", which is apparently Naestved, 70km SW of Copenhagen]
