These type of cigarette silks were included in WD & HO Wills cigarette packets to induce women in particular to take up smoking.|The Word 'Cartophilic?|It is believed that this unusual word was coined in the 1920s by Col. Bagnall, an Englishman, who was the father of the hobby of cigarette card and trade card collecting. It is thought to be a combination of a Latin word, 'carto' meaning 'card and the Greek word 'philic', meaning 'love'.- lover of cards. The term originally related to the collection of the two types mentioned, however, our Society has included postcards in the range of items collected by our members.|The Cigarette Card|The cigarette card began its evolution in the United States of America, in the early 1880s as a plain piece of cardboard used by tobacconists to protect the cigarettes which were sold in that era, not in packets, but loosely. A purchaser would buy his cigarettes then wrap them in paper around the small piece of cardboard, which acted as a stiffener. In fact, for many decades, cigarette cards were known as 'stiffeners' in the USA.|The card depicting 'The Marquis of Lome' is reputed to be the first known cigarette card issued. This is thought to have been in 1879. It did not take long for an enterprising entrepreneur to recognise the advertising potential of the cigarette card, and, very soon, the cards began displaying popular images, often in sets. This had the effect of youngsters, wishing to complete their sets, harassing their fathers to buy a specific brand of cigarettes. The kids who collected cards in the days when they were being issued in the cigarette packets, would hang around outside the local tobacconist's shop, pestering the men who had just bought a packet of cigarette, with the cry: 'can I have the cig can mister?'|It is a proven fact that, here in Australia during the 1930s, at least one set had one card deliberately withheld and issued very sparingly. This card is No. 86 (Mrs Jack Crawford) in the Carreras 'Turf Personality Series'. Thus, in a set of reasonably easy cards to get, this one card is a constant source of frustration for the collector, and as such, commands a premium when it comes to price. It is not hard to imagine the young collector nagging his to Dad to keep buying 'Turf' cigarettes to enable him to finish the set.|From small beginnings the cigarette card soon gave rise to a booming industry in itself. Artists and writers were|employed to produce the cards, which were miniature works of art and served as little encyclopaedia's for the children of the day. By the 1930s cards were being issued in the countless millions. It has been stated, in one book on the history of cards; that 450 million sets of a series produced and issued by the prolific issuer of cards in the United Kingdom, WD & HO Wills. As each set contained 50 cards you would need a calculator with a very long result window to see the answer to how many cards of that series were in circulation.|Australia's involvement would appear to have its beginnings with the English and American firms who shipped their tobacco products here and the cards of American Tobacco Company (ATC) are found in great numbers in early Australian collections; many featuring Australian subjects, e.g. 'Australian Parliament a 1901 issue. Earlier U.S. sets depicting Australians included Goodwin & Co's, so called. 'Australian Series' with cricketers and Australian Rules footballers who were on the sporting scene during the 1880s. The caption of one of theses cards reads:|'W.Hannysee. Captain Port Melbourne Football Club' which enables us to pinpoint the year of issue to either 1889 or 1890.|On the Australian scene the first local manufacturer who issued cards seems to have been The National Cigarette Company of Australia Proprietary Limited, whose 'Tally Ho' packets contained cards from a series of thirteen featuring the touring 'English Cricket Team 1897-8' Of the few Australian manufacturers who issued cards, only two companies issued more the two sets.|Undoubtedly the cards issued by the Melbourne firm Sniders & Abrahams (later Sniders & Abrahams Pty Ltd) are the 'jewels in the crown' of Australian card issues. They issued some thirty-three series, with numerous sub-series and allied issues such as metal badges, metal football shields, celluloid flags etc., which ensured that the hobbyist had a vast range from which to collect. Sporting themes – football, cricket, horse racing – dominate, indicating the Australians' love of sport and the outdoors was as strong in those earlier times as it is today. Military, animals and birds themes were also to the fore, with a touch of culture being provided by 'Shakespeare', 'Dickens', actresses and even classical 'Statuary'. Humour was not forgotten with 'Cartoons and Caricatures', 'Naval and Cricket (double meaning) Terms' and the 'Jokes' series. Art and history were covered by the artist, S.T. Gill's 'Views of Victoria in 1857' while the stereoscopic 'Views of the World' expanded the collectors' knowledge of the world as a whole.|The Sniders & Abrahams series began in 1904 and by 1919 the company was in decline and was eventually taken over by G.G. Goode & Co. Ltd. This company produced one set only, the highly collectable 'Prominent Cricketer Series' issued in 1924. During the early to mid-1920s, J.J. Schuh Tobacco Pty Ltd issued eight series, again containing the popular subjects of sport and war. At least two provincial tobacconists, Lentens of Bendigo and Baillies of Warrnambool, issued private football series. The last series of cards issued by a truly Australian firm was Dudgeon & Arnell's '1934 Australian Cricket Team'.|The Australian market was not neglected by the English companies with WD & HO Wills, Godfrey Phillips and Ogdens all making their contributions. By far the most active issuer was the long-established company Wills, whose 'Cricketers' of 1901 heralded the flood of Australian series, which continued into the mid-thirties.|The onset of the 1939-45 World War sounded the death knell of the cigarette card and very few post-war issues were made, certainly not here in Australia.|The Trade Card|The Trade Card is a non-tobacco item used by manufacturers to promote and advertise their products, in the same way that cigarette cards were. It is uncertain exactly when they were first produced, but in the USA, non-collectable cards were issued by firms in the early 1800s. These were more akin to a latter day 'business card'. It was not until the 1850s, when coloured and pictorial cards were issued to advertise and promote products that the Trade Card|became a collectable item. Many beautiful lithographic cards were produced in this early era and they are very mu sought after by collectors. By the 1870s the issues of Trade Cards became more prolific and it is from this era that more cards are seen.|Again, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the first Australian Trade Card and it may be that the highly collectable and extremely rare 'American Candy Co's' - 'Pure Caramels' Australian Rules football card, issued i 1891, is the earliest series. This confectionery firm was located in Fitzroy, a Melbourne suburb. To date only two subjects have been seen.|Another early set was 'Flags', issued by F.H.Fauldings & Co. It featured testimonials of seven English cricketers who toured Australia with the 1894/5 Test team. Fauldings was an Adelaide based firm which manufactured medicinal toiletries, soaps and oils, using the distinctly Australian eucalyptus oil. During the 20th century a multitude of Australian businesses issued trade cards, with confectionery manufacturers such as Hoadleys, Allens, Sweetacres and Australian Licorice producing the majority of them. Again sporting themes dominated with the ever popular Aussie Rules football cards being the most numerous. Cricket issues ran a close second.|Apart from sporting cards, almost every subject imaginable was covered by the Trade Card, making it the most diverse and interesting branch of cartophilly. In contrast to the Cigarette Card, which had its demise prior to the Second World War, the Trade Card is still alive and well.|We all are aware of the long running 'Birds of Australasia' series put out by Tuck-fields Tea and 1 doubt if there is a kitchen drawer in Australia that has not got one or two of these informative and attractive cards floating about in it. These cards were first produced in the early 1960s and are still being inserted in that company's packets of tea. Such is also the case with Sanitarium Health Foods, manufacturers of the well known Weetbix, who began issuing cards, with a wide range of subjects, in the early 1940s and continue to do so.|The 1940s and 1950s saw the two breakfast food giants, Kornies and Weeties dominating the card scene. Kornies footballers were in production fora decade from 1948 to 1959. Four years later in 1963, we saw the start of four decades of Scanlens bubble-gum card issues, both football and cricket. In the mid 1990s, with the end of the Scanlens/Stimorol cards, the Trading Card came on the scene. These cards do not fit under the umbrella of the Trade Card, having been produced and marketed purely as a 'collectable' with no connection whatsoever to any product, which of course is necessary for an item to be classified as a Trade Card.|The earliest British postcard was issued in 1870 and was designed to send short messages; the stamp was printed on the card, therefore it did not require an envelope. It was considered by many to be lowering the postal standards because the texts were no longer private. However the cards were a great success as on the first day of issue in 1870, half a million passed through the London postal centre.|The first illustrated postcards are said to be those introduced by a French stationer in 1870. He realized that French troops fighting in the Franco-Prussian War needed to be able to send short messages to their families and designed a 'postcard' to suit the purpose. As many of the soldiers were illiterate they decorated their cards with sketches of their many activities at the front rather than writing; thus creating a picture postcard. Private enterprise soon saw the great financial possibilities of this new easy and attractive way of communication by post; also sending a postcard cost less than postage for letters. It was correctly assumed that postcards were likely to overtake letter writing in many instances.|Between 1875 and 1882 every state in Australia introduced official postcards, N.S.W. first and Tasmania last. Each state produced a simple type of postcard with a pre printed stamp allied to that state. The stamp side stated 'The Address Only To Be Written On This Side'; the reverse side sometimes carried a simple illustration or decoration with space fora short message, each state extolling their own state's virtues. In 1901, with the advent of Federation, the new Government became responsible for all postal services in Australia and produced postcards for sale in every state. With several mail deliveries each day in most towns, postcards were used for many purposes. One 1906 postcard, with an illustration of fruit, was sent from Mrs X in the morning to her greengrocer ordering her fruit and vegetables to be delivered that afternoon. Another lady asks her charlady to 'come this afternoon'.|Australian private enterprise also began selling pictorial postcards, most companies using the very experienced German printing works who were the worlds best in the field of lithography and fine detailed colour-printing. Many of these beautiful German cards still exist today, 100 years later. Australia did have a few fine printers but they were in the minority. Black and white postcards printed in Australia in the early 1900s were often of good quality e.g. postcards printed by 'The Bulletin', illustrating the works of 'The Bulletins' top artists.|Between c1903-09 The Melbourne company Osboldstone and Atkins etc. printed coloured reproductions of 46 J.A. Turner bush/rural life paintings, which were generally of good quality and became hugely popular and still sought after today. Like thousands of homes in Europe, Britain and U.S.A., many Australia homes had albums of cherished postcards, which were given pride of place for visitors to see and enjoy.|Postcard collecting remained popular but was changing with the times. About 1912 the Australian photographer George Rose of Melbourne began to produce topographical B/W real photographic postcards covering most of Australia and other photographers began to do likewise. These cards soon found their way into collections as well.|WWI and the horrors of war suddenly changed the world; postcards were still in great demand but the subject matter was far more serious. Thousands of postcards from the trenches in European war zones arrived in Australia to be included in family albums. Propaganda and recruitment messages were produced to encourage enlistment. Australian postcard producers began to create cards decorated with gum leaves, boomerangs, wattle etc., which were designed for sending to Australian troops serving overseas. Very few 'pretty' cards were available, as access to the Gentian printing works was no longer possible and exporting of postcards from Britain was very limited. By the end of WWI people had other more serious problems to contend with and the avid postcard collecting hobby declined, fold greetings took over and topographical photographic postcards became a small but steady income for the producers and newsagents etc. in every town.|Fortunately many of these old postcards still exist and are avidly collected by a new generation or postcard collectors. The Australian Cartophilic Society Inc. is one of four postcard/cigarette card organizations in Australia. They are, N.S.W. Post Card Collectors Society; Queensland Card Collectors' Society Inc. and West Australian Card Collectors|Society, and across the Tasman there is a New Zealand Postcard Society.|References:|Picture Postcards of the Golden Age A Collector's Guide by Toni & Valmai Holt. Picture Postcards in Australia 1898 - 1920 by David CookBox of Cigarette Silks ( 10 ) depicting animal motifs, which were placed in cigarette packets as an incentive for women in particular to smoke.|WD & HO Wills|Produced 1911 - 1917personal effects, smoking accessories, recreations, collections

The 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (1st RANBT) was formed in Melbourne on 28 February 1915 and was intended to be a horse drawn engineering unit attached to the Royal Naval Division (RND), then serving as infantry on the Western Front. The term ‘train’, in its title, was a direct reference to the horse drawn wagons that would, in theory, form and move ‘in train’ to carry the unit’s heavy lumber, building materials and engineering equipment to the front. The unit was manned by members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve for whom there were no available billets in seagoing RAN ships. Many of the sailors serving in the 1st RANBT were rated ‘drivers’, and again, this refers to wagon drivers as opposed to motor vehicle drivers. Other seamen were rated as ‘artificers’ or ‘sappers’, the latter being a military term traditionally used to describe army engineers. Appointed in command of the 1st RANBT was Lieutenant Commander Leighton Seymour Bracegirdle, RAN. Bracegirdle was ideally suited to command the unit, having seen active service with the NSW Naval Brigade during the Boxer Rebellion in China as well as serving as a military officer in the South African Irregular Horse during the Boer War in 1901. He had also recently returned from German New Guinea where he had served as a staff officer in the joint Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) responsible for the capture of the German colonies in the Pacific in September 1914. Three hundred naval reservists, including 50 men who had recently served in New Guinea, were selected for the 1st RANBT and they began their training in horsemanship, engineering and pontoon bridging at the Domain in Melbourne. By late May 1915 a decision was made to send the unit to Britain to complete its training and then to join the RND on the Western Front. The plan, however, never eventuated. The complaints about the non-combatant work being done by the men had been raised in Federal Parliament and following consultation with the senior Australian officer in the Middle East, Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel, a recommendation was made that the unit be disbanded and its men used as reinforcements for the AIF. Consequently, Lieutenant Commander Bracegirdle was advised that his unit was to be dispersed; its men transferring to the AIF or being returned to Australia for discharge. On 27 March 1917 the 1st RANBT was officially disbanded.Oxidised brass anchor shaped collar badge.ww1, world war 1, first world war, ranbt, ran bridging train, royal australian navy bridging train, collar badge

Sir James McCulloch was the 5th premier of Victoria.A black and white image of sixteen Victorian parliamentarians.victorian parliament, government, james mcculloch, premier

Keith and Kath Hamilton at Blythwood Grange chapel, the former St Joseph's Home. Keith Hamilton, born 9 May 1936 in Ballarat was the MP for Morwell for the Labour Party. He was Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister for Agriculture for some years. See more information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Hamilton_(politician)Digital photograph pf Keith and Kathleen Hamilton. keith hamilton, kath hamilton, ballarat, morwell, member of parliament, minister for agriculture, minister for aboriginal affairs

In 1895 artist Gordon Coutts was commissioned by Elizabeth Harding (Mrs. Silas Harding), a wealthy pastoralist, to paint this portrait of Prince Albert. The portrait was completed by 1896 and is a copy of an original by German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873). In 1843 Winterhalter was commissioned to paint matching portraits of Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort. These originals hang in the Garter Throne Room at Windsor Castle and are part of the UK Royal Collection. Queen Victoria’s appreciation of Winterhalter began after she saw portraits by him of other European monarchs. Accordingly, between 1842 and 1861 he made fifteen visits to England and painted over 100 portraits of Her Majesty, the royal family and other friends and dignitaries. There are a number of notable differences in the original Winterhalter work and this painting. The local artist Coutts has changed the colour of the Prince’s cloak from deep blue/black to red (perhaps as a result of working from a black and white photograph). Other differences include extra satin shoulder ribbons, a simplification of the furnishings, notably the floor, and an inexact representation of the medallions worn; collars of the Order of the Garter, Bath, and the Golden Fleece. The painting is framed to match the official copy portrait of Queen Victoria, with the coat of arms of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, fixed atop the frame in place of the royal crown.Framed portrait, oil on cotton, of Prince Albert. The Prince Consort wears the robes of the Order of the Garter, holds a Field-Marshal’s baton, and is posed in front of a curtain and colonnade. Timber frame with a layer of gesso and decorative composition ornaments. There are rose, scotch thistle, clover leaf and Acanthus ornaments. The coat of arms that sits on top of the frame is a combination of carved timber and composition elements.Signed lower right corner in red brushpoint: ‘after Winterhalter / By Gordon Coutts / 1896’.albert, prince consort of victoria, queen of great britain, 1819-1861, winterhalter, franz xaver, 1805-1873, coutts, gordon (1865-1938)

Cyril Everett Isaac (1884-1865) (MLC for South Eastern 1940-52) was a progressive educator, horticulturist and conservationist. A pioneer of school gardening, Isaac believed in the enlightening, spiritual values of working with the land, and founded the State Schools Horticulture Society in 1910. Following the outbreak of the Great War, Isaac recognised the potential to combine school gardening with humanitarian aid. In 1915, Isaac helped to establish the Young Gardeners’ League, whereby young garden enthusiasts could join for a penny and cultivate plots in their own backyards. These home-grown flowers and vegetables were then sold for the going market rates, and the proceeds went towards supporting the Education Department officers serving in the war and their families. This project culminated in a state-wide flower day show held at Melbourne’s Town Hall on 3 November 1916, known as Children’s Flower Day. Isaac hoped that this special day would encourage children to feel that by ‘growing the flowers they are doing something to help our brave soldiers.’ Originally aiming to raise £10,000, the inaugural Flower Day raised over £32,309 (including revenue from home produce), and was donated to the War Relief Fund. On 9 November, the Dandenong Advertiser reported: “This is a splendid record for the boys and girls of our State Schools, who are so well tutored, and ready and willing to help the British Empire against the enemy.” One month after Flower Day, Isaac enlisted in 58th Battalion of Australian Infantry Forces, and departed for Europe in May 1917. Subsequent Children’s Flower Days were held in 1917 and 1918 in Isaac’s absence, and accounted for 25 per cent of the £445,000 raised by the Education Department’s War Relief Fund. A badge created as a fundraiser for Children's Flower Day in 1918. These badges were sold in public places in order to raise funds for war relief. Round metal badge with celluloid insert that has a printed motif of flowers (wattle and forget-me-not) and three banners with red text.Printed recto: "CHILDREN'S/ FLOWER DAY/ 1918"isaac, cyril everett (1884-1865), children's flower day, world war 1, charity

The "Viva" was a steamboat operated by George Dent that ran on the Yarra River between Princes Bridge and Hawthorn Bridge from 1860-1861. Printer flyer pasted onto cardboard advertising ferry services between Melbourne and Hawthorne [sic]. Corrections to ferry departure times are in black handwritten ink. Flyer has losses around edges and stains from 'blue-tack' verso. Black ink, printed recto: "PIC-NIC PARTIES/ AND OTHERS./ A Steamer to Hawthorne Twice a day./ On and after Monday Next, 26th march, the/ STEAMER/ "VIVA"/ Will Run daily, (Sundays Excepted) between Melbourne and/ HAWTHORNE,/ Landing Passengers at Survey Paddock, Gardner's Creek, and/ any other place along the Yarra Banks./ Leavers Hawthorne Bridge 10 a.m./ 2 p.m./ 5.30 p.m./ Leaves Princes' Bridge, melbourne 12 p.m./ 4 p.m./ Fare One Shilling/ EACH WAY./ N.B.-Parties wishing to send packages or parcels by the Steamer th(?).../ will be received and a receipt given at the waiting room, Melbourne, or on board.../ by George Dent, who will execute any orders in Town./ Small Packages, - 6d. Large Packages, - 1s/ Abbot & Co., Printers, Melbourne.viva steamboat, dent, george, hawthorne, yarra river, princes bridge, melbourne, survey paddock, gardner's creek

Has a strong association with the opening of the depot extensions by the local member of state parliament and the BTPS work in celebrating the 10th year of the closure of the Ballarat Tramway system.Newspaper clipping from the Courier dated 21/9/1981, mounted on a sheet of an A4 sheet of scrap paper from a the Forestry department titled "Evans opens tramways extensions". Article notes the official opening of the BTPS extensions to the tramway depot my Mr. Tom Evans MLA on the Saturday 19/9. Quotes Mr Evans, Ballarat Mayor Cr. A.E. Hancock and Richard Gilbert General Manger of the BTPS. Also includes a Free Ride Coupon. Features photo of Tom Evans wearing a SEC cap at the controls of a single trucker."21/9/81" in blue ink on the headline area.btps, depot, depot extensions, celebrations, opening

On the 18th August, 1896, the question of selecting localities for the permanent survey of a narrow-gauge line to Beech Forest from Colac was mooted. Two potential lines were examined. In a memorandum to the Minister for Railways, dated 23rd March, 1897, the Engineer-in-Chief recommended that the eastern and longer route via Lardner's Track be adopted. The second route, while identical from Colac to Gellibrand River, differed. By a more direct route the Beech Forest terminus is reached 5 miles sooner and cost approximately L24,500 less. The direct line would also serve a larger lot of settlers and would obtain a larger lot of traffic than the alternate proposal. The Parlimentary Standing Committee on Railways examined the proposal in situ and recommended that the direct route from Gellibrand to Beech Forest should be adopted and the Lardner's Track route should be abandoned at once.Photograph, Railway Survey Camp, 4 April 1897. Inspection of alternative routes by Parliamentary Committee on Railways.People named in the photograph.beech forest; railway; survey; victorian parliament; calcutt; fraser; e.h. cameron; d. mciville; a. harris; n. mcinnes; j.s. white; j. wood; t. baker; j. gardner; t.g. watson; standing committee;

Black hardcover book. On the front in gold letters ''Borough of Eaglehawk. On the spine Victorian Statutes, Vol 1 A-E. Contents: Chronological table, historical table of legislation for or in Victoria, table of acts in Vol. 1. The book has 1022 pages. Printed in Melbourne by john Ferres, government printer, 1866Inside front cover sticker: J.K. Robshaw, stationer and printer, Pall Mall, Sandhurstvictorian legislation, acts of parliament, borough of eaglehawk, 1866

Twenty five pages booklet. On the front page under the coat of arms of Victoria the words: Anno Sexagesimo Victoriae Reginae. No. 1445 An act to amend the Factories and Shops Act 1890 and for other purposes, 28th July, 1896Writing in pencil of the front: 8 points (?) numbered 1 to 8 leaves not cat. as numbers 3 and 7 are alikeact of parliament, factories and shops act, 1896

politician, mayor, premier, bust, sculpture, margaret baskerville, speaker, member of parliament, member of lower house, local government, councillor, brighton, public art, bayside, thomas bent, unveiling, ceremony, mayoress, sculptor, councillor wilson, crowd, 1913, nepean highway, mrs bent, elizabeth bleazby, fountain, memorial, john madden, lieutenant governor

Arguably Margaret Baskerville’s most famous work, the bronze statue of politician and land speculator Sir Thomas Bent was Baskerville’s first public commission and a significant turning point in her career. Originally located in the centre of the Nepean Highway, in Brighton, it became somewhat of signpost for many Melbournians until it was relocated to the corner of Bay Street in 1980.The statue of Sir Thomas Bent is of historic and social significance to the State of Victoria. The statue is historically significant for commemorating Bent's long, active and infamous political career in Victoria. He was responsible for many important speculative ventures both within his electorate and in the wider context of Victoria. Although not without thought for personal gain, Bent was a committed advocate of public utilities, railways, roads, tramways and gasworks. The statue is historically significant as the first large public commission given to a woman sculptor in Victoria. This work helped the sculptor, Margaret Baskerville, preserve her name as Victoria's first professional woman sculptor. The statue is socially significant as testimony to the late nineteenth century land boom and the financial and political corruption and scandals that accompanied it. https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/12614bronze and granite thomas bent, politician, mayor, premier, bust, sculpture, margaret baskerville, speaker, member of parliament, member of lower house, local government, councillor, brighton, public art, bayside

The fountain was commissioned by Elizabeth Beazby, daughter of Sir Thomas and Mrs Bent, and unveiled 27 October 1913 by Mrs Wilson, Mayoress of Brighton.The fountain is of historical interest and aesthetic significance. The memorial is a good example of the smaller commemorative work of sculptor Margaret Baskerville. The memorial commemorates the wife of notable local resident, Sir Thomas Bent, who was a long-standing parliamentary representative, Mayor of Brighton and Premier of Victoria from 1904-1909.bronze and granite thomas bent, politician, mayor, premier, bust, sculpture, margaret baskerville, speaker, member of parliament, member of lower house, local government, councillor, brighton, public art, bayside, mrs bent, memorial, fountain, drinking fountain, cherubs, elizabeth bleazby

politician, mayor, premier, bust, sculpture, margaret baskerville, speaker, member of parliament, member of lower house, local government, councillor, brighton, public art, bayside, thomas bent, unveiling, ceremony, mayoress, sculptor, councillor wilson, crowd, 1913, nepean highway, mrs bent, elizabeth bleazby, fountain, memorial

A report in the Ballarat Star on 8 May 1901 recorded that: "THE CONVERSAZIONE. A GREAT SUCCESS. The conversazion given by the Government of Victoria at the Exhibition was very largely patronised. the guests includ ing the Prime Minister and a goodly proportion of the distinguished personages now in Melbourne. A programme of high-class music was gone through, and refreshments were served during the evening. Australian wines were very prominent."The document design has artistic and aesthetic merit. While it is not rare, it is representative of the kinds of formal designs used for the Australian Commonwealth celebrations at the time of Federation, and is in excellent condition. Such items as this invitation have local, state and national historic significance as mementoes of a key moment in Australia's history. Locally, the invitation is part of a group of Federation-related items issued to James Maitland Campbell (and his wife). Campbell was three times mayor of Kew in the second half of the 19th Century and the owner of Ramornie in Pakington Street, one of the significant extant mansions in Kew.Colour lithograph mounted on card to an evening event, a conversazione, held in the Exhibition Building on the evening of Tuesday 7th May 1901, as part of the Australian Commonwealth Celebrations. The recipients of the invitation were Mr and Mrs James Maitland Campbell of Kew. The Government of Victoria hosted the event. The invitation shows an etching of the Exhibition Building, surrounded by an ornate border of heraldic shields, portraits of the Duke and Duchess, views of Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart, and native flora (including wattle, waratah, pink heath, Sturt’s desert pea, and flannel flower), and native fauna (kookaburra, possum, lyre bird, cockatoo and koala). The royal crest ‘Dieu et mon droit’ and the Australian crest, ‘Advance Australia’ are also included.Printed: UNITED AUSTRALIA 1901 / ONE FLAG / ONE HOPE / ONE DESTINY; AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH CELEBRATIONS / THE GOVERNMENT OF VICTORIA requests the honour of the presence of / / at a Conversazione in the Exhibition Building on the Evening of Tuesday 7th May 1901 at 8 P.M. Handwritten: Mr & Mrs J. M. Campbell.sands & mcdougall ltd, documents - invitations, first commonwealth parliament 1901, james maitland campbell (1847-1930), ramornie, ramornie - pakington street