'Kew's' was a restaurant at 330 High Street, previously an ice-cream parlour and later Estivo. The restaurant was located opposite the Kew Recreation Centre. The artwork was purchased at auction by the donors and donated to Kew Historical Society in 2022. Donated by Heather Oliver, 2022Large framed watercolour and gouache originally hung in Kew's restaurant. [Frame 104cm x 108cm / Work 54cm x 75cm]'Kew's Creative Cuisine: Try our delicious Antipasto Platter ........" Artist's signature lower right.restaurants -- kew (vic.), commercial buildings --- high street -- kew (vic.)

At the beginning of the 1890s, the Kew businessman and Town Councillor, Henry Kellett, commissioned J.F.C. Farquhar to photograph scenes of Kew. These scenes included panoramas as well as pastoral scenes. The resulting set of twelve photographs was assembled in an album, Kew Where We Live, from which customers could select images for purchase.The preamble to the album describes that the photographs used the ‘argentic bromide’ process, now more commonly known as the gelatine silver process. This form of dry plate photography allowed for the negatives to be kept for weeks before processing, hence its value in landscape photography. The resulting images were considered to be finely grained and everlasting. Evidence of the success of Henry Kellett’s venture can be seen today, in that some of the photographs are held in national collections.It is believed that the Kew Historical Society’s copy of the Kellett album is unique and that the photographs in the book were the first copies taken from the original plates. It is the first and most important series of images produced about Kew. The individual images have proved essential in identifying buildings and places of heritage value in the district.In 1891, High Street was the centre of commercial activity in the Borough of Kew. It was unpaved and edged with deep bluestone gutters, which were designed to channel the significant flow of storm water down the hill to and beyond the Junction. On either side of the entrance to the shopping strip are two cast iron gas lamps that provided the only public street lighting before the Post Office was reached. Most shops, including the Nicholas Brothers’ Junction Store featured cast iron verandas. Further up the hill, Dougherty’s Greyhound Hotel was by this stage a local institution. Apart from the horse-drawn tram, the main form of personal and commercial transport in this period remained the horse, horse and cart, or buggy.The panoramic view predates the widening of High Street in the 20th century, and thus includes the original alignment of buildings on the south side. These included Henry Kellett’s shop.High Street, Kewkew illustrated, kew where we live, photographic books, henry kellett, high street - kew (vic)

The National Bank of Australasia was formed in 1857. It began commercial operations in Queen Street, Melbourne in 1858. The Bank’s first branch in Kew opened at 87 High Street in 1885. A second building, on the corner of Walpole and Brougham Streets, designed by Inskip & Robertson, replaced the first branch in 1888. The second building remains, albeit in a somewhat altered state. In 1977, the President of the Kew Historical Society received two historic ‘Signature Books’ from the Kew branch of the National Bank of Australia.Press photograph, from the Whitehorse Standard, of the handover of two Signature Books by the manager of the National Bank of Australia, Mr Bendixer, to Marshall Slattery (centre) and Gordon Greer (right) of Kew Historical Society."1977 / PRESIDENT OF KEW HISTORICAL SOCIETY, CENTRE, RECEIVING 2 SIGNATURE BOOKS DONATED TO THE SOCIETY BY THE KEW BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL BANK / CENTRE PRESIDENT KHS MR SLATTERY, ON HIS LEFT MR BENDIXER MANAGER, RIGHT MR G GREER MEMBER KHSnational bank of australasia, national bank of australia, bank signature books -- kew (vic.)