The Pickwick Club of Kew was founded by local residents in 1897. In 1904 it produced its first publication - Pickwick Portfolio Vol.1 No.1 - for which the local artist and member Alice Marion Ellen Bale (1875-1955) designed this frontispiece. The frontispiece was printed in Volume 1/1 and adapted for Vol.1/2 in 1912. Each member of the Club adopted a pseudonym from a work by Charles Dickens. Alice Bale is recorded in the 1912 edition as using the name Mark Tapley, a character in Martin Chuzzlewit (Dickens, 1842). Gift of the Friends of the KHS Collection, 2022Frontispiece, created in watercolour and ink on artist's paper, for the first edition of the Pickwick Portfolio of 1904 by the Kew Pickwick Club. Signed lower left by Mark Tapley, the pseudonym within the Club of the artist A.M.E. Bale.Lower left in pencil "Mark Tapley" (pseudonym). Initials above to the right AMEB (Alice ME Bale)a m e bale, pickwick clubs, pickwick club of kew

Supporting documentary letter outlining the literary activities of a group of residents in Kew and its environs, which operated from 1897 to c.1912. 2-page letter from J. F. Richardson, outlining the donor's connection to The Pickwick Club of Kew which operated in Kew in the final decade of the 19th Century and the first two decades of the 20th Century. The transcript of the letter is recorded in the Inscriptions field.22 Kalimna St., Balwyn VIC 3103 16th November, 1967 Mrs E. West, Secretary, Kew Historical Society, 24 Marshall Ave., Kew VIC 3101 Dear Mrs West, In 1897 some residents of Kew formed a literary group which they called “The Pickwick Club”. My mother and father (the late Judge J.A. Richardson) were members of the group. The Pickwick Club produced two issues of its “Proceedings”, issued under the title of “The Pickwick Portfolio”. The first issue was dated 1st October 1904, and the second was dated 1st January, 1912. I have no knowledge of any later issues. I have one copy of each of the publications referred to above and I should be pleased to present them to the historical Society, if they were felt to be suitable material. The issue of 1/1/1912 contains a list of members of the Club and this may be of interest to the older members of your Society. Yours Sincerely J.F. Richardsonpickwick club -- kew (vic.)

This book was part of a large group of books referred to as the Pattison Collection, which belonged to the Warrnambool Public Library, part of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. About RALPH ERIC PATTISON and the ‘PATTISON COLLECTION’ The ‘Pattison Collection’ is a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities, are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the WMI was led to ask the City Council to take it over in 1911 due to a lack of financial support. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Public Library as it was then called. Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up a home in Warrnambool. In 1935 when Pattison accepted the position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council his huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower areas of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave from 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However, he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. THE NEW WARRNAMBOOL LIBRARY When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Pattison. Eventually, the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Posthumous Papers of The Pickwick Club Author: Charles Dickens Publisher: J M Dent & Sons Date: 1926 Further Information: First Issue of this Edition 1907. Reprinted 1909,1911,1913,1916,1918,1920,1923,1924,1926.The label on the spine cover with typed text PAT 823 DIC Paste down front end paper has a stamp from Corangamite Regional Library Service. Front loose end paper has a sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute covered by a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Service. Inside the front loose end paper is written "to Bill from Cyril 6.1.27"flagstaff hil, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, the posthumous papers of the pickwick club, charles dickens

Ill, p.801.fictionNovel based on Pickwick Club of London, decides to establish a traveling society in which four members journey about England and make reports on their travels. england - fiction, charles dickens 1812-1870