Historical information
The original postcards in this series (2013.002 to 2013.018) were generously loaned to Williamstown Botanic Gardens by a private collector for copying.
Significance
The postcards are evidence of the interest the gardens held as a subject for postcard publishers. The text and images provide a snapshot into fashions, social interests and concerns of the time. The professionally produced images provide a pictorial history of Gardens including changing planting styles, various structures and features of the Gardens eg the aviary, cannons, the fountain, the second Curator’s Lodge and gates. The images offer an opportunity to compare garden vistas with the present day.
This postcard is evidence of the placement of two of the cannons relocated from Fort Gellibrand in 1906 and that they were in place in the Gardens in 1924. They were removed from the Gardens in the 1960s. These same cannons remain a feature on the Williamstown waterfront in 2013. The image also shows the original Elm Avenue plantings.
Physical description
A sepia scene looking west towards statue of Alfred Thomas Clark, with cannons on either side of statue pointing east down what is known as the Palm Avenue. The statue is surrounded by a white fence consisting of posts and a top rail. The top of the statue is hidden by the branches of the elm trees. It appears that the elms are in the process of either losing their leaves or new leaf growth. A cactus plant can be seen beneath the lower branches of the elm tree of the right closest to the camera. The cannons were moved from Fort Gellibrand to the Gardens in 1906.
Inscriptions & markings
Front: VALENTINE’S, M.356 ELM AVENUE WILLIAMSTOWN GARDENS MELBOURNE, VICTORIA. REAL PHOTO.
Reverse: vertical on left side of card and underlined: ‘Published by the Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. Ltd. / Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane’. Top centre of card: Contains logo of ‘VALENTINES / REAL PHOTO SERIES / POSTCARD’. Top right hand corner is stamped ‘BRANCHES (enclosed in a scroll) / SYDNEY / LONDON / DUNDEE / DUBLIN / CAPETOWN / MONTREAL / TORONTO’ The card is dated ‘29/12/24’ and addressed to ‘Dear Leah Alf & Dad’ signed by ‘Margaret’.
