Historical information

This is a card sent by Mrs Whitehead in 1922 thanking the Warrnambool Club members for their sympathy following the death of Robert Whitehead. The Warrnambool Club was established in 1873 as a gentlemen’s club and the Warrnambool Club building which still stands today in Kepler Street was erected in 1877. The deceased Robert Whitehead was born in 1848 at Goodwood, Caramut and was a pastoralist. His second wife was Myrtle McFarland. Robert Whitehead is buried in the Tower Hill Cemetery.

Significance

This card is of interest as it has a social history showing the type of bereavement card used in the 1920s – a plain card with a black edging. These cards could be purchased in bulk with a blank sheet for inserting the relevant details. The connection with the Warrnambool Club and Robert Whitehead is also of interest.

Physical description

This is a cream-coloured card with a black edge at the top left hand corner. It has handwritten and printed material. It has a small slit on the left hand corner indicating it has been pinned to a wall or noticeboard.

Inscriptions & markings

‘To President & Members’
‘Mrs Robert Whitehead desires to return sincere thanks for sympathy in her recent bereavement’
‘Lami Lami, Liebig Street, Warrnambool, November 1922’