Historical information

This book was a prize given by the Warrnambool Baptist Sunday School to Richard Petterd in 1888. The Warrnambool Baptist Church was established in 1864 in a small cottage in Kinross Avenue in Warrnambool at the home of Mr and Mrs Andrew Griffiths. In 1869 a church was built in Koroit Street and enlarged in 1974. From time to time more improvements were made and the church still operates from the same site today. A Sunday School was established in 1865. Richard Forrester Petterd, born in 1878 in Warrnambool, was the son of George Petterd and Mary Ann Petterd, nee Warn. He married Susanna McConnell in 1903 and died in 1935. A daughter, Muriel, married Frederick Wooles in 1933 and it was their son, Kenneth from whose estate this book has come to be added to the Society’s collection.

Significance

This book is most significant as it is a rare memento from the early days of the Warrnambool Baptist Sunday School and it belonged to Richard Petterd whose family was involved in businesses in Warrnambool as picture framers, stationery and fancy goods shop proprietors and estate commission agents. The book is a very attractive example of Victorian-era children’s books.

Physical description

This is a hard cover book of 80 pages It has a multi-coloured front cover depicting three children reading a book with a window behind them and floral decorations and two birds surrounding the three girls. The red binding is somewhat torn. The back cover has black and white etchings of flowers and children and advertisements for other books available. The book has several black and white drawings in grey tonings.

Inscriptions & markings

‘Warrnambool Baptist Sunday School, Fourth Class United, Third Prize awarded to Richard Petterd, April 10th 1888.’