Historical information

These items came from the estates of Dorothy Ardlie (1910-1993) and her sister Agnes Ardlie (1915-1993). They are poignant mementoes of their sister Olive who died in 1912 of gangrenous appendicitis at the age of 6. The three sisters were the daughters of Arthur and Ethel Ardlie of Warrnambool, the granddaughters of the prominent Warrnambool lawyer, William Ardlie and his wife Mary and the great granddaughters of John and Mary Ardlie, pioneer Warrnambool settlers. These mementoes were kept by family members for over 100 years

Significance

These items are of considerable interest as mementoes of a small child who died early in the 20th century and of the type of bereavement cards used at that time.

Physical description

.1 A black and white photograph produced as a post card. The subject is a young girl on a swing and holding a doll. The photograph has a hole at the top.
.2 A bereavement card with black edging, black printing and handwriting in black ink.
.3 A bereavement card with black edging and black printing.
.4 A small envelope, much stained. This contains a small amount of a child’s hair.

Inscriptions & markings

.1 Foyle’s Photo Card Liebig St. Warrnambool
For Ethel in memory of her little playmate Olive Ardlie
.2 In Affectionate Remembrance of Olive Mary Josephine Ardlie who departed this life 24th February 1912 Aged 6 Years
.3 Mr & Mrs Arthur Ardlie return sincere thanks for kind sympathy in their great sorrow ‘Aroona’ Warrnambool
.4 Olive’s hair, March 31st 09 3 yrs