SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Historical Background For These Pictures

We have a large selection South Australian scenes.

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glenelg, holdfast Shore, maritime, ship, steamer, Adelaide, shipwreck

Code: SAGLEN

Mail Steamer Off Glenelg (Holdfast Shore, South Australia)

The "Tyranny of Distance" was appropriate for passengers from the northern hemisphere, but also sending letters: news from home would only arrive on large passenger steamers would call at the colonies with smaller vessels going out to retreive mail, newspapers, subscriptions, along with passengers, until the opening of the telegraph in 1872. The SS (Screw Steamship) Admella was built in 1857 and intercontinentally visited Adelaide, Melbourne and Launceston, hence the name. It was fastest and most luxurious steamship of its time. On Aug 5,1859 she struck Carpenter Rocks south west of Mount Gambier. It was the greatest loss of life in the Colonies maritime history with only 24 of the 113 on board being saved.
History of SS ADMELLA
Original wood engraving after F.B.Schnell. Hand coloured.
Published Melbourne, c.1886
Size of image 180mm x 115mm
Condition = excellent
Price with mat presentation $75
MARTIME MIGRATION prints

'Boer war, south africa, King William St, North terrace, photograph, 1912, Edwardian, Adelaide, Ernst Fidge

Code: ADELBOER

South Africa War Memorial, 1899-1902

King William Road and North Terrace, Adelaide , South Australia"

On the 11 October 1899 the Boer War began in South Africa ending in 1902. 12,000 Australians served in the six colony contingents. The volunteers wer mostly mounted units known as MOUNTED RIFLES, BUSHMEN or IMPERIAL BUSHMEN. In honour of the 600 who died the SOUTH AFRICA WAR MEMORIAL was unveiled on June 4 1904 by Governor Le Hunte on North Terrace, Adelaide:
"Your stature is a statue of action and it betokens the action of Empire when it is called for"

The photograph is from an original glass plate among many discovered in the attic while restoring a cottage in the west CBD of Adelaide. The glass plates were created by Ernst Lewis Fidge (1881-1925). This one was noted as being taken in 1912...
Size of image 430mm x 320mm and has been traditionally reproduced in sepia
Condition = excellent
Price in Mat presentation as seen here $285

'General Post office, King William St, Victoria Square, GPO, original and coloured engraving, c.1884

'General Post office, King William St, Victoria Square, GPO, original and coloured engraving, c.1886

DISCOVERING COLONIAL NECESSITY c.1885: Semaphore Messages for Town Folk via the GPO

Code: ADELPO

"General Post and Telegraph Office, Adelaide , South Australia"

The GPO was crowned what we may describe as a “flag pole” however in a city built 6 miles from its Port it was the end messenger of successive like signalling posts from Port Adelaide to inform the colonists what ships were docked to warrant the journey from the city! Also note the cattle gates to prevent droving heards entering the Square and partaking of the fresh grass.
Original wood engraving , hand coloured
Original wood engraving, hand coloured.
Published Melbourne, c.1884 .
Size of image 232mm x 175mm
Condition = Good, hand coloured
Price AUD$145

Code: ADELKW

"King William Street, From Victoria Square" (Adelaide, South Australia)

Original wood engraving (hand coloured) vy P. Schellinger after WC Fitler (1857-1915).
An American artist who visited Australia to work on a series of engavings to velebrate 100 years of British settlement in the Antipodes. (First Fleet arrived in Port Jackson in 1788) Here is the GPO is the tall building to the wile the Town Hall is further down on the right.
Another good quiz night question may be "Why in a grid steet plan like Adelaide are the names either side of King William St different? Why not just carry the name through from east to west? Answer: No one NAME could CROSS the King, thereby symbollic of vanquishing the Monarch of England. Very bad form for a "Paradise of Dissent" with the tagline "a slice of London in the Antipodies"!
Published Melbourne, c.1886 .
Size of image 232mm x 155mm
Condition = Good, hand coloured
Price AUD$165

'Port Adelaide Future Development',wharfs, railways, surrounding districts, M.E. Sherrahn,
original photolithograph, 1949

Code: PAH1

"Port Adelaide Future Development, South Australia"

REDISCOVERING LOCAL HISTORY c.1945
Original photolithograph by M.E.Sherrah, Government Printer Adelaide.
Size of image 655mm x 965mm
Size of original frame presentation = 730 mm x 1030 mm
South Australian Harbour Board post war map of Port Adelaide and surrounding districts. Signed by Designing Engineer and Chief Engineer and General Manager on 28 November 1949. Includes Legend for existing and planned roads, land blocks for "Garden Suburbs", parks, Wharves, worksheds and industrial areas, and water dredging. Suburbs named: Hendon, Finsbury, Wingfield. Condition: has been folded and currently as framed Castle Hill, NSW.
Price AUD$365

'Old Settlers Home, Kersbrook, S.A.', Carl Stratman, Haighs, Confectionary, original etching, 1928

Code: CSH1

"Old Settler's Cottage, Kersbrook, S.A."

Original copper etching by Carl Stratman.
Size of etched image 155mm x 105mm
Size of Presentation including surviving evidence of origin = 510 mm x 375 mm
"Carl or Karl Stratmann was the "first confectioner in Adelaide." He migrated to Sydney from Germany in 1905 and then to the shop in King William St., Adelaide, in 1913. He developed a quality sweets business called STRATMAN’S. However he was commented that for all his success he was an individual character”. It was reported that he flew the German flag from his shop in 1915, during WWI! He tired of the taunts and harassment selling his business and moving to Melbourne to make jam. Alfred Ernest Haigh moved into his new premises vacated by Stratman in 1915 and established Haigh's Chocolates. Following Alfred Haigh's death in 1933 Haigh's Pty Ltd and A. E. Haigh Ltd was steered through the Depression and the difficult years of World War II when the supply of sugar was rationed, by Claude Haigh. Not only is the Beehive corner an Adelaide landmark, but it, houses one of the states iconic family businesses. Stratman was artistic with his confectionary business and is an artist who is fairly unknown but had worked in Europe before coming to Australia.” This information was collated by Rachel Biven in April 1990. Rachel Biven was the well-respected Licensed Art Valuer and owner of Sydenham Gallery located at 5 Anunda Place, Beaumont, SA. 5066.

REDISCOVERING LOCAL HISTORY c.1930 As evidenced on the backing board and brown paper dust cover, the customer and recipient of the etching may be Mr or Mrs Tradinger who took it to a well established Rundle Street framer, Dimond Bros, who wrote down the the customer instructions: “White (mat) with Black (frame) maybe same size as it is. Cut out Printing and paste on Back of Picture”. The beautiful illuminated message “Wishing you a Merry Christmas & a Bright New Year from Carl and Ellen Stratmann, 1928”. “Northumberland, Heathpool” is given as the address. Heathpool is a suburb in the current council of Norwood, Payneham and St. Peters and Northumberland may have been a house name, popular at that time.
NOTE: Highlighting the importance of keeping original wrappings/ materials for the knowledge it conveys, but also the importance for removing old acidic materials that irreparably damage the contents. This one is saved and looked what it gave us!
The paper has been leached of lignin, transferred from the aging timber presentation material.Museum cotton presentation has been used to maintain condition for the future.
Price AUD$230

Scenes from the 1870's

Original wood engraving, hand coloured
Published London, c.1876
Size approximately = 105 x 165mm. Prices as marked.

HARSA 1. "Carendon, South Australia" Located in the Adelaide Hills region featuring vineyards that helped to fuel an industry that the dry climate is well suited for, (particularly chardonnay, Riesling and Shiraz) and the heritage township as it remains today. Price AUD$75	HARRSA2 "Bridge over the Onkaparinga River" Features some early engineering ie the Stone Bridge." Price AUD$55	HARSA3"Adelaide Plains, viewed from the Mount Lofty Range" Learn about Mount Lofty Price AUD$35	HARSA4 "Riverboat on the River Muray (South Australia)" The River Murray is the longest river in Australia. The "Murray Mouth" is in the state and is known as "the Corong". It offered great trading opportunities with the eastern colonies of Australia and a brisk riverboat culture grew in the 1850's with great Captains such as Cadell and Randell. Price AUD$75	HARSA5 "Town Hall, Adelaide" Price AUD$85
HARSA6"General Post Office, Adelaide" The Post Office was the centre of any Colony as all news from 'home' in the form of letters and packages, and the rest of the world, channelled through its doors. Port Adelaide was 6 miles to the west and through a series of signalling towers news of the lastest tall Ship arrivals were conveyed to the resident colonists through a signalling tower on the GPO. . Price AUD$85	HARSA7"Pure Merino Sheep" Located on North Terrace, nest to the railway station. Built in 1845 this housed our Colonial South Australian representatives. Also in 1896 South Australia was the first Austrlain Colony to pass equal voting rights for Women. Price AUD $40	HARSA8"Government Offices, Adelaide" This beautiful old building situated on the north- east corner of Victoria Square, next to the Town Hall, has now been turned into the Medina Hotel and bar. Price AUD$65	HARSA9"Sheep Shearing, South Australia" It is a said that Australia 'rode of the sheep back' and the Colony of South Australia certainly contributed to this along with being labelled The Granery of Australia'. Price AUD$45	HARSA10"Grenfell Steet (Register Office, South Australia" The Register Newspaper had it's offices and printing house here. Price AUD$65
HARSA11"General Post Office, Adelaide" The Post Office was the centre of any Colony as all news from 'home' in the form of letters and packages, and the rest of the world, channelled through its doors. Port Adelaide was 6 miles to the west and through a series of signalling towers news of the lastest tall Ship arrivals were conveyed to the resident colonists through a signalling tower on the GPO. . Price AUD$85	HARSA12"Rolling-Hill River Farm, Near Adelaide" Part of a folio published 40 years after settlement revealing the development of what had been an experiment in Free settlement that had began with the Act of British Parliament in 1834 to settle South Australia. After the fortunate discovery copper at Glen Osmond in 1842, then the major exodus of men in the 1850'ws to the Eastern Gold Fields, the settlers who had established agricultural and pastoral concerns had consolidated so that by the 1870's were well established. Their success had established a more stable economy and was used to illustrate to the "Home"country the emigration potential. Price with matboard presentation AUD $75	HARSA13Reaping-Hill River Farm, Near Adelaide" Part of a folio published 40 years after settlement revealing the development of what had been an experiment in Free settlement that had began with the Act of British Parliament in 1834 to settle South Australia. After the fortunate discovery copper at Glen Osmond in 1842, then the major exodus of men in the 1850'ws to the Eastern Gold Fields, the settlers who had established agricultural and pastoral concerns had consolidated so that by the 1870's were well established. Their success had established a more stable economy and was used to illustrate to the "Home"country the emigration potential. Price with matboard presentation AUD $75	HARSA14"Sowing-Hill River Farm, Near Adelaide" Part of a folio published 40 years after settlement revealing the development of what had been an experiment in Free settlement that had began with the Act of British Parliament in 1834 to settle South Australia. After the fortunate discovery copper at Glen Osmond in 1842, then the major exodus of men in the 1850'ws to the Eastern Gold Fields, the settlers who had established agricultural and pastoral concerns had consolidated so that by the 1870's were well established. Their success had established a more stable economy and was used to illustrate to the "Home"country the emigration potential. Price with matboard presentation AUD $75	HARSA15"Grenfell Steet (Register Office, South Australia" The Register Newspaper had it's offices and printing house here. Price AUD$65

"Hindley Street, Adelaide"
At the base of the photogravure is a description-
The Capital of South Australia is the best-laid out city on the Australian Continent...thanks to Colonel William Light, an Imperial officer..who founded the city in 1837,calling it, by special request of the King, after the Consort of William IV. The Theatre Royal, the chief place of amusementin Adelaide and a fine theatre, with accomodation for 1700 people, is situated in Hindley St.

Original photogravure after a photo by S.G.Spinks. .
Published Melbourne c.1897
Size= 18cm x 22cm
Price AUD$55 (includes GST)
Condition= Excellent

"Native Tombs and Modes of Desposing of their Dead"

Original hand coloured lithograph by John West Giles after George French Angas (1822-1886) for 'South Australia Illustrated'.
Published London c.1846-47
Image Size= 44cmx 31cm
SOLD
Condition= Excellent

antique print of the City of Adelaide, South Australia

"The City of Adelaide, the Capital of South Australia..."

This Original wood engraving, hand coloured, also includes images of the Government House of 1837, the fledgling settlement of Adelaide in the same year, and also Government House as it became in 1886 (and remains today)
Published London May,29, 1886
Size = 36 cm x 24 cm / Price A$265 (includes GST)

We also have a Limited Edition Range of South Australian scenes see Archival Limited Editions

We have a large selection of original engravings and etchings of South Australia, both city and country. These include George French Angas Lithographs, Cathedrals, Government Offices, Overland Telegraph, "Parliament House" (both the original and present day), Port Lincoln, Burra Burra copper mines etc.