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Murwillumbah, NSW, [Album]

c1920. Six silver gelatin photographs presented in souvenir album with thin cardboard brown covers bound with silk ties, title, publisher, and decorative silver border printed in letterpress, and wet stamp to album cover, each image captioned and numbered in negative below image, 8 x 12.9cm (approx. each image), 11.5 x 17.3cm (album). Slight crinkles and rubbing to album cover, rubbing to upper portion, photographs laid down on album pages.

This is a complete photographic souvenir album of the northern NSW township of Murwillumbah, published after WWI.

The full title of the album reads “Six real photos of Murwillumbah.” The publisher is local business owners “E.G. & H.E. Kercher, Murwillumbah.” The stamp reads “Printed in England.” The photographs are captioned “Main Street, Murwillumbah; Murwillumbah [General view]; Tweed Cottage Hospital, Murwillumbah; The Bridge, Murwillumbah; Tweed River North, Murwillumbah; Mt. Warning, Murwillumbah.” The absence of motor cars in any of the photographs suggests that the date of publication cannot have been much later than 1920.

This album was produced by Goulburn-born Edwin George Kercher (1870–1929), a prominent citizen, and his son Harold Edwin, a well-regarded WWI veteran, whose primary concern was running a hairdressing and tobacconist business in Murwillumbah, NSW. They started advertising their newly purchased business in the Tweed Daily, in September 1919. Prior to this, Edwin had a tailoring business, and his wife, Eliza (nee Simpson) owned a boarding house. The Kerchers seem to be well-respected and active members of Murwillumbah, with newspapers noting their social and community activities. Ref: Northern Star, 2.7.1913; Tweed Daily, 14.3.1923 & 8.4.1929; Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 1.6.1895 & 30.7.1935; NSW BDM.

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Item #CL208-24

Price (AUD): $1,980.00  other currencies