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A: Quirky & unique134 of 394ANTIQUE CHINESE GOLD FOIL TEMPURA PAINTINGS, 1899" TONG TAI" 'Be Prepared' (Scouting) Pocket Watch By Ingersoll
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    Posted 11 years ago

    vetraio50
    (751 items)

    This card of Maude Lankester remains a bit of a mystery to me. I cannot identify the maker. The message from Ms Colquhoun has partially obliterated the mark at bottom left. I can see an artist's palette, PK(?) and letters below. Any help with it would be appreciated.

    The card itself is also a mystery. I cannot read the signature of the artist responsible for the scene inside the dovecote. I get the idea of the 'pigeon post' and post card. The family of posties! The younger generation of postal workers! The retired posties too, I suppose, at top right. Great fun.

    On the reverse is a clue about the origin of the card. The languages represented include most of the European majors and minors:
    Carte Postale Post Card Cartolina Postale
    Dopisnice Postkarte Levelezö-Lap
    Postcard (in Russian) Briefkaart
    Brefkort Tarjeta Postal Brevkort

    French English Italian
    Czech German Hungarian
    Russian Dutch
    Swedish Spanish Danish/Norwegian

    Does CW do Cyrillic yet? No!

    But it's the message that really has amused me!
    Did people really talk like this?

    "Mr Lankester
    Emu Park
    Via Albury

    Mrs & Miss R Colquhoun will accompany the party on their visit to Wagga, would Mr Lankester kindly reserve their tickets and oblige."

    What does this mean?
    I am not certain whether the author is Ms Colquhoun or another person. The use of "oblige" had me perplexed for a while. The best I've come up with is that it is a short form of "pay for the tickets and pick them up".

    Noblesse oblige!
    Pretty pushy!

    It is dated by the post mark March 1 1909, franked at Black Range N.S.W.
    The card also has a one penny red New South Wales stamp.

    Originally I thought this card was sent from Black Range a town near Bega on the coast of N.S.W. 500 km (310 miles) east of Albury.

    However I have now found out that it actually refers to another Black Range .... just a kilometre or so away from the Lankester home in Ettamogah. In June 1909 the name changed from Black Range to its name today "Lavington"!

    "Following various representations by the Progress Association, the Postmaster-General approved the name Lavington as a substitute for the name Black Range in May 1909. On the 14 June 1909, Black Range as the name for a village north of Albury was, according to a local newspaper, “officially at any rate, a matter of history”."

    This was just a few months after this card was sent. The area had been an early contestant for the possible site for the Australian National Capital.

    "A map in the Albury Border Post of 31 August 1900 shows Black Range, south of Kaitlers Road being part of Albury’s “bid to host the Federal Capital site.” This site was not to make the final list of sites for consideration which saw in late 1908, Canberra selected as the Federal Capital."

    I now am a bit closer to knowing the identity of the Colquhouns! L. (J.) Colquhoun played cricket for the Black Range cricket club in 1904. He went on to become a very wealthy real estate agent in the Albury area. I'm sure Maude Lankester knew him as a young man.

    Unsolved Mystery

    Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

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    Comments

    1. AmberRose AmberRose, 11 years ago
      Hi V, quite fun.
    2. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Hi Amber and thanks for the Lurv!
    3. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks mustangT!
      I just love the flair of the writing!
      Penmanship!
    4. inky inky, 11 years ago
      I am going to be disappointed when you run out of this wonderful cards, it’s like an on going story!...:-)
    5. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks nldionne, Spunk's Mum and inky too!

      I've just worked out some more information on Black Range too!
      This was not sent from Bega but from Black Range a kilometre south west of Ettamogah!
      OOps!
    6. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks mickelV!
    7. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks Ted Straub! Any ideas on the mark?
    8. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks gargouille, Geno, Mani and to the Moirs too,
    9. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Thanks Geno! I'm getting the idea now that maybe Maude and her father were going to Wagga. This note was to say that the Colquhoun women were going along for the ride too. All he had to do was book the tickets and "oblige"!
    10. Roycroftbooksfromme1, 11 years ago
      nice write up .....
    11. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      I appreciate that Roycroftbooksfromme, thank you! Thanks to you too lisa!
    12. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks petey!
    13. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks musikchoo and for those kind comments too JayHow!
    14. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks czechman!
    15. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks Sean68, tdvintagecompany and Phil too!
    16. SEAN68 SEAN68, 11 years ago
      your very welcome Kevin G:)
    17. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks Tonino!
    18. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks JayHow!
    19. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks Don and moonstoneL!
    20. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks donnaj!
    21. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks valentino97!
    22. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks NICOLEJERELEN and belatedly? To MUSIKCHOO TOO!
    23. vetraio50 vetraio50, 11 years ago
      Many thanks MANIKIN!
    24. Manikin Manikin, 11 years ago
      Your welcome vetraio :-)
    25. vetraio50 vetraio50, 10 years ago
      Many thanks ALDO!
    26. vetraio50 vetraio50, 10 years ago
      Many thanks TOM & AGHCOLLECT!
    27. cmharding, 10 years ago
      Hello, just ran across your postcard today. I have one from the same series #382 it has a dachshund and a cat hissing at him with a dead pheasant and rabbit between them. It's pretty cool. But so far these are the only two I've seen And I assume that they were sent here from Europe in WWI because I had family there and a lot of postcards from there at that time.
    28. vetraio50 vetraio50, 10 years ago
      Many thanks CMHARDING! This one was used within Australia. Whether it was bought OS or not I cannot tell. But I believe the date to be 1909. But I will check again. Thank you!
      A rare one?
    29. cmharding, 10 years ago
      can i add images to this? I'm new to this site.
    30. vetraio50 vetraio50, 10 years ago
      Hi! You can't upload images onto this posting.

      You can join CW and start your own postings, though!
    31. vetraio50 vetraio50, 10 years ago
      Try this link:

      http://www.collectorsweekly.com/answer-desk
    32. vetraio50 vetraio50, 8 years ago
      Many thanks NICEFICE & KATHERINESCOLLECTIONS too !!!!
    33. vetraio50 vetraio50, 8 years ago
      Many thanks AURA !!!!!!
    34. vetraio50 vetraio50, 8 years ago
      Many thanks RADEGRUNDER !!!!!
    35. dlpetersen, 6 years ago
      Relaxing card.
    36. vetraio50 vetraio50, 4 years ago
      Many thanks NEWFLD !.!!.!..!!.!

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