ARTS AND ARTISTS

This postcard has two N.S.W. stamps, the ½d green and 1d. red and they are postmarked with a faint Sydney suburb MARRICKVILLE/ AU 7/ 10 PM/ 04/ N.S.W duplex cancel. The SYDNEY/ AU 8/ 5.30-AM/ 04/ 43 duplex confirms the former date. The postcard is addressed to a Honolulu, Hawaii address (Figure 1)

ALBERT & SON MUSIC STORE ADVERTISING COVER

This advertising cover "From Albert & Son, Largest Stores in Australia, Head Office 137 & 139 King St. Sydney" is in a pale dull green print, shows a picture of a three level store and on the front of its awning 'ALBERTS MUSIC STORES SYDNEY'. A total of 2½d NSW stamps are attached and postmarked with 2 copies of SYDNEY/ FE 22/ 11-A-M/ 04/ 10 N.S.W duplex. It is addressed to Mr. Sam Davis, Music Jobber, 6 Eddy-street, SAN FRANCISCO, Cal (Figure 1).

ALBERT (BERT) EDWARD BAILEY, (‘DAD RUDD’), ACTOR, THEATRE MANAGER

This postcard, with photo by Eden, Melb, probably shows Bert Bailey as a man of 39, and it has a ms. 16/8/07. I use ‘probably’ that this was ‘The Bert Bailey’ for it hardly resembles the picture of the man presented to Australians in his heyday, and the National Library of Australia had no other 'out-of-character’ pictures, with which to compare it (Figure 1).

ALBERT HENRY FULLWOOD (1863-1930), ARTIST

This illustrated cover has two N.S.W. lilac 1d ‘View of Sydney’ stamps, postmarked with the duplex SYDNEY/ AP 4/ 11-AM/ 95/ 32 with the N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Mrs Bradford, "Hillside", Lower Sandy Bay, Hobart. The cover shows a black ink sketch of a man peering through a telescope, steps, and a sailing boat with 4 men watching the scene (Figure 1).

ANZAC CLUB CINDERELLA, NEW YORK & ACTOR NOLA LUXFORD (1895-1994)

This item is regarded as a cinderella, a stamp-like creature with no postal validity.  Such items are not infrequently applied to the front, but more often to the reverse of a posted envelope mostly for its decorative appeal.  There is not a skerrick of postal history interest in a mint copy such as this, but the fact I have never seen a copy before, and that there is a real Social Philately appeal, is the reason why I felt I had to relate the story behind the cinderella.

ARCHIBALD JOHN (“JACK”) PEAKE, WATERCOLOUR and PEN & INK ARTIST

First Day Covers (F.D.C.) are not usually interesting to me, but these three (of more than ten covers by the same artist) were of interest on account of the water colour illustrations by a South Australian artist, that they range from 1948 until 1971, and they were all self-addressed. The first was postmarked KAROONDA/ 9A 15 NO 48/ STH.AUST. on the 2½d red Scout stamp, and was addressed to Mr A.J. Peake, Karoonda, S. Australia (Figure 1).

AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION: KATHERINE HEPBURN, SHAKESPEARE

These two fan mail covers to Miss Katherine Hepburn in the mid 1930s predate the interesting Australian  connection in the title of this paper by two decades.  The first cover is addressed to her at Radio Pictures Studio, 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, California and the blue 3d Aboriginal stamp is cancelled VICTORIA ESTATE/ 14 OC 34/ QUEENSLAND (Figure 1).

BARONESS SOPHIE ADLERSPARRE, SWEDISH FEMINIST, WRITER & EDITOR

The cover was addressed to Baroness Leijonhoufud (sic), Allerton, The Drive, Hove, England and it was redirected with a ms. Nissafors, Sweden. There is a blue crayon tax marking as well as a tax handstamp of a ‘T’ in a hexagon. The 2 copies of the 1d pink QV stamp of Victoria are canceled with a MELBOURNE/ 10/ 9–A 20 MY 08/ VICTORIA postmark. There is a reception cancel at HOVE B.O./ 5.45 PM/ JU 23/ O8/ BRIGHTON (Figure 1).
 

CAPTAIN EDWARD CHARLES FROME, ROYAL ENGINEERS (1802-1890)

The cover is stampless with a manuscript ‘8' crossed-out with a manuscript PM’s endorsement of ‘P.O/Clare’ and a manuscript ‘O.P. Service’ with a postmark of G.P.O ADELAIDE/[crown]/ MA 6/ 1849/ SOUTH AUST. and it is addressed to Captain Frome R.E., Victoria Square (Figure 1).

DOLLY CASTLES, SOPRANO: BENDIGO GIRL MAKES GOOD OVERSEAS

The postcard had been produced from a photograph taken by W. Vincent Kelly of Bendigo, Victoria shows a demure Dolly Parsons as Phyllis in Iolanthe (Figure 1).

DOLORES COSTELLO, a.k.a. DOLORES COSTELLO BARRYMORE [USA]

A very ordinary cover, with no postal history value, has a pair of red 1½d KGV heads cancelled with an ADELAIDE/ 5 AM/16 JLY/1928/ SOUTH AUSTRALIA postmark (Figure 1).

ELEANOR (NELLIE) TOWZEY STEWART, WOOLOOMOOLOO BORN ACTRESS

The postcard has two stamps of N.S.W. heavily cancelled with a duplex SYDNEY/ JA 24/ NOON/ 05/ 44 with the N.S.W obliterator. It was addressed to Vancouver, Canada with a manuscript. Per R.M.S. Moama, and it had an arrival postmark of VANCOUVER/ 7/ FE 16/ 05/ B.C. (Figure 1).

ENRICO CARUSO: POSTCARD FROM SYDNEY to MILAN, REDIRECTED to ROME

This taxed New South Wales postcard has the red printed 1d ‘Arms’ stamp canceled with the duplex SYDNEY/ DE 30/ 3 45 P.M/ 02/ 44 with the barred N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Signor Cav. Enrico Caruso, 1 Via Velasca, Milan Italy, and is redirected simply to ‘Roma’. It has a ‘shield’ N.S.W/ T/ 5' tax handstamp, with the red 10 centesimi Italian postage due stamp, which is cancelled with an illegible Milan postmark. There is a ms. blue crayon ‘6', a black oval ‘135' as well as a black oval ‘230' (Figure 1).

ERROL LESLIE THOMSON FLYNN, AUSTRALIAN ACTOR /PLAYBOY (1909-1959) USA]

This unpretentious cover is addressed to Mr. Errol Flynn, c/- Warner Bros Film Studios, Culver City, California, U.S.A. and it bears a copy of the blue 3½d KGVI stamp, postmarked with a roller cancel with a boxed SYDNEY/ 25 OCT/ 1946 and LIFE IS PRECIOUS/ HELP/ TO PREVENT/ ACCIDENTS, a warning unheeded in the actor’s life (Figure 1).

F.A. PACKER, HOUSE of ASSEMBLY, HOBART (1839-1902)

This illustrated humorous cover was addressed to F.A. PACKER ESQ, House of Assembly, and was stamped with the 1d sideface which was postmarked with a duplex HOBART/ SE 24/ (18)82. The illustration is quite complex and the key figure is a large plump screaming baby, associated with a basin of boiling water, a candle stick, a book of sketches with one sketch lying on the ground, and the fleeing legs of a man. The address is highly stylized with multiple thin streamers and there may be a pipe at extreme left and possibly a long cigarette holder at the fleeing man's feet. The artist is not identified and the meaning of sketch is open for discussion. The vendor gives his interpretation as "an amusing satirical illustration of a famous Packer 'dummy-spit'", a term unbeknownst to me. I am assured it is an Australian colloquial term, interpreted by the Macquarie Dictionary as to throw a tantrum, deriving from the image of a baby spitting out its dummy when it is feeling cantankerous (Figure 1).

FRANCIS HUMPHREY WILLIAM WOOLRYCH, ARTIST [USA]

This mourning cover postmarked Croydon/ 14 AP 08 10 30 AM/ N.S.W. on the blue-green ½d (Scott #109) and the blue 2d (Scott #111) stamps and was addressed to F. Humphrey Woolrych Esqre/ Artist/ 3855 Hartford St./ St. Louis Mo/ U.S.A. (Figure 1)

FRANK ST. LEGER, CONDUCTOR & PIANO ACCOMPANIST to NELLIE MELBA

This cover was entered on Ebay because of its prominent roller cancel of BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION/ ALWAYS ASK FOR/ AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTS with a circular MELBOURNE/ 24 SE–11-P/ 1924 postmark on the blue 3d KGV Head stamp. It was addressed to Frank St. Leger Esqr., c/o Chicago Civic Opera Assocn, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago Ill. USA. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

FRIEDRICH CHARLES KRICHAUFF, STAMP COLLECTOR, PHOTOGRAPHER & ARCHITECT

This unusually addressed cover apparently found its way into the hands of the addressee, F.C. Krichauff, Esq, Stamp Collector, South Australia, in spite of the inadequate address. The ½ anna green embossed stamp from India was up-rated with a blue 2 anna stamp of India, and both were cancelled with the squared circle BOMBAY/ F/ AP 2/ (18)97. The reverse, not seen by me, had Tuticorin, India and Colombo, Ceylon transits and an Adelaide, S.A. receiver mark (Figure 1).

GEORGE LEAVIS ALLAN, MUSIC DEALER, PUBLISHER & TEACHER (1826-1897

Two covers with faint identical background advertising were found, both addressed to Germany and having similar but different travelling post office postmarks, were found. The first had 3 stamps of Victoria, the green-blue ½d ‘bantam’, the green 6d and the pink 1d, cancelled with 2 copies of the double circle ENGLISH MAIL T.P.O./ OUT/ 24 MA 09/ ---- postmark. The second’s background advertising was somewhat more legible and advertised Allan & Co. Proprietary Limited , Melbourne Pianofortes, American Organs, Band Instruments and Music. It had the combination franking of the 2d grey Kangaroo on Map of Australia and the 3d orange Victoria stamp, both postmarked with the double circle ENGLISH MAIL T.P.O./ OUT/ 10 JL 13/ -----/ VICTORIA. The poor clarity of both covers made reproduction of the covers not worthwhile.

A third cover was satisfactory and it also advertised Allan & Co, Importers of Pianofortes, American Organs, Band Instruments and Music and the lilac ‘TWO PENCE’ and ‘THREE PENCE’ QV stamps of Victoria were both canceled MELBOURNE/ PM/ 5/ 22-3-05/ 5. The cover was addressed to Messrs Mermod Freres, Ste. Croix, Switzerland, a firm of watchmakers and music boxes. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

GEORGE LEAVIS ALLAN, MUSIC DEALER, PUBLISHER & TEACHER (1826-97) to GERMANY

Two covers with very faint identical background advertising were found, both addressed to Germany and having similar but different travelling post office postmarks, were found at the same auction site. The first had 3 stamps of Victoria, the green-blue ½d ‘bantam’, the green 6d and the pink 1d, cancelled with 2 copies of the double circle ENGLISH MAIL T.P.O./ OUT/ 24 MA 09/ ---- postmark (Figure 1).

GERTIE MILLAR, LONDON THEATRE QUEEN & WILLIAM HUMBLE DUDLEY

The postcard has a red 1d ‘Pictorial’ stamp of Tasmania which has a BISHOPSBOURNE/ OC 17/ 05/ TASMANIA postmark. It is addressed to Miss Heyes, "View Bank",Evandale, Tasmania, and the message is of no special interest (Figure 1).

GRISHA GOLUBOFF, ANOTHER VIOLIN PRODIGY 1919-2002 [USA]

This redirected cover reveals an interesting glimpse at yet another American violinist prodigy who performed around the world with a short visit to Australia at the age of twenty. It is addressed to Grisha Goluboff Esq. and there is a re-direct label from the downtown Wentworth Hotel Sydney to the Australian Broadcasting Company, Market Street, City with a further re-direct to C/- Australian ( ) Theatres , 51 Castlereagh St., Sydney. The red 2d KGVI stamp is postmarked at a suburb of Sydney: LIDCOMBE/ 9¹⁵P- 13 AP 39/ N.S.W. [Type 2C(T) 1936-49] (Figure 1).

HUGO WERTHEIM'S SEWING MACHINES & HAPSBURG PIANOS

The advertising cover for Wertheim’s Wonderful Sewing Machines, Hapsburg Pianos and Electra Cycles has a pair of the purple 2d South Australia stamp postmarked ADELAIDE/ 5/ MY 26/ 3.30 PM/ 02, and it is addressed to Hobart, Tasmania (Figure 1).

IDA OUTHWAITE, CHILDREN’S BOOKS AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATOR & POET

The postcard has a pink 1d stamp of Victoria which is canceled with a roller postmark MELBOURNE/ VICTORIA/ 1907, and it is addressed to Forest Hill, London S.E.  The message was about New Year greetings (Figure 1).

J.W. PLOOS VAN AMSTEL & Co., MELBOURNE, SENT to FRANCE

This difficult to date early stampless cover (stated to be 1862 by vendor) was sent from Melbourne to a company in Tarnac near Cognac, France with a manuscript ‘via Marseille’.  It had a black ‘18' and a red possibly ‘4' ratings with two additional postmarks, one a boxed red GB ‘diamond’ and the other a red Marseille double circle transit postmark.  The sender was identified by a blue J.W. PLOOS VAN AMSTEL & CO handstamp.  The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

JAMES CHARLES WILSON NICHOLSON, MUSIC PUBLISHER, NICHOLSON & CO.

Two identical rose on buff Victoria 1885 1d ‘Naish’ Stamp Duty Post Cards issued on 1 January 1885 were posted to the same musical firm, Nicholson & Co. in September and October 1885 with requests for sheet music.  Nicholson was a contemporary of music dealer, George Leavis Allan, but Nicholson is less known to-day.  The first postcard is addressed to Mr. Von Geyer, Nicholson’s & Co., Melbourne and is postmarked with the 4th duplex GEELONG/ 1 (?)/ SE 17/ 85 with BN 2.  As well the sender is identified as Knowles, Geelong and there is a reception postmark MELBOURNE/ (?) X/ SE 17/  85 (Figure 1).

JAMES ERSKINE CALDER , SURVEYOR of TASMANIA & SERJEANT-AT-ARMS 

The cover is addressed to J. E. Calder Esq, Surveyor General, Hobarton. At the left hand border there is a manuscript ‘Swansea 1861', and there is a vertical pair of the imperforate slate green Van Diemens Land (1860 printing) canceled with the second allocation BN ‘94', paying the 4d per ½ oz. inland letter rate. There is a red handstrike of PRE-PAID/ 21 MY 21/ 1861 on arrival at Hobart. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

JANET GAYNOR, AMERICAN FILM STAR, FIRST IMAGE ON AUSTRALIAN T.V. [USA]

This somewhat battered cover was sent to Miss J. Gaynor, C/- United Artists, Hollywood, California and has a roller cancel on the green 1d Queen Elizabeth and the red 2d KGVI stamps, ASHFIELD/ 9⁴⁵ AM/ 19 JUL/ 1941 with the slogan MINIMUM LETTER/ RATE TO U.S.A. 3^D/ ADDRESSEE PAYS/ DOUBLE/ DEFICIENCY. In addition there was a delay in sending as shown by the handstruck ASHFIELD/ 22 JL (41)/ N.S.W cancel. The probable reason for the delay was because of a purple boxed instruction: RETURNED FOR/ ADDITIONAL POSTAGE/ ( )ORT PAID 1d (in pencil)/ Postal Department/ Cmwlth of Australia, which has been pencilled out, perhaps when the slogan was read by the postal authorities, and the letter was sent on its way (Figure 1).

KARL LEWIS, AMERICAN PAINTER & PHOTOGRAPHER, BASED in JAPAN

This colorful hand-painted cover by the renowned artist Karl Lewis has the green 1d, orange 2d and chocolate 1½d KGV heads with the C of A watermark, postmarked with two NORFOLK ISLAND/ 30 SP 38/ AUST postmarks, addressed to Toledo, Oregon U.S.A. In a recent auction it has an estimate of AUD 1,000 placed on it (Figure 1).

LADY JANE SHELLEY, BOSCOMBE PLACE, RINGWOOD HANTS, ENGLAND

The cover was addressed to Lady Shelley, Boscombe, Ringwood-Hants, it has a manuscript ‘per Geelong’ and the purple 6d N.S.W. stamp has two cancellations of the duplex 71/ SP 6/ C/ SYDNEY with a 3-ring oval, vertically placed, N.S.W. obliterator (Figure 1).

LADY RODWELL, WIFE of a FORMER GOVERNOR of SOUTHERN RHODESIA [ENGLAND]

This envelope was addressed to Lady Rodwell, C/o The Forum Club, Grosvenor St., London, W.1, England and was readdressed to 82 Avenue Rd, Regents Park, NW 3. The sender was The Melbourne Little TheatrE. There was a manuscript ‘ALL AIR ROUTE’ and the 1/ 6d ‘Hermes’ air mail stamp was postmarked SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 1-P 8 DE 34/ MELBOURNE as well as by a LONDON arrival postmark. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

LYDIA YEAMANS-TITUS & LESLIE HARRIS, SOCIETY ENTERTAINERS

This postcard with the bluish green Half Penny stamp of New South Wales was postmarked with the duplex WILLIAM STREET/ FE 20/ 12- ( )PM/ 06/ N.S.W and the numeral ‘697', and also had a MORE TO PAY/ 1D / [maltese cross] handstamp.  It was addressed to Andrew Smart Esq, “Weekly Mail”, Wellington, New Zealand.  The printed advertising matter reads: Opera House, Wellington,  commencing Saturday, Sept 22 1906   Prices:  3/-, 2/-, 1/-   BOX PLAN AT HOLLIDAY’S (Figure 1).

MAGGIE STIRLING, POSTCARD from BENALLA VIC. to HOBART 'PILLAR RECEIVERS' P'MK

The postcard had a pink 1d QV stamp of Victoria, cancelled with BENALLA/ 21 DE 05/ VICTORIA, and it was addressed to Hobart and readdressed to Launceston. At the original address it was postmarked HOBART/ P.R / 7 - -A 27. DE. 05/ TASMANIA The message of good wishes for Christmas and New Year was of no particular significance and of no relevance as regards the picture on the reverse (Figure 1).

MAUD EVELYN CRAVEN JEFFRIES, ACTOR, with STRONG AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION [USA]

The address side of this postcard has the N.S.W. red 1d ‘Shield’ stamp postmarked with a duplex NEWCASTLE/OC 11/ 12.15 P.M./05/ N.S.W with the barred numeral ‘55', and it was sent to a Hobart, Tasmania address (Figure 1).

MESSRS MERMOD FRERES, SWITZERLAND from ALLAN & CO., MELBOURNE

The faint yellow advertising cover for Allan & Co., Importers of Pianofortes, American Organs, Band Instruments and Music has a lilac ‘TWO PENCE’ and an orange ‘THREE PENCE’ QV stamps of Victoria cancelled by a MELBOURNE/ 5/ PM/ 22-3-05/ 5 cancel on both stamps and it is addressed to Messrs Mermod Freres, Ste Croix, Switzerland. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

MINNIE TITTELL BRUNE, MOST POPULAR ACTRESS IN AUSTRALIA in 1904-09 [USA]

This postcard was sent from BRIGHTON STATION/ SP 7/ (19)08/ TASMANIA to Elizabeth Street, Hobart and the personal message was of no consequence (Figure 1).

NORMA WHALLEY, COMEDIENNE, SINGER, ACTOR (STAGE & SCREEN)

This postcard with a relatively unimportant message related to the exchange of postcards between friends, was posted from DELORAINE/ NO 17/ 03/ TASMANIA to Evandale, Tasmania (Figure 1).

PACKET BOAT COVER to JOAQUIN, a.k.a. CINCINNATUS HINER MILLER

This fine cover is addressed to Joaquin Miller, The Hights, Oakland San Francisco, U.S.A. and it has a purple ‘cogwheel’ N.Z. MARINE P.O./ 10 JUL 99/ R.M.S.”MOANA’ hand-stamp. The blue 2½d New South Wales definitive stamp is cancelled with a black double-lined PACKET BOAT handstamp (Figure 1).

PADEREWSKI, POLISH PIANIST & PRIME MINISTER, AUSRALASIAN TOUR

This relatively insignificant postcard has modest postal history appeal but is of considerable social philatelic interest.  Early on, I recognised the interest but it remained in my postcard collection for a decade as I was not in a writing mode in those days.

The front shows that it was sent from Parkville Victoria and the red 1d and the green bantam ½d ‘Postage’ stamps were postmarked with the duplex PARKVILLE/ JL 13/ VICTORIA with an incompletely shown barred numeral MCCC/ 85 (1385).  It was addressed to Mr. T. Robin, ‘Mouilpied’ St. Martins, Guernsey, Channel Islands, an uncommon address (Figure 1).

PAUL WHITE, JUNGLE DOCTOR, MISSIONARY: GRAHAM WADE & COMICS

This cover is unusual both for the name of the sending company (JUNGLE DOCTOR, 93 Bathurst Street, Sydney) as well as the printed graphics, with the small ‘stick’ men at top left which are most likely a black man and a white missionary, and the running animals at the bottom, which include a lion, zebra, gazelle, hippopotamus, monkey, giraffe and elephant. I was surprised how this cover quickly identified 2 men, the sender and the missionary that were linked in their Christian zeal. The addressed company, National Council of the Churches of Christ, Broadcasting & Film Commission in New York complemented the work of the two men. The red 4d Melbourne Olympics stamp issued on 31 October 1956 dates the cover accurately for the indistinct roller cancel can be confidently described as SYDNEY/ 2 PM/ 9 20 NOV 9/ 1956/ N.S.W AUST. The slogan reads SEND MONEY/ BY POSTAL NOTE/ OR MONEY ORDER (Figure 1).

POSTCARD to WILLIAM A. TOPLIS, SARK, CHANNEL ISLANDS, ENGLAND

There are four main islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) in the English Channel that are called the 'Channel Islands'. These islands are dependencies of the British crown (although strictly not part of the United Kingdom), having been so attached since the Conquest of 1066 when they formed part of the Duchy of Normandy. The smallest of the four is Sark. The islands were occupied by the Germans in WW II. The total area is only 194 sq km and both English and French are spoken, and Norman-French patois survives (Figure 1).

RACHEL HENNING, LETTER-WRITER (MRS. DEIGHTON TAYLOR) (1826-1914)

Two covers appeared on Ebay addressed to Mrs. Deighton Taylor and it was soon obvious that Deighton Taylor, the husband, took a back seat when compared to the significance of his wife, Rachel Henning. The first letter was addressed to her at Green Mount, North Shore, Sydney, N.S.W., and the 2d blue N.S.W. stamp was postmarked with rays ‘102' of Stroud as well as an adjoining STROUD/ DE 1/ 1870/ N.S.W. (Figure 1).

ROBERT BROUGH & DION BOUCICAULT, COMEDY COMPANY, SHANGHAI

This 1d red New South Wales postcard has an additional red 1d ‘Shield’ stamp added and it is cancelled with a duplex SYDNEY/ MY 3/ (–) PM/ 01/ 41 with the N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Allan Hamilton Esqr, The Brough Comedy Coy, Shanghai. It has a double circle SHANGHAI’ 1/ JU 1/ 01/LOCAL POST with an adjacent small single circle ‘34'. There is a manuscript Chinese script along the left border (Figure 1).

SILENT MOVIE STARS: POLA NEGRI & LAWRENCE GRAY [USA]

Australians have been bitten by the fan club bug, but not to the same extent as film goers in the U.S.A. Covers sent to these actors are usually quite inexpensive, and the postal markings are rarely of interest. These two covers were sent to two silent movie stars both at the Lasky Studio and they like many others did not make the transition to stardom in the talking movies.

SIR IVOR ATKINS, FAMOUS WELSH ORGANIST, FRIEND of EDWARD ELGAR

This advertising cover has a fine example of the slogan BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION/ ALWAYS ASK FOR/ AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTS roller cancel combined with the MELBOURNE/ -7 NO-11-P/ 1924 postmark, which cancels the red 1½d KGV stamp. It is addressed to Sir Ivor Atkins, Mus. D.D.R.C.O., College Yard, Worcester, England, and the sender is identified as The Oceanic Trading Co. Pty Ltd., Melbourne (Figure 1).

SIR JOHN MILLAIS, PRESIDENT of the ROYAL ACADEMY of ARTS, & ‘BUBBLES’

The ‘Post Card For Inland Postage Only’ has a pair of the bantam green ½d Victoria ‘Postage’ stamp canceled with the duplex MAFFRA/ MR 18/ 07/ VICTORIA postmark with the barred numeral ‘477', is addressed to a school girl in Bendigo (Figure 1).

THE DIVINE LADY: BARRINGTON'S GREATEST ROMANCE [CANADA]

Advertising covers are very popular with collectors and come in many forms, some as simple as little more than the name and address of an important company or a significant hotel. The most exciting ones are profusely illustrated on the front and reverse and colorful ones can be quite extravagant in their design. Less common ones (at least in my own limited experience) advertise an event in an artistic field (see: Prodigy to Pariah: Guilo Bustabo) and the present one advertises a romantic book, which became the subject for a famous silent movie.

THE WORLD -FAMED FISK JUBILEE SINGERS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Only the front of this interesting cover was seen, and it had an advertisement for The World-Famed Fisk Jubilee Singers, Box 1273, G.P.O., Sydney. The envelope was a printed-to-private-order red KGV One Penny stamp [A.S.C. Type 3 E5 issued in 1916] which was cancelled with a MOUNT PALMER/ 10 DEC 17/ WEST^N AUSTRALIA postmark, addressed to A.W. Millar Esq, Theatre Royal, Perth. W.A. (Figure 1).

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, SYDNEY to SMYTHE, THEOSOPHIST, POET, EDITOR [CANADA]

Seven covers appeared on Ebay addressed to Albert E.S. Smythe at several locations in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in the 1920's and 1930's, six from Sydney Australia and one from Auckland, New Zealand. The fronts of two of these covers will be shown, as they show that Theosophical Societies existed in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, in addition to many other countries.

VIOLIN PRODIGY to PARIAH: GUILA BUSTABO (1916-2002) [U.S.A.]

Advertising covers have a fascination for many cover collectors, in that they are almost invariably not philatelically contrived, they often are things of beauty, and they frequently tell a story. The different types of advertisements are legion and collectors can specialize in a particular type such as adverts for machinery, perfumes, shoes, hotels and maps, to name but a few. The present cover caught my eye but not as a thing of beauty. I enjoy good violin music, but I can't recall seeing a cover advertising two farewell violin recitals (or any other classical music performances).

W. H. PALING & Co., Ltd., 86 - 88 QUEEN STREET, BRISBANE

Three privately printed advertising postcards and covers sent from Brisbane in the first decade of the 1900's were lavishly illustrated with musical instruments, proclaiming the virtues of this well known Brisbane musical store. One printed in red showed 3 different string instruments, and proclaimed that “Every description of Musical Instrument may be obtained cheapest and best” from the store; another in blue depicted the Edison Standard Combination Phonograph and stated that the store had “Over 20,000 Records in stock”; whilst a third in purple showed an example of the Royal Brand of Concertinas, and described “Anglo-German and English Concertinas finest in the world. Best quality, Lowest Prices” (Figures 1- 3).

W.S. SPARROW: MEMORIES of LIFE and ART, THROUGH SIXTY YEARS 

The air mail cover is addressed to Mrs. W. Shaw-Sparrow 15B Lancaster Grove, Swiss Cottage, Hampstead, London, N.W. 3, England and has a red PASSED BY CENSOR label and a purple PASSED BY CENSOR/ S. 82 handstamp. It has a single purple ‘Hermes’ 1 shilling six pence airmail stamp cancelled by a CREMORNE/ 12.5O PM 1 (–) 40/ N.S.W postmark . The reverse was not seen (Figure 1).

WALLACE REID, DISGRACED MATINEE IDOL & #1 at the BOX OFFICE [USA]

The cover had three single copies of the green ½d KGV plus one brown 1½d KGV head stamps and they were canceled with three PORT ADELAIDE/ 6 OC 20/ STH AUST postmarks. It was addressed to Wallace Reid, c/o Lasky Studios, corner of Vine Street and Selma Avenue, Hollywood, California, America (Figure 1).

WANDA RADFORD, ACTRESS:  WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS CHILD PRODIGY?

This hand-painted postcard shows a young girl, Wanda Radford in a theatrical pose. The card is of German origin, marked ‘Gerlach’ and ‘GG/ CO/ Ser. 277/3 (Figure 1).

WILLIAM FEHON, RAILWAY COMMISSIONER & MARY GAUNT AUTHOR

This One Penny ‘Reading’ post card of 1890-99 (the late version that could also be addressed to New Zealand and Fiji) was postmarked with the double circle MELBOURNE/ AM/ 11/ 30 6 00/ VICTORIA and it was addressed to Wm Fehon Esq, Commission Railways, Sydney (Figure 1).