White's Series - Who was the publisher?
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:41 am
Cards identified as 'White's Series E.Verrell Photo" are not uncommon among southern Tasmanian views. There seems to be about 20 of them, in a coloured series and in a b&w series, published about 1908. But who was White, the publisher? There was a White who was a large stationer in Queenstown, but it seems unlikely that he would publish a series of Hobart cards.
I looked in The Tasmanian Post Office Directory for 1908, and found that there were not that many Whites in Hobart at the time. But there was a John White, tobacconist, at 117 LIverpool Street, Hobart, who I am suggesting may be responsible.
Every man and his dog seemed to be publishing postcards in Hobart in the 1906-1908 period. Big time photographers like Beattie were active, and smaller scale photographers like H.T. Waterworth as well. Small businesses in unrelated field joined in; T.E. Barker, Furrier, for example. So a tobacconist with a shop in the middle of the city would have been an ideal location to sell cards.
The city block of LIverpool Street was hotbed of postcard activity at the time. A. Mather & Sons were at Mathers Arcade at 93-95, and Edward Verrell, photographer, was in the same building. McVilly & Little, who sold "fancy goods' as well as postcards in a big way, were a few doors up at no. 101. And a little further up at no. 117 was John White, tobacconist.
So I think that John White, Tobacconist, is a likely prospect for publisher of the White's series. What is needed is some evidence. A card that White himself has used would be good evidence. Or one with his stamp, if he had one. Search your collection and see what evidence you can find!
Below is an example of a White's Series card.
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I looked in The Tasmanian Post Office Directory for 1908, and found that there were not that many Whites in Hobart at the time. But there was a John White, tobacconist, at 117 LIverpool Street, Hobart, who I am suggesting may be responsible.
Every man and his dog seemed to be publishing postcards in Hobart in the 1906-1908 period. Big time photographers like Beattie were active, and smaller scale photographers like H.T. Waterworth as well. Small businesses in unrelated field joined in; T.E. Barker, Furrier, for example. So a tobacconist with a shop in the middle of the city would have been an ideal location to sell cards.
The city block of LIverpool Street was hotbed of postcard activity at the time. A. Mather & Sons were at Mathers Arcade at 93-95, and Edward Verrell, photographer, was in the same building. McVilly & Little, who sold "fancy goods' as well as postcards in a big way, were a few doors up at no. 101. And a little further up at no. 117 was John White, tobacconist.
So I think that John White, Tobacconist, is a likely prospect for publisher of the White's series. What is needed is some evidence. A card that White himself has used would be good evidence. Or one with his stamp, if he had one. Search your collection and see what evidence you can find!
Below is an example of a White's Series card.
- 2473F.jpg (119.38 KiB) Viewed 1163 times
- 2473B.jpg (70.08 KiB) Viewed 1163 times
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