Hokitika Floods of 1914 – excerpt from article in Issue 96
by Shirley Bone. This group of private Real Photo postcards shows the effects of the sea erosion on those buildings that back onto the sea in Revell St, Hokitika, in November 1914. The photos were taken by Ben Thiem, a Hokitika photographer who ran “The Thiem Studio.” The story is told through the […]
Closing the Gap – excerpt from article in Issue 95
by Diane McKoy. Living and working conditions on the last span of the North Island Main Trunk Line between Taihape and Taumarunui During the depression of the 1880s and 1890s railway construction in the North Island was progressing slowly and by the turn of the century there were ten separate sections of line […]
Penny Marvels: New Zealand Postcards in 1911 – article from Issue 94
by Alan Jackson. Imagine you lived in Christchurch in the year 1911. Then, 80,000 people lived in Christchurch, 102,000 in Auckland, 70,000 in Wellington and 64,000 in Dunedin; the population of the whole country was just 1 million, 44% in the South Island and 56% in the North Island. Plain Post Office postcards, […]
Wanganui Generic Comic Postcards – excerpt from article in Issue 93
by Bruce Isted. Of all picture postcard categories, the comic themed card is the most widely collected. They range from satire to the rich belly laughs evoked by the traditional card. Often having double-meanings or witty sayings accompanied by clever designs. It is amazing that the humour of yesterday is still crisp today. […]