photo Steffano Webb. Alexander Turnbull Library
A mixed group of men and women cyclists put in some miles on a dusty road somewhere on the outskirts of 1907 Christchurch. Their procession obviously attracts some attention as householders come out to their gates on the leftside of the road to see the swarm of cyclists pass by.
10 comments:
Appears to be either Marshlands or Riccarton Roads.
A shame the Turnbull is still proprietorial about photos with no known copyright restrictions - a larger version would have probably made identification possible.
One wonders just how long it will take for that mean spirited bunch of shopkeepers, with their click on the shopping basket web site, to catch up with the likes of Sydney's Powerhouse Museum or the US Library of Congress.
They would be my picks for the roads too - leaning towards Marshlands.
Yes, anything in the public domain should not be subject to a new enclosure movement. To be fair, I've always found the ATL staff to be very helpful & accommodating. It's the bean counters and a penny pinching gov't that seems to hold back a more liberal public access to public owned docs, images etc.
Hope the ATL folks crack open the nut holding back the provision of a Chch-based newspaper on Papers Past. Something the ATL rep interviewed on RNZ National, Sounds Hysterical (I think - apologies to Jim Sullivan) last year that they were close to getting a Chch rag's archives uploaded.
And God Bless the LOC! And the Federal govt for it's liberal copyright release on recent Federal docs & images.
Oh, and if you click on the image it expands to a larger image...
Agreed, Mr CH's relationship with the ATL has always been most helpful and mutually beneficial, but Alexander Turnbull would turn over in his grave if he knew to what extent the bean counting bureaucrats have ridden rough shod over the terms of his bequest.
Hanging out for the Christchurch newspapers on Papers Past, the bound editions are six months long, seriously heavy to the extent that the bindings are falling apart and take up vast amounts of space (but one never tires of reading them).
Re the cycling photo; I'd plump for an Easterly view along Riccarton Avenue, from about half way through Hagley Park, with the Royal Hotel on Oxford Terrace just visible to the Left and Lower Lincoln Road (now Hagley Avenue) to the Right. The telegraph lines would probably rule out Marshlands Road in 1907.
I yield to Mr CH's superior knowledge and powers of observation.
In online searching, I came across the Kennett Brother's 2004 out of print book, Ride, that features the photo on its front cover.
http://www.kennett.co.nz/index.php/Books/Ride
Perhaps they were able to secure identification, but as kuaka travels light when in flight & is not expected to migrate south until the spring he shall have to leave that unresolved for now. Of course he might just email the Kennetts to ask, but kuaka is typically male so doesn't like to ask for directions etc etc.
Kuaka also can't get his grammar right after all these years. It should be Kennett Brothers' book.
Have ordered the book and will scrutinise said pic for evidence of location.
I wrote an article about a lass who's hubby was away so she cycled from Sydney to Melb to keep herself busy....
They were made of tougher stuff in NZ, Jayne. Watch for more in future posts on the women of cycling.
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