SNOW IN THE TRANSVAAL 1909, photographers' postcards

August 1909 gave an opportunity for both amateur and professional photographers to record Johannesburg first snow since 1902. Not all of their names have come down to us. There were more cameras in 1909 than ever before, but some of these pictures used as postcards were produced in very small numbers and there must be more postcards to find and research for posterity. Most of these photographs were taken on Tuesday 17^th August 1909.

Johannesburg


The photographic postcard of the Central News Agency, during the snow storm.

The Message
The message on the back reads: “… This is a view of the bit of Johannesburg during the snow storm. It was a beautiful sight …”

Note
The picture postcard illustrated here was posted to Durban, it entered the post at Johannesburg and was cancelled on the 1^st September 1909. The photographic picture postcard is not captioned but shows a store of the Central News Agency. The Agency was started by Michael Davis and Albert Lindbergh in 1896, who later dominated the newspaper outlets in South Africa. In 1903 their business was floated as a public company and they became joint Managing Directors. That they diversified is apparent from the façade of their Commissioner Street store in 1905 which advertised: “Periodicals / Books, / Printers / Stationery / Book Binders”. However, the store illustrated here is not their Commissioner Street store and any information as to where it was located would be appreciated.

Johannesburg, Commissioner Street


An amateur photographic postcard

Message
"Joburg & the snow storm Commissioner Str"

The Postcard
A privately published postcard on a sensitised card. The undivided back (address side) is headed ‘POST CARD’ and notes that only the address should be written here. It is addressed to 1, Main Road, Boughton Hall Chester, which is to the east of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. There is no date on the card. The photograph shows several men in winter attire. The three-storey building to the right with its clock tower is the 1897, South African Mutual Building. Here on the ground floor were the printers and publishers, Grocott & Sherry who, among other things produced picture postcards.* Later they moved just along the street to the tall, The Corner House building, which can be seen in the distance on the right. On the left with its classical dome is the impressive Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd.

* An example of a Grocott & Sherry picture postcard can be found on this website - see Postcards - Chinese Indentured Labour on the Witwatersrand Gold Fields.

Johannesburg, Joubert Park


The photographic postcard shows the Conservatory, Joubert Park, Johannesburg

The Postcard
Here we see the scene on 17^th August 1909 at the Conservatory in Joubert Park. The divided back (address side) is headed in black ‘POST CARD’ in double line letters. On the right side ‘THE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE WRITTEN HERE’. and on the left ‘For INLAND Postage only this Space may be used for Communications’. It is also hand-stamped in purple ‘PHOTO BY J.E.JACKSON [?.......?] JOHANNESBURG.’

Johannesburg


Johannesburg snowballing

The Postcard.
The snowball fight took place outside the General Post Office in Rissik Street, at the east end on Market Square. Captioned and running up the right edge in black: 'THE NEW JOHANNESBURG PASTIME-SNOWBALLING. / (Photo by O’ Bryan.). It is also annotated with the date the photograph was taken, though in a different hand to the postcards below. The address side has a divided back in black and, was posted from Johannesburg to Germany on the 29^th. A similar card was illustrated by Oscar I. Norwich, ‘The picture was produced by Mr. O’ Bryan whose studio was situated in the original Palace Building on the corner of Rissik and Pritchard streets.

A similar card was illustrated by Oscar I. Norwich, ‘The picture was produced by Mr. O’ Bryan whose studio was situated in the original Palace Building on the corner of Rissik and Pritchard streets.' Writing in 1983 Nat Cowan recalls that a Thomas O’ Bryan ‘occupied a studio in Palace Building (famous Johannesburg landmark) from 1898 to 1945.’) it would seem that at some time he used a Cirkut camera, but we cannot be sure which camera was used for this snow picture and the four pictures below.

Johannesburg


The Johannesburg photographic postcard shows entrance to Joubert Park

The Postcard.
Captioned and running up the right edge in black: 'AT THE ENTRANCE TO JOUBERT PARK. / (Photo by O’ Bryan.). These O’ Bryan postcards are printed by letterpress with Halftone Blocks, where the image is broken up into small dots. The fine screen is apparent; at lower left of this postcard and reversed out in white in what looks like ‘AEigus Process’ The address side has a divided back in black and was posted from Johannesburg to Doornfontein on the 18^th November 1909.

Johannesburg


The Johannesburg postcard shows thick snow in Joubert Park

The Postcard.
Captioned and running up the right edge in black: 'A PICTUREQUE SCENE IN THE PARK. / (Photo by O’ Bryan.)'. and is also annotated with the date the photograph was taken, "Aug- . 17. 1909" in black ink. The address side has a divided back in black and was part of a serial message sent from Lily at "48 Upper Page St _ New Doornfontein” to a Miss Staff at 105 King Street Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. This was the last card from a serial message, the Twist Street card below being the first. Alas the other cards from this serial message are missing.

Johannesburg


The Johannesburg postcard shows thick snow in twist Street

The Postcard.
Captioned and running up the right edge in black: 'TWIST STREET BRIDGE IN WINTER GUISE. / (Photo by O’ Bryan.)'. it is also anottated with the date the photograph was taken, "Aug- . 17.1909" The address side has a divided back printed in black. This postcard was the first part of a sceral message sent from Lily at "48 Upper Page St _ New Doornfontein". Part of the message notes "... it has been very cold night morning, nothing but wind & August very English weather"

Johannesburg


Johannesburg tram stuck in Market Square

The Postcard.
Captioned and running up the right edge in black: 'TRAMS ON MARKET SQUARE. / (Photo by O’ Bryan.). It is also annotated with the date the photograph was taken, though in a different hand to the postcards above. The address side has a divided back in black. The tram here had lost power and the passages had to wait an hour before the electrity was restored.

Roodepoort


The photographic postcard shows Roodepoort following the snow storm.

The Message
The message on the back reads: “A little bit of ‘Transvaal Scottish’ in Van Wyk Street, Roodepoort, Transvaal, August 17 – 1909, [signed].”

Note
Gold was discovered on 11^th October 1888 on the farm Roodepoort (‘Red Gate’ in Dutch) in the western Witwatersrand, circa 21 km. from Johannesburg. J.A. Nel van Wyk owned the eastern portion of the farm while the western portion was owned by the brothers J.H. and A.S. du Plessis. Van Wyk laid out part of his portion of the farm as a township. In 1904 the town became a municipality.

The Postcard
There is no publisher or photographer details on the postcard and it is possible that it came from a local professional photographer. The divided back (address side) is in grey and the message in written right across the page. The street had recently been planted with rows of trees; the snow must have been a surprise for the saplings. A raised advertising board enlightens us of ‘W.HOBSON HOUSE FURNISHER AND GENERAL DRAPER’. I except it was a dull trading day. Across the road and to the left is the Centre News Agency. Two men, one in a white shirt, are repairing a damaged roof sign. While to the right, loafers stand and gaze and another reads a newspaper.

References used on this page
Cowan, N., (1983), 'Thomas O'Byrne's Cirkut Camera', Africana Aantekeninge en Nuus / Africana Notes and News, Africana Museum, Johannesburg, June 1983, Vol. 25 NO.6, pp.204-205.

Norwich, O.I., (1986), A Johannesburg Album, Historical Postcards, Craighall, Republicof South Africa, pp.72 and 78.

Board, C., (2009), Notable Snow Fall in Johannesburg, The Transvaal Philatelist, August 2009, issue number 171, pp.64-68.

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Added to this website on 30^th October 2023, 20^th November 2023 and 15 August 2024
Lots more postcards to come soon! Keep safe.

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