Carol Hardijzer

With reference to the early Durban based photographers Caney, one author recently confirmed the challenge in “disentangling” the relationship between the various Caney individuals.

The number of Caney photographs identified in the Hardijzer Photographic Research Collection also confirms that closer scrutiny was required as to who these photographers were. The photographs in this research collection, all dating from prior to 1905, include studio-based images as well as images captured during the Anglo-Boer war.

This article not only intends to clarify the various links between the Caney men (and possibly one female in the same family), but also corrects some misinformation previously published. The three key aspects that are corrected in this article are:

• Date of Benjamin Williams Caney’s death. All websites state the incorrect date of death – This is a significantly important aspect;
• Benjamin William Caney had four sons who survived into adulthood and not three;
• Benjamin William Caney was not an active photographer during the Anglo-Boer war.

The primary purpose of this article is therefore to determine how the various Caney photographers relate to each other. This required the analysis of internet, archival and photographic sources as it relates to the three Caney brothers who arrived from abroad. This analysis was expanded to their respective South African born children and grandchildren.

Of the 9 Caney men recorded in the three generations, 5 have been recorded as active South African photographers between the period 1860s and 1915 - Some were clearly more visible as photographers or had more success compared...

Always in search of original South African photographic images from before 1915, the author recently acquired several photo albums from this era at a Pretoria based antique fair.

One of these photo album stands out in that the theme is purely tennis-based, spanning over a 4-year period (between 1909 and 1913).

In putting this article together, much photographic cross-referencing had to be done in an attempt to identify and record as many players as possible in that only a few photographs in the album have the names of the players recorded.

Given some of the captions recorded in the album, it is assumed that the owner was female. To date, it could however not be determined beyond reasonable doubt who the album belonged to. The assumption is made that the album may have belonged to an unidentified female player that features most often in the album. The author cautiously suggests that she may have been Miss Raymond.

The “prominent female player” on the left with Charlie Winslow. The second female has not been identified to date

The “prominent...

By chance, whilst researching an unrelated topic, Annel Meyer stumbled upon a photograph taken by the Pretoria based photographer Samuel Tweddill around 1880. This photograph was included in an article published on theheritageportal during July 2018 (click here to view).

This image caught Annel Meyer’s attention in that it seemed so familiar to a portrait painting, a family heirloom, that was painted of her great-grandfather’s mother during the 1950s, some 70 years after the original photograph was captured.

What is the statistical probability of matching a photograph with a painting and identifying the sitter at the same time?

As it is, the Hardijzer Photographic Research Collection currently only contains two images captured by Tweddill. Samuel Tweddill was only a part-time photographer and would not have captured the same number of images compared to full-time photographers at the time, explaining the limited number of images produced by him found today.

The lady on the photograph has now at least been identified as being Johanna (Hannie) Petronella Laurenci Bouwer (born Kok).

Daughter to Willem Johannes and Elizabeth Rebecca Kok, Johanna (Hannie) Kok was born near Bloemfontein, on 27 December 1862. Her parents were in the process of moving from Ladismith in the Cape to Transvaal (Pretoria) at the time of her birth. She was one of 10 children. Two younger sisters did not survive their childhood resulting in Hannie being the only surviving sister amongst 7 brothers. The family settled on the farm ‘Rooiwal’ just west of Pretoria.

At the age...

Toys, like play itself, serve multiple purposes for both humans and animals (just picture the joy created whilst watching a kitten at play with an arbitrary toy).

Toys provide entertainment and fun whilst fulfilling an educational role at the same time. Although unlikely to have been the original intent, they also enhance cognitive behavior, stimulate creativity and aid in the development of physical and mental skills which are necessary in later life.

The origin of the toy is prehistoric. Dolls representing infants, animals and soldiers are occasionally found at archaeological sites. The oldest known toy doll is thought to be around 4000 years old.

The origin of the word "toy" is unknown, but it is believed that it was first used in the 14th century. It has been suggested that the word originally denoted a funny story or remark, antic or trick or that it related to some frivolous entertainment.

The variety and number of toys that were manufactured during the 18th century steadily rose. The first jigsaw puzzle to help children learn geography was invented by John Spilsbury during 1767. The rocking horse (on bow rockers), developed in England at the same time, especially had well-to-do families in mind as it was thought that owning such toy would develop children's balance for riding real horses.

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The last tram journey in Pretoria took place during 1939 - eighty years ago. Therefore, today it may only be citizens born prior to around 1933, who resided in Pretoria at the time, who may recall the tram activity or may even have travelled on a Pretoria tram as a child.

The purpose of this article is to supplement Claus Schutte’s recent article on Pretoria trams (click here to view) with additional visual evidence of earlier tram activity in Pretoria.

Only picture postcard images produced at the time have been included in this article. The postcards presented here not only show trams during the various stages of development during the first 23 years of the tram service activity in Pretoria, but also showcases Pretoria’s growth and development as a city over the years.

The images show new buildings having replaced older buildings or new businesses having established themselves in town. Although the main theme is Pretoria’s tram services, commentary on some of these developments has been included below many of the images.

Dating of cards is also assisted by some of these developments. On some picture postcards, the Church can be seen standing on Church Square, whilst on the next card the Church no longer stands, which assists in dating the images.

The use of picture postcards was exceptionally popular as a communication instrument between mainly the 1900s and 1920s. Today, these images provide us with a rich historical insight into Pretoria’s history. The production of picture postcards...

Recently the author acquired a Victorian Photo album which contained a number of Carte-de-Visite format photographs of Berlin Mission Society missionaries, all attached to the German Lutheran church in Berlin (dating from between 1865 and late 1870s).

The 31 images contained in the album are mainly of missionaries who did duty in South Africa (12 images), East Africa (6 images) & China (3 images). The remainder of the images had no inscriptions on them, making it almost impossible to identify the missionary that was photographically captured.

Amongst the South African group of images, 10 missionaries have been identified and are presented in this article. The probability exists that some of the remaining images without inscriptions could also have been South African based missionaries.

Fortunately, research by both German and Missionary historians has resulted in sufficient information being recorded on most of the missionaries, which makes the sharing of the images more impactful.

Whilst much may have been published on most of the missionaries listed below, the primary purpose of this article is to share the images in the public domain.

Many questions arise around the existence of the album. Sadly, the author has no detail as to where the album originated from. Was this a formal album that would have belonged to the mission administration, or was it an album of a missionary (or his family) that just passionately compiled such album keeping track of their colleagues doing duty around the globe?

The German mission societies in South Africa included the Berlin...

Many registered trademark ephemera of yesteryear have collectors competing at auctions, markets and antique fairs to find that one elusive, or previously unidentified item for their collections.

On such trademark is Kodak. Registered as a trademark during 1888, Kodak, which was also present in South Africa some years later, undoubtedly was one of the more successful brand names within both the history of marketing and photography. 

Early Kodak related ephemera (generally printed material which has limited long term purpose), have become highly collectable worldwide.  

This article focuses primarily on Kodak film wallets containing the “Kodak Girl” dating from between the 1910s and 1960s. These “insignificant” film wallets are usually found in boxes containing unwanted photographs of the past.

At the harbour - Lady in her striped dress with a Kodak bellows camera. Another Film wallet as presented by Photographic Chemist JA Francis based in Caledon Street, Uitenhage. Circa 1920

Lady in her striped dress holding a Kodak bellows camera behind her back. Not...

First National Bank (FNB) just celebrated their 180th birthday on 15 December 2018. What makes this particularly significant is that the FNB storyline runs in parallel with South African history. 

Following the true corporate trend, FNB, as it exists today, came about following a complex tapestry of buyouts and amalgamations to become the well-established bank it is today. This journey certainly did not occur without any upheavals – but the bank managed to stand the test of time.

Following the growth within the Eastern Cape, with Grahamstown as the main settlement in the region at the time, FNB’s predecessor, the Eastern Province Bank, was established in the town during 1838 focusing mainly on the financing of the wool industry following the wool export boom in the district.

Other significant events that occurred during 1838 include:

• Slavery came to an end in the Cape Colony;
• 4 December - British forces occupied Durban;
• 16 December - The Battle of Blood River (One day after the establishment of the Eastern Province Bank);
• 22 December - Potchefstroom was established.

Ever wondered what First National Bank (FNB) and photography have in common? They both came into existence in 1838.

Also of interest is that the mechanically propelled bicycle, as we know it today, was only designed the year after the establishment of the Eastern Province Bank, namely 1839. 

Other events of significance that occurred during 1838 include:

• Ferdinand von Zeppelin , the founder of the Zeppelin airship company was born on 8 July in Germany. He died during 1917;
• Andrew Smith began publication of Illustrations of the...

The South African Border War had an immense social, cultural and political impact on South African society at the time. It resulted in unnecessary loss of life and much trauma, not only for the conscripted men, but also families back home.

The South African Border War, also referred to as the Namibian War of Independence or the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict (a war between a standing, professional army and an insurgency or resistance movement) that occurred in Namibia (the then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angola between 26 August 1966 and 21 March 1990. It was fought between the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), an armed wing of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO). The South African Border War resulted in some of the largest battles on the African continent since World War II and was closely intertwined with the Angolan Civil War (information sourced from Wikipedia).

On 4 August 1967, military service became compulsory for all white men in South Africa over the age of 16 (conscription). Deferment to complete schooling or a university degree was granted, but very few of them were exempted from conscription. The end of military conscription was announced during 1993.

Although most young men did not have an understanding as to why they were conscripted into the South African military in the first place, followed by unanticipated indoctrinations, this article will avoid expanding or reflecting on the political ideologies around military conscription in South...

This article, which focuses solely on South African beach photography prior to 1970s, is an extension on a similar article recently published on South African pavement photography (click here to read).

The author was surprised about the discussions elicited on the above article – It confirms that recent, or the more contemporary photographic history attracts more attention compared to older photographic history, in that many readers can still relate to the more recent era.

It has been suggested that when viewing photographic images, which form part of our own life narratives or era, an increase of up to 11% may occur in our general mood and happiness levels (actual research article not seen by author).

This makes sense - just looking at photographs taken on South African beaches between the 1930s and 1960s may bring some joy to the viewer. It creates a sense of euphoria. As an example, just look at the two images immediately below – Do they not elicit a positive response of some sort?

Young Fiona (2 and a half years old) with her bucket and spade – Unknown...