Portrait of Arthur C. Zietsch in a Christmas card to his sister Addie

PXA 7747

fonds

probabaly 1906

Graphic Materials, Photographs, Ephemera

9676425

1 photoprint - silver gelatin, contained in printed booklet of card and paper - 95 x 75 mm

Arthur Zietsch (1877-1915) was a Grafton-born veteran of the Boer War where he was wounded in the right hip during a charge with bayonets by his squadron at the Vet River on 5 May 1900. After contracting rheumatism in hospital, he returned by the Persic to Albany, Western Australia and then to Sydney. This Christmas card shows that he was working at Shantou (romanized as Swatow) in China for the Imperial Maritime Customs Service by 1906. He appears to have spent a considerable part of his working life in Asia. When he was buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery, W.A., in 1915, his funeral notice referred to him as ‘late of Ceylon Government Railways, formerly of Fremantle.

Reference:
Library correspondence file

Two-sheet printed Christmas card folded and held together with blue cord to create a booklet from Arthur C. Zietsch to Addie [Mrs Angus McLean, his sister]. Card cover is illustrated with birds and printed text 'Xmas 1906 1097'. Back cover has illustration of a plant and 'Happy new year' in Chinese characters. A photograph of Zietsch pasted on the cover verso. Title page is printed with ‘Christmas Greetings from Arthur C. Zietsch’. A double page follows with printed illustrations of cranes, bamboo and foliage & ‘I.M. Customs, Swatow, China’ [Imperial Maritime Customs Service, Shantou, China].

English, Chinese

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Title devised by cataloguer.

Back page is inscribed and signed in ink by Zietsch, 'To Addie, Love to all & a happy new year.'