bulldog

Excellent-image.... Ricky

Dapper gent he be .

Firstly, we know Roberts was in London from 1881-1885. Secondly, Talma Studio was not founded until c.1894* by Andrew Barrie [formerly of Stewart & Co. where Barrie and Roberts were colleagues] and Sir Henry Weedon, Lord Mayor of Melbourne. *Jack Cato, The Story of the Camera in Australia, p. 94 says about 1895 but there are some 1894 photos in your collection - eg. acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=441700 . 1894 is the earliest date I can find for any Talma photo.

pellethepoet I thought you would have fun with this. Watching with interest.

There is a 1893 reference to the Talma Studio -

" We [The Argus?] have received from the Talma Photographic Studio, Swanston-street, a really excellent cabinet portrait of Sir Henry Parkes, taken last week. "

from - The Argus (Melbourne) Saturday 02/09/1893, p.9, col.5 - at the end of a very long boring article starting on the previous page - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/301999 . Coincidentally (?) Tom Roberts painted Sir Henry Parkes the previous year in 1892 - nga.gov.au/federation/Detail.cfm?WorkID=26209

That life preserver looks like it says "White Star Line." Is that the Titanic?

A close reading of the life preserver indicates it was RMS Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Olympic

"Theodore Leopold Friedman (June 6, 1890 – August 25, 1971), known as Ted Lewis, was an American entertainer, bandleader, singer, and musician. He fronted a band and touring stage show that presented a combination of jazz, comedy, and nostalgia that was a hit with the American public before and after World War II. He was known by the moniker "Mr. Entertainment" or Ted "Is Everybody Happy?" Lewis. Lewis died of lung failure in August 1971." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Lewis_(musician)

Thanks for the close looking and the information. We'll add information at our end to the description for this and related photos.

Embarking on a ... well-protected journey. That the dogs are named on the negatives/caption cards is an interesting thing.

Dreamwold Irish Boy, best in show at the annual exhibition of the Bulldog Club of America, 1913. query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E2DF173DE633A...

It appears that they're on board a ferry? A. Larson is Arnold Lawson. His wife's maiden name was Lucie Mitchell. Arnold was the eldest son of Thomas W. Lawson. (NY Times, December 17, 1905) It's tough to make out the month on the left, but it appears to say 3/21/20. According to an October 3, 1922 NYTimes article, their fortunes were soon in peril. At that point Arnold's father Thomas W. Lawson was forced to sell his estate Dreamwold on the coast of Scituate, Massachusetts at a huge loss. Included in the estate was a "prized lot of police dogs". The article mentions, "After [the death of Mrs. Lawson], and with the marriage of all of their children, [Thomas W.] Lawson found the great place lonely." He'd tried many hobbies such as bulldog breeding and given up on them, finally settling on trading in the stock market and breeding police dogs. I'm not clear on what exactly caused his economic hardships, but it has to do with a "Haskell failure". So enough about the people! Let's hear about the dogs! Dreamwold Irish Boy is the bulldog. Is Noswal Neto a Pekingese? Presumably D. Irish Boy was long retired at this point. NYTimes has Dreamwold Irish Boy winning several awards: Feb 20, 1913. Westminster. Dreamwold Irish Boy wins "Bulldogs. Open. Dogs (45 pounds and over)". Mentions that Thomas W. Lawson had just spent $17,000 to bring four dogs from England with hopes of cleaning up the show, but it didn't work. D. Irish Boy wasn't one of them. Nov 5, 1913 - Thomas W. Lawson's Dreamwold Irish Boy wins Bulldog Club of America. Shown by "The Young Mr. Lawson", presumably Arnold. Feb 25, 1914 - Dreamwold Irish Boy took second place at Westminster; a different Dreamworld took second place the year before. May 10, 1914 - Irish boy took second in bulldog show, owner listed as Thomas W. Lawson. Lawson's Dreamwold Merry Boy had recently won the Bulldog Club of America. May 24, 1914 - "Irish Boy Best in Show"; lists owner as Arnold Lawson; Nassau Kennel Club annual dog show, among 600 entries; also won best Bulldog, beating English prize dog. Oddly, the same article later on says that Lawson's dog Dreamwold Centaur won a special prize available to members only. Also, in 2002 the Scituate Historical Society published a book about Dreamwold: Beauty, Strength, Speed: Celebrating 100 Years of Thomas W. Lawson's Dreamwold

Lucie Mitchell was formerly married to Herbert Barnum Seeley. according to NYT article from December 17, 1905: ARNOLD LAWSON ENGAGED.; Eldest Son of Thomas W. to Marry the Former Mrs. Herbert Seeley. query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9505E5DB153AE733A... The article notes that her former husband was last heard of as a ticket-seller at the Hippodrome!!

The March 1920 issue of Dogdom [see books.google.com/books?id=aHcCAAAAYAAJ ] suggests that Noswal Neto was a Pekingese Page 47 has an ad: IMPORTED STUD and puppies—Noswal Neto, the sensational stud Pekingese. Fee $15.00. Wrife for pedigree and handsome calendar. Puppies and grown stock for sale. Best obtainable strains. Reasonable. Marr's Pekingese Kennels, 35 Boston Ave., Toronto, Can. 20-12-2