Souvenir olive wood photo album sent by George Clark to Bert

The album appears to have belonged to an Australian serviceman named George Clark who has sent it home to his brother, Bert. It contains photos and souvenir hand tinted middle eastern scenes, as well as family photos taken elsewhere. These include photos of Bert (also an Australian serviceman), their parents and cousin. There is a connection to Moonee Ponds in Victoria. As George Clark is a common name, it has not been possible to identify him conclusively. He has visited and photographed places in the Middle East including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Ramleh, Haifa, Lyyda and Tel-Aviv in Israel and Palestine, and Egypt, as well as Madeira, Casablanca and Morocco.

Visiting servicemen and women purchased a variety of souvenirs from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Palestine and The Holy Land while passing through on active service during both world wars.
Some of the more common items were embroideries such as cushion covers, painted artworks on fabric, jewellery made from mother of pearl, metal and timber, and photo albums with wooden covers filled with postcards of local scenes and pressed dried flowers.
There was also a range of trinket boxes, often with hidden drawers, made from the local olive wood and a range of other olive wood items including napkin rings such as these and even a portable book shelf.