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Black and White Photographic Postcard of The Darktown Fire Brigade walking past the Albany Post Office

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Unknown

c. 1898 - 1910

Overview

This photographic postcard shows a view of Stirling Terrace in front of the old Albany Post Office. A crowd is assembled on either side of the Terrace while a group labelled the ‘Darktown Fire Brigade’ is processing down the street. At the head of the procession is a character on horseback in what appears to be an admiral’s costume. Immediately behind this figure are two men dressed in a uniform and wearing pith helmets with feathers protruding from the top, pulling a small cart. Two more men are behind the cart, followed by another two slightly to their left and in front ot a much larger cart. All these men are to be wearing ‘blackface’. There is no evidence of fire hoses or other fire-fighting equipment.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-12-2025.5.2

Item type

Photographs

Themes

Popular Culture
Social History

Material

Photographic Paper

Width

138 mm

Height or length

88 mm

Weight

4 g

Inscriptions and markings

On front “THE / DARKTOWN / FIRE BRIGADE”. with “POST CARD / THIS SPACE MAY NOW BE USED FOR INLAND / AND COLONIAL COMMUNICATIONS / THE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE WRITTEN / HERE” in printers’ ink on back. “Old Post Office / Stirling Terrace / V. Kirk” written in blue ink.

Contextual information

The ‘Darktown Fire Brigade’ consisted of a group of performers or locals, possibly associated with Billy (William) Warner, the lessee of the Royal George Hotel in Albany. Warner was a minstrel comedian at a time when live theatre, vaudeville, ventriloquists and comedy were common forms of entertainment. A space at the back of the hotel was transformed into a performance space, the ‘Cremorne Gardens’. The ‘Darktown” entertainers featured in several events in the town, such as fundraisers for charity and entertainment for the townspeople.

Keywords

Albany Post Office

Stirling Terrace, Albany

Darktown Fire Brigade

Royal George Hotel Albany

Cremorne Gardens Albany

Place made

Australia

Year

c. 1898 - 1910

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance