Thirsty Business

Standing the test of time, these ceramic bottles have remained in a near-pristine condition for over a hundred years. They tell the story of Narrabri’s famous cordial maker, Septimus Faulkner (1859-1936). In the late 1800s, a young Faulkner arrived in Narrabri to work for Edmund Fuss, a chemist who had turned to cordial making. Under […]

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Drink That Which You Like Best!

In a time when algorithms track our search history and directly advertise goods and services to us we may not appreciate that retail advertising at point-of-sale and upon packaging has a long history. Advertising mirrors, such as the one shown here, replaced tin and enamel signs, were produced for pubs, shops and milk bars and […]

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Miltie’s Mark

Milton Mudge probably felt a hint of pride each time a new batch of timber crates arrived, and he took down this stencil where it hung on the wall of his cordial factory in Milton. He painted the sides of the timber crates through the gaps in the letters, marking his name ‘M.J. Mudge / […]

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Three Green Bottles

four glass bottles with beads held inside the sculpted neck

To meet the  growing demand  for  cordial and fizzy drinks, soft-drink factories established in many NSW towns and villages in the second half of the nineteenth century. The glass and ceramic bottles shown here were used by Heavener (later Ashelfords) of Blayney, Bathurst and Lithgow; and the Derwin Bros. at Carcoar and Cowra. They illustrate […]

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