Royal Expectations

Close up of a silver tankard embellished with leafy design

It is hard to know exactly how William Edwards (1819-1899) must have felt arriving to Melbourne in 1857. At the very least, he must have been slightly more comfortable than the average English traveller at the time. In an arrangement reserved only for noteworthy passengers, he had travelled in the chief cabin of the Blanche […]

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A Toast to Business Success!

silver mug etched with a boat labelled 'S.S Northumbra'

This testimonial tankard represents two business successes for the Sydney merchants Christopher Newton Bros & Co. It is made of silver mined from the Sunny Corner silver mine, near Rydal just west of Lithgow, in which they were the major shareholders. In April 1885, around the time silversmith Evan Jones made this tankard, the mine […]

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