Category: Advertising Covers

Royal Hotel

Royal Hotel

Umtali

The Royal Hotel, Umtali boasts a long and colourful history. It was positioned in the centre of Main Street and faced the public gardens.

In 1895 it held Rhodesia’s first opera – Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury. As there was a serious shortage of young women, members of the British South Africa Company Police played the bridesmaids. Unfortunately, the appearance of their large boots beneath full skirts detracted from the play and caused the first few rows of the audience to collapse with laughter.

The first travelling theatre to visit Umtali in 1904 was the Sass & Nelson Company. The Royal Hotel boasted a fairly large stage and when the theatre company arrived announced their intention was to stay a week in Umtali and put on a new play every night, many people booked for the whole week. Plays included The Bell of New York, Merry Widow.

In 1934, Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Brown took over management of the 24 bedroom hotel.

References

Contributors
  • James Gavin

Postcards: Smart & Copley – Crest Series (Green) – T Series

Smart & Copley

Crest Series (Green) – T Series

The publisher imprint on this series shows Smart & Copley, Bulawayo, Copyright. The font changes after T24 suggesting two printings. The ‘T’ seems to refer to towns.

No.sDescriptionEarliest PMK Date
T1Serowe Native Town in Khamas Country.
T2
T3Serowe Native Town in King Khamas Country.
T4Serowe Native Town in King Khamas Country.
T5
T6A Street in Francistown
T7A Street in Livingstone
T8
T9Gwelo Station, Rhodesia Railway
T10 Selukwe.20/07/1913
T11
T12The Globe and Phoenix Mine, Que Que
T13Umtali.21/01/1914
T14Main Street, Umtali21/01/1914
T15In the park, Umtali.
T16Umtali.
T17
T18Macequece.
T19
T20
T21Beira Station
T22
T23
T24Rua Conselherio Castilno, Beira
T25
T26Customs Wharf, Beira.06/00/1922
T27Post Office Buildings, Beira
T28General view, Salisbury.
T29Victoria Memorial, Salisbury
T30Victoria Memorial and Beit Statue, Salisbury.
T31The Convent, Salisbury.
T32The Club, Salisbury
T33Manica Road, Salisbury.
T34Government House, Salisbury.

FB

Postcards: Smart & Copley – Crest Series (Green) – S Series

Smart & Copley

S Series

The publisher imprint on this series shows Smart & Copley, Bulawayo, Copyright. The ‘S’ seems to refer to scenery.

No.sDescriptionEarliest PMK Date
S1Scenery on Lake N'gami.22/12/1913
S2Scenery on Lake N'Gami near Tsao
S3Scenery on Lake N'Gami.19/05/1914
S4
S5Scenery at Menaquena on the road to Lake N'Gami.
S6Trekking in Rhodesia
S7Scenery on the Beira and Mashonaland Railway near Macheke.
S8Scenery on the Beira and Mashonaland Railway near Macheke.
S9Scenery on the Beira and Mashonaland Railway near Macheke.16/06/1914
S10Scenery on the Beira and Mashonaland Railway near Macheke.
S11Scenery on the Beira and Mashonaland Railway near Amatongas.
S12Scenery on the Beira & Mashonaland Railway near Amatongas.
S13Railway through the Amatongas Forest.09/11/1922
S14Railway through the Amatongas Forest.

FB

Department of Publicity

Department of Publicity

Salisbury/Bulawayo

Postcards

The Union Agencies

The Union Agencies

Bulawayo/Salisbury

The Union Agencies was one of the biggest agents and brokers in Rhodesia of the 1930s. It represented dozens of big and “fashionable” companies (champagne producer Heidsieck, cognac producer Martell etc.).

The owner was Samuel Rabinovitz (b.1894) was born in Romania, but as a child he left with his family to Rhodesia via Britain and finally settled in Bulawayo where he got a position of a succesful businessman.

In 1935, Rabinovitz, as a board member of the Bulawayo Chamber of Commerce, was sent by Southern Rhodesian government for a mission to India to find a market for Rhodesian tobacco; he succeeded in this task but he also broadened his contacts with one of the most important Czechoslovak companies of that times – the Baťa Shoe Company.Rabinovitz  (as Baťa´s representative in Bulawayo) found that Rhodesia was a prospective market for their shoes, which he imported from 1934. While the volume of trade increased, he even employed a Czech, Jan Kasperlík, to deal with Czechoslovak companies, and in 1937 travelled to Czechoslovakia to arrange closer cooperation with local manufacturers.

Probably during this visit S. Rabinovitz persuaded the Baťa Company´s president, Tomáš Baťa, to establish his own shoe production facility in Southern Rhodesia (to be realized later in 1939).

Reference

Umtali and District Publicity Association

Umtali and District Publicity Association

Umtali

Postcards

Other Publishers
Contributors
  • John Irving
  • Keith Harrop

FB

M. Basch & Co

M. Basch & Co

Bulawayo

M Basch & Co was established by Maurice Basch.  An early advertisement states: M. Basch & Co., “from Cheapside, London E.C.” “Chronometer, Watch and Clockmakers, Court Jewelers and Opticians. By Appointment of the Indian Government. Market Square, near the Maxim Hotel, Bulawayo”.

Around 1897, Maurice’s brother Emmanuel arrived in Rhodesia to take over his brother’s business. Emanuel was a native of Plymouth, Devon, and noted as being the son of Edward Basch.

Emanuel Basch was an prominent member of the Jewish community there and was President of the Hebrew Congregation and the Hebrew Benevolent Society. He was a member of the Chamber of Mines and the Chamber of Commerce, and elected to a seat in the Town Council.

References

  • The Miltonian, 1927

FB

Selborne Hotel

Selborne Hotel

Bulawayo

The Selborne Hotel was originally built in the 1930’s on Selborne Ave, Bulawayo and is one of the oldest hotels still in business.

The hotel takes it name from Lord Selborne, High Commissioner of South Africa. Selborne visited Bulawayo in 1906, and in the following year the Selborne Memorandum was published, advocating integration of Rhodesia into a British-led South Africa. What had been Seventh Avenue was changed to Selborne for the occasion.

Recently it has been restored to it’s former glory and continues to provide accommodation for visitors.

Reference

Kingstons Ltd

Kingstons Ltd

Salisbury

Kingstons Ltd was the successor to the Herald Stationery and Book Store. It appears the change occurred in the late 1940’s when the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Co Ltd sold off its book stores in both Southern and Northern Rhodesia.

Today, Kingston Holdings Ltd is 51% owned by the Zimbabwe Government. Kingstons is currently the holding company for Art Stationers, Kingstons Ltd, Textbook Sales, Kingston Properties, Queens Stationers, R Johnstone & Co and Kingston Entertainment

In 2010, facing mounting debts, the business announced it would move away from its traditional business of books, magazines, newspapers and scholastic stationery and towards information technology and business leasing. However, due to lack of capital, the venture never took off.

The business continues to struggle today.

Postcards

Contributors
  • Walter Herdzik
  • Keith Harrop
  • James Gavin
  • Terry Cowlard

FB

Harry S. Hopkins & Co., Ltd

Harry S. Hopkins & Co., Ltd

Salisbury

From the 1920’s Harry S. Hopkins & Co, Salisbury handled insurance for the Norwich Union as agents, and also held agencies for Cadbury’s chocolates.

The company also had a branch in Ndola.

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