Accession Number

2012.007.002.050

Description

Black and white postcard of a large tree, a meadow and a castle in the distance.

Narrative

As indicated by the number with the inscription in the lower left, this is one of a series of postcards depicting scenes of Torosay Castle. Torosay Castle, located on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, was completed in 1858. It was designed by architect David Bryce in the Scottish Baronial style. At the time this image was taken, the castle was owned by the Guthrie family.

Mrs. Elizabeth Maud Hope (aka Bessie Dunsmuir) sent this postcard to her mother, Mrs. Laura Dunsmuir, at Hatley Park at the same time as another postcard showing the lion terrace at Torosay Castle. Her message on the back of the postcard suggests that, just as the lions reminded her of those at Hatley Park, so too does the castle itself.

History of Use

This picture postcard was mailed in 1929 and later placed in an album created by the James and Laura Dunsmuir family at Hatley Park. Together with a local Victoria postmark, dated January 4, 1929, is a stamp stating that 2 cents are owed for postage. A purple Canada 2 cent postage stamp is affixed to the centre top of the postcard back. 

Some of the images of Hatley Park in the album show minimal landscaping, suggesting those photos date from when the house was newly completed, around 1910. At least one of the album's photographs was used as a post card and a postmark on the back shows a date of 1929, giving an approximate date range for the photographs in the album.

Sometime after Laura Miller Dunsmuir's death in 1937, the album became the property of Dola Frances Dunsmuir (also known as Mrs. Dola Cavendish) and was kept at her house Dolaura in Colwood, B.C. After her death, the album was owned by her sister Kathleen's daughter, Judith Humphreys (also known as Mrs. Judith Joy). Her daughter donated the album to Craigdarroch Castle in 2012.
 

Date

1929

Dimensions

8.6 x 13.8 cm

Inscription

Lower left:
4. Torosay Castle
Verso:
This too is rather like. Not a good photo. Love [...] from us all. Bess 

Country of Origin

Scotland