Robert George Murduck
Photograph No. 0003
The Esplanade, Exmouth
A Real Photo Postcard
Postmarked at Exmouth, 1917
Murduck Photo No. 0003 - The Esplanade, Exmouth
This appears to be another of Robert George Murduck's stock real photo postcards. Although difficult to read, it has the typical 'MURDUCK PHOTO' attribution along the bottom at the right side. The photograph is of The Esplanade, Exmouth, Devonshire, on a bright sunny day - the men and women are wearing Edwardian style clothing, and several of the women are holding umbrellas aloft while some young boys lie in the sand over the seawall.
The famous clocktower is in the middle background right, so this photograph positively dates from after 1897.
Murduck Photo No. 0003 - The Esplanade, Exmouth - back side postmarked 1917
The back side of the postcard shows that it was used, mailed from Exmouth on 30 July 1917, to Miss O Lawrence at 193 Embankment Rd, Prince Rock, Plymouth.
The message reads:
"Dear Olive / I hope you are better, but I do wish you were up here we would have a time Daisie"
Just who Olive Lawrence and Daisie were, is not presently known.
This card was found on ebay on 7 January 2023, offered for sale by auction by seller <kovac35>, with a base or starting bid of £4.99. The photographic image on the front is quite faded, with a number of scratches and scrapes. The back side shows extensive staining. The corners are slightly scuffed. And the postmark is only a partial impression.
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The postcard with a photographic image of The Esplanade, Exmouth had been replaced with an image reproduced by lithography by 1918, as the image below shows.
Murduck Photo No. 0003 - The Esplanade, Exmouth - litho front
The attribution of these new style of postcards appears on the back, vertically on the left side of the message box, as the image of the back of this particular card show below. It must have been much more cost effective for bulk orders for lithographic postcards to be placed, rather than labour at an enlarger in a darkroom for hours, and process the quantity of cards needed for the tourist trade.
Murduck Photo No. 0003 - The Esplanade, Exmouth - litho back
The place this card was postmarked can not be determined because the postmark impression is incomplete. It appear to have been applied in August, 1918. The domestic postcard rate was one penny at that time.
Note the green ink attribution printed on the left side of the back of the card, perpendicular to the card itself.
This 1918 card was addressed to Miss H [Sollay ?] at Shirley Lodge, Crick, North Rugby, Northampton, and the message was written by "yours as ever, Stanley x x". He was at that time stationed with Drake Company, 2nd Reserve Battalion [possibly the 2nd South Wales Borderers ?], 27 Room, Badajos Barrack, Wellington Lines, Aldershot.
A postcard with another view of The Esplanade can be seen here: Murduck Photo No 0022 - The Esplanade, Exmouth -View No 02
__________ Facts about Robert George Murduck's life, 1875-1947, can be found here. A list & details of all photographs which are presently known to have been attributed to Robert George Murduck can be found here. The various means by which R G Murduck's photographs are attributed to himself can be found here. Details about ways you can submit a copy of your photo can be found through this link. If you have additional information about Robert George Murduck, or if you have a photograph (or photographs) which show him or either of his studios, or which can be attributed to him, please ....