[Editor: This carte de visite, featuring a photograph of a woman, is undated; however, it is believed to have been made in the late 19th century (circa 1863-1889). It was made by Charles Nettleton, of North Melbourne (Vic.).]
[Front of carte de visite]
[Description: A photograph of a woman.]
[Reverse of carte de visite]
C. Nettleton
Photographer
by special appointment
to H.R.H. the Duke of
Edinburgh
Prize medallist London 1862.
Prize medallist Melbourne 1867.
1, Madeline Street.
North Melbourne.
Duplicate copies,
May be had at any time.
[Description: A coat of arms, above which are flowers and leaves, with two birds, and a medallion with the text “1862 Londini, Honoris Causa”.]
Source:
Original document
Editor’s notes:
Dimensions (approximate): 63 mm. (width), 103 mm. (height).
This carte de visite was printed on a thin cardboard mount, with square corners.
Charles Nettleton (1826-1902), was born in England on 1826; he came to Victoria in 1854; and died in 1902. He used the business address of 1 Madeline Street, North Melbourne, from 1863 to the late 1880s.
See: 1) “Photographs: ‘Australian cartes-de-visite, Melbourne’ 1860s-1880s”, Art Blart, 16 January 2022 [see section: “Charles Nettleton (Australian born England, 1826-1902)”]
2) “Charles Nettleton b. c.1825: Artist (Photographer)”, Design & Art Australia Online
3) Jean Gittins, “Nettleton, Charles (1826–1902)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
The picture of a medallion, with the text “1862 Londini, Honoris Causa”, on the reverse side of the carte de visite, is a graphic representation of the medal awarded to C. Nettleton at the International Exhibition of 1862, which was held in London. His win has been confirmed with a list of medals awarded at the 1862 Exhibition; C. Nettleton of Victoria was awarded a medal “For excellence of photographic views in the colony.”
See: 1) International Exhibition: 1862: Medals and Honourable Mentions Awarded by the International Juries: With a List of the Jurors, and the Report of the Council of Chairmen (second edition), London: Her Majesty’s Commissioners, 1862, p. 205 (see catalogue no. 278 in the “Victoria” section)
2) “International Exhibition of 1862: Department of the Colony of Victoria, Australia: Awards of the Jurors”, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 10 September 1862, p. 6, column 7 (see the section “Class XIV. — Photography and apparatus”, which includes the entry “Nettleton, C., Melbourne — For excellence of photographic views in the colony.”)
3) “1862 International Exhibition”, Wikipedia
The coat of arms, on the reverse side of the carte de visite, are those of Prince Alfred (1844-1900), as the Duke of Edinburgh; his coat of arms includes a garter with the text “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (regarding the Order of the Garter), with a scroll underneath with the words “Dieu et mon droit” (a phrase which is used as the motto of the monarch of the United Kingdom).
See: “File:Coat of Arms of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.svg”, Wikipedia
Dieu et mon droit = (French) “God and my right” (the phrase is used as the motto of the monarch of the United Kingdom)
See: 1) “Coats of Arms”, The Royal Household
2) “Dieu et mon droit”, Wikipedia
Duke of Edinburgh = (in the context of the late 19th century) Prince Alfred (1844-1900), Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; he was given the title of Duke of Edinburgh in 1866; he was born in Windsor Castle (Berkshire, England) in 1844, and died in Coburg (Germany) in 1900
See: 1) H. J. Gibbney, “Edinburgh, Duke of (1844–1900)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha”, Wikipedia
Honi soit qui mal y pense = an Anglo-Norman phrase, which has been translated as “shamed be whoever thinks ill of it”, “shame on anyone who thinks evil of it”, “shame on him who thinks this evil”, and “evil to him who evil thinks” (the phrase is used as the motto of the Order of the Garter)
See: 1) “Coats of Arms”, The Royal Household
2) “The Order of the Garter”, The Royal Household
3) Camille Chevalier-Karfis, “Origins of the expression ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’”, ThoughtCo. (updated 7 August 2019)
4) “Honi soit qui mal y pense”, Wikipedia
5) “honi soit qui mal y pense”, Wiktionary
honoris causa = a Latin term, meaning “for the sake of honour”; meaning “honorary”, especially regarding honorary academic awards, such as an honorary degree or an honorary doctorate
See: “Honorary degree”, Wikipedia
Londini = (Latin) the genitive case of “Londinum”, expressing a relationship or possession (Londinum is the Latin name for London, the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom)
See: 1) “Londini”, Wiktionary
2) “Londinum, Londini [n.] O”, Latin is Simple
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