Date of use : 1909, South Africa
B.G. Lennon Co. Photographic Ad Postcard
This postcard presents an early urban photograph depicting one of the principal streets of Johannesburg, one of the most important cities in South Africa. The handwritten caption at the bottom of the card reads "One of Johannesburg's Principal Streets," indicating that the image was taken along one of the city's main commercial avenues. The postal cancellation on the reverse side reads "Johannesburg – 9 April 1909," confirming that the card was mailed in 1909. The recipient's address is written to Miss A. Hayward, who lived in Sowerby Bridge near Halifax, England.
One of the large advertising signs visible on the left side of the photograph promotes a business named "B. G. Lennon & Co. Chemists." The sign also includes the phrase "Photographic Apparatus and Chemicals." This indicates that the business sold photographic equipment and chemical materials used in photography. During this period, when photographic technology was becoming increasingly widespread, chemical substances, photographic plates, and other darkroom equipment had become important commercial products. For this reason, pharmacies and chemical supply shops that sold photographic materials were often regarded as important distribution points within the early photographic industry.
The firm B. G. Lennon & Co. Chemists, visible in the photograph, was founded in 1850 by the pharmacist Barry Grey Lennon. In its early years the business operated as a traditional pharmacy. In later years, however, the company expanded its activities and began to focus not only on chemical products but also on the sale of photographic equipment and photographic chemicals.
Record Information
Title: Johannesburg Street Scene Postcard with B.G. Lennon & Co. Advertisement
Category: Photographic Industry History / Urban Visual Culture
Subcategory: South African Photographic Retailers / Colonial Commerce
Country: South Africa (Sender: Johannesburg) → England (Recipient: Sowerby Bridge)
🗺️ Show Route
City: Johannesburg, South Africa (Sender) → Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, England (Recipient: Miss A. Hayward)
Date of use: 9 April 1909
Company Featured: B.G. Lennon & Co. Chemists, Johannesburg, South Africa. A pharmacy founded in 1850 by Barry Grey Lennon, which sold photographic apparatus and chemicals alongside traditional pharmaceutical products.
Object Type: Commercial postcard (urban view with advertising signage)
Postal Route 🚢: South Africa → England (1909) (Estimated route)
Estimated Travel Time: Approximately 2-3 weeks (maritime route via Atlantic Ocean)
Postal Features: South African postage stamp; Johannesburg postal cancellation (9 April 1909).
Language: English
Material: Paper (postcard stock)
Dimensions: Standard postcard format
Collection Theme: Johannesburg street scenes, B.G. Lennon & Co., South African photographic trade, colonial pharmacies, photographic chemicals, urban advertising signage, 1900s postal history, South Africa-England correspondence.
Archival Significance: This 1909 postcard captures a Johannesburg street scene featuring an advertisement for B.G. Lennon & Co. Chemists, a pharmacy that sold photographic apparatus and chemicals, illustrating the integration of photographic materials into colonial retail commerce in early twentieth-century South Africa.
Research Note:
This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.
This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.
