Carlton Community History Group

Photo: Rowan Crowe 187 Fenwick Street North Carlton	The Best Candles in the World Renovations to Filou's Patisserie, on the corner of Fenwick and Lygon Streets North Carlton, have uncovered advertising images from an earlier age as a grocery shop. Products like Lux Flakes and Velvet Soap may be familiar, but what about Hardy's Jelly Crystals, Butterfly Dutch Cocoa and Electrine Candles, claimed by manufacturer Kitchen and Sons to be "the best candles in the world"1. The full length candle image on the left hand side recalls a once-essential household product. As reported in The Camperdown Chronicle in 1926 "One would have thought that with the ever-increasing use of gas and electricity that the market for candles would have become a negligible quantity, but that there is still a big demand for these handy little articles of illumination"2. 1Advertisement in The Argus, 18 September 1883, p. 3 2The Camperdown Chronicle, 14 December 1926, p. 3
Photo: Rowan Crowe Rear of 536 Rathdowne Street North Carlton	The Case of the Missing Tonic Tablets When Ray Chandler, namesake of the popular American detective writer, took over the chemist shop on the corner of Rathdowne and Richardson Streets North Carlton in 1926, the writing was already "on the wall", so to speak, for Otis tonic tablets. The tonic tablets, manufactured by E.C. De Witt & Company, were advertised as a "guaranteed remedy for debility, brain fog, anaemia, depression, morbidness, maternity weakness, neurasthenia, insomnia, premature decay and all ailments arising from blood poverty or depleted nervous energy." 1 De Witt was so confident of the product that it offered a full refund if the tablets "fail to do all that is claimed of them".2 Advertisements for Otis tonic tablets appeared in newspapers from 1922 to 1925 - a relatively short life - while other De Witt's products continued well into the 20th century and beyond. Were Otis tonic tablets a victim of their own money guarantee or did they disappear from the market for some other reason? Unlike the short-lived Otis tonic tablets, 536 Rathdowne Street has a long history of continuous service as a chemist shop from 1913 to 1987. The first chemist, O. Smith, opened for business in 1913 and was replaced by C. Phillips from 1921 to 1925. The wording "C. Phillips" can still be seen under Ray Chandler's name. Chandler served the local community until 1947, continued by I.L. Atkins from 1948 to 1967, and S.Benporath from 1968 to 1978. David Nolte was the final chemist shop occupant from 1979 to 1987, when he moved to new premises at 701 Rathdowne Street. David Nolte's pharmacy bears the date "Est. 1913" in acknowledgement of Smith's original chemist business. 1 Advertisement in The West Australian, 19 July 1923, p. 5 2 ibid
Digitised image courtesy of Connections Uniting Care Canning Street Carlton in the 1930s	Where Palm Trees Once Grew This street scene, photographed by housing reform campaigner Oswald Barnett in the 1930s, is easily recognised as Canning Street Carlton, facing south towards the Exhibition Building. The young palm trees originally ran the full length of Canning Street, but now survive only north of Curtain Street. The cross street is not named, but careful observation identifies it as Kay Street. The main clue is a series of rooflines on the left hand side of the photo, corresponding to four single storey houses that still exist today. Sands & MacDougall confirms that the south east corner was occupied by Geo. Berry's woodyard, and the south west corner by Shoebridge's grocer shop in the 1930s. The buildings on both these corners have been replaced by more recent structures.

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