S. Crook, undertaker, receipt, Thomas Ham, 1851
Summary
Bringing together his skills as a cabinet maker, upholsterer and shopfitter, S. Crook of Collins Street Melbourne was one of the city’s earliest undertakers. His illustrated letterhead presents a plush parlour setting that was almost certainly longer on fantasy than reality. The city’s Hoddle grid is showcased through the curtained windows with a suggestion of Port Phillip Bay beyond. The left wall includes pictures of an emu, a settler and the bay. To the right are the Freemason’s insignia, a kangaroo and a mirror. The entire scene was drawn by Thomas Ham who designed the Melbourne City Council’s coat of arms in 1843. And the cost of a funeral with all the trimmings in 1851? Fifteen pounds, one shilling and sixpence.
