Looking south along Queen Street from below Fort Street
ca.1898 by an unknown photographer – 2023

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Historical image: unknown photographer | Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections

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The advertisement for Quaker Oats suggests that the photo was made in 1898 or later, as the first mention of Quaker Oats in an Auckland newspaper (see below) dates from that year. Horse-drawn trams operated in Auckland from around 1884 to 1902. The two young boys hanging on to the back of the tram is a nice detail.

Below, facsimiles of a series of advertisements for Quaker Oats appearing in Auckland newspapers beginning in 1898.


Auckland Star 11 July 1898 Page 5


Auckland Star 18 July 1898 Page 3


New Zealand Herald 16 July 1898 Page 1


At the risk of wandering too far off-topic, below are two more irresistable examples.

Advertisers often used the Lost and Found sections of newspapers to flog their wares: see the third and last entries in the droll example below.


Auckland Star 26 April 1899 Page 1

(It's not clear though if this is an ad for Quaker Oats or the Dunblane Restaurant—maybe both).

Lastly, an extravagant promotion of the product from 1901.


Auckland Star 20 July 1901 Page 6