c1880s-1905
A fascinating and probably unique collection of labels from the firm of F. W. Niven & Co of Ballarat. For some background on this company see the Australian Dictionary of Biography entry on Francis Wilson Niven.
It is interesting to note that Hans Irvine was manager of Niven & Co in the 1880s as many of the labels in this collection are variously for Irvine’s wine business or his predecessor in the Great Western Vineyard, Joseph Best.
The labels themselves were found in two thin leather bound folders that were carried by salesmen for the firm as examples of the company’s work.