Book, 'The Prize 1884'; 1884; XAH.GH.358
Book, 'The Prize 1884'
About this object
This hardbound book, entitled ‘The Prize’, belonged to nine-year-old Thora Daisy Kerr Taylor, known as Daisy to her family. The book contains black and white as well as coloured illustrations and Daisy’s name has been written on the front cover.
Daisy died of ‘brain fever’ on 15 September 1885, aged nine. Although it is not known for certain what was meant by ‘brain fever’, it is likely that it was some form of meningitis.
While the death of a child was not unusual during the Victorian era, this does not mean that the loss was not felt greatly by parents and family members. In the Kerr Taylor family archives held at Alberton, there are a number of mementoes which serve as poignant reminders of the family’s tragic loss, including small drawings by Daisy and a portrait of Daisy with her older sister Adeline Violet. Daisy’s parents also commissioned a stained stained glass window in the chancel in St. Luke’s Church in Mount Albert, Auckland, in memory of their young daughter. (1)
(1) Jan Harris, ‘Alberton and Its Family,’ 1999
For more information about the Kerr Taylor family and Alberton, which is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, visit our website.
Paper and cardboard
Measurements23 x 17cm
Date Made1884
Place Made PublisherWells, Gardner, Darton & Co.
Publication Date1884
Publication PlaceLondon, England
Credit LineCollection of Alberton, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
Object Type Object numberXAH.GH.358
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