Historical photography, therefore, plays a pivotal role in deltiology in that photographers were ultimately responsible for capturing the images contained on postcards. They captured scenes of interest, developed the photograph, and then either published the postcards themselves or collaborated with publishers to produce postcards for mass sales. Sadly, in the majority of instances, the photographers are unknown. Finding publisher details on the cards is more common. Some prolific publishers may even have hired photographers with the aim of capturing a broad spectrum of photographs to be reproduced in postcard format.

The fact remains, photographers significantly contributed to the visual content and historical documentation that deltiologists like me find of value today.

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In short, the relationship between photography and deltiology allows for the preservation of our visual history.

Any South African postcard in photo format automatically qualifies for inclusion in the Hardijzer Photographic Research Collection (HPRC) in that the photographs assist with broader research.

In Europe, many publications, relying on the photographic picture postcard, have been published to capture the photographic history of particular towns. This has also partly been achieved in South Africa with the publication of such books on Johannesburg, Durban, and Kimberley.

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These publications provide us with a glimpse into what our towns looked like more than one hundred years ago. In some instances, buildings have survived the onslaught of development and are possibly still in use or have been preserved for posterity.

This article reflects on the visual history of the town of Heidelberg (Gauteng) as photographed and portrayed in photographic postcard format between 1900 and 1915. This is Heidelberg in Gauteng (old Transvaal). Heidelberg in the Western Cape had much earlier beginnings.

While much has been published on the history of Heidelberg, a brief overview in support of the visual historical narrative is provided below.

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A brief history of Heidelberg:

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Heidelberg lies at the foothills of the Suikerbosrand, a ridge that also features the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. Before colonisation and the Basotho wars, the area was once the kraal of the Bakwena.

Heidelberg is one of the older towns in the Transvaal province, with significant architecture and a rich history. This historic town (in a South African context) is situated some 75 kilometres southeast of Johannesburg and expanded between 1890 and 1910 following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand gold reef in 1885. The Mining Commissioner’s office was also soon established in town.

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Heidelberg developed as a typical rural Victorian town. Many buildings dating back to the period between 1890 and 1910 have been preserved, including the home of A.G. Visser, a well-loved medical practitioner and famous Afrikaans poet. Other historical landmarks in the town include the old jail, the original railway station, and the Klipkerk (Dutch Reformed Church). A monument in memory of Boer women and children (black and white) who died in British-built concentration camps during the second Anglo-Boer War has also been erected. A number of buildings in Heidelberg, such as the Dutch Reformed Church, the Volkskool, and the railway station have been declared heritage sites.

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Heidelberg had its origins in the early 1860s, after a trading station was built on the farm Langlaagte by the German, Heinrick Julius Christian Ueckermann. The town is named after Ueckermann’s German university town, with the initial development of the town taking place around Ueckermann’s store.

Having been laid out as a church place in 1865, the district of Heidelberg was proclaimed in 1866. 

Sandeman, an early traveller, had the following uncomplimentary comment to make about Heidelburg (his spelling) in 1877:

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Looking down on the village from a mile or two away, it has all the appearance of a pretty, old-fashioned German hamlet, but a closer inspection showed it to be a decidedly dirty and unpicturesque little place.

Although a small town at the time, it briefly functioned as a seat of government of the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek in 1880-81. Heidelberg was selected because it had no British troops stationed there, thus the Republic could be re-proclaimed without interference from the military. The town rose to fame on 16 December 1880 (Dingaan’s Day), when the Boers (Dutch-speaking farmers) raised their flag in town in defiance of British authority − the same day the first Anglo-Boer War began.

Heidelberg became a municipality in 1903.

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Heinrick Julius Friedrich Christian Ueckermann (1812 – 1883):

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Ueckermann arrived in South Africa in 1849. He disembarked in Durban and set up business in Pietermaritzburg. In April 1855, he married British-born Elizabeth Mason (1832 – 1910) in Pietermaritzburg. The couple had 13 children (another source suggests 14).

After the birth of their first son, they trekked extensively by ox-wagon into the interior, as far as the Soutpansberg. It was on this trek that their first daughter was born in 1856.

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On a subsequent trek, Ueckermann got to the farm Langlaagte and decided that the location was ideal to establish a trading store, resulting in the end of the family’s wanderings.

He purchased a piece of land from local farmers to set up the trading store. This piece of land still exists as Stand No. 92 on the corner of Ueckermann and Kerk Street.

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His business was successful, resulting in him becoming a respected citizen of the town. He also represented Heidelberg in the Volksraad (Parliament) and was a member of the executive board.

Ueckermann was business minded in that he not only had the trading store, but he also opened a chemist (which gave rise to the thought that he may have studied pharmacology in Germany). He is also recorded as being a building contractor. He was also a member and the secretary of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk, and it was under his supervision that the first church was built in 1864-65.

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Ueckermann Street, named after Heinrick, starts at the present-day roundabout next to Blesbok Spruit inclining to the Old Jail. It runs parallel to Voortrekker Street on both sides of the old market and church squares.

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Not only did the square determine the location, scale, and proportions of the buildings to each other, but also the setting of the street. It is noticeable that most of the double-storey buildings are located on Ueckermann Street and it was therefore seen as the main trading centre.

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Heidelberg photographers:

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The following photographers have been identified to date as having been active in Heidelberg between 1860 and 1915 and may have played a role in producing some of the images included in this article.

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Drieselmann Wilhelm Peter Franz (1861 – 1915)

Drieselmann was born in Hanover, Linden, Prussia in 1861. On 19 May 1884, he married Auguste Bernadina Pistorius in Heidelberg. The couple had 8 children: Johan Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor, Getruida Catharina, Erwine Magdalena, Irene, Violet, Erina Agnes, Eleonora & Friedrich. ​The Drieselmann studio was based on Market Square between 1889 and 1899. Drieselmann passed away in Heidelberg on 7 August 1915, at the early age of 54. While photographs by him carry the initials FW, his death certificate confirms that he was a photographer at the time of his death.

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The publisher of the majority of the cards included in this article was Harry Noel Fisher. British-born Fisher happens to have been the son-in-law to Drieselmann. Fisher married Getruida Catharina Drieselmann on 8 June 1910, in Heidelberg. Fisher is also recorded as having been a hairdresser. It is therefore deduced that Drieselmann took the photographs and Fisher had them published.

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Two other photographers who were based in town were:

• August Blaettler (1877 – 1948). Swiss-born Blaettler passed away in Pretoria, where he also ran a photographic establishment. It is not known exactly when, or for how long he was based in Heidelberg;

• Robinson Christiaan Engelstoft Nissen (1865 – 1955). The British-born Nissen was based in Heidelberg between 1893 and 1898.

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Closing:

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The collection of postcards depicting Heidelberg is by no means a complete representation of photographs depicting the town that were converted to postcards at the time.

A gap in the images presented here are postcards of other church buildings in town, the Normal College (built in 1911), the old jail (built in 1888) or even the two unique homesteads, namely the Old Drostdy (magistrate residence built in 1903) or De Rust (built around 1906). In time, I am hoping to find some of these (and other) cards to expand on Heidelberg’s earlier visual representation.

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Considering the vast number of South African-themed cards produced between 1900 and 1925, it is not possible to collect them all. Many collectors select specific themes.

Examples of such themes vary between ethnicity, bridges, railway stations, trams, post offices, market places, and specific towns.

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The next article in this series, relying purely on picture postcards similar to those included in this article, will be on the town of Standerton which was established in 1876.

One of my most challenging deltiology themes is that of water wheels in South Africa. To date, the collection only consists of 5 such examples.

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Also see the article on South African ethno-photography and the picture postcard (click here to view).

 

About the author: Carol is passionate about South African Photographica – anything and everything to do with the history of photography. He not only collects anything relating to photography, but also extensively conducts research in this field. He has published a variety of articles on this topic and assisted a publisher and fellow researchers in the field. Of particular interest to Carol are historical South African photographs. He is conducting research on South African based photographers from before 1910. Carol has one of the largest private photographic collections in South Africa.

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Sources:

1. Müller, H. (nd). Heidelberg. (www.ruralexploration.co.za)

2. Unknown (extracted 5 June 2023). About the reserve. (www.friendsofsuikerbosrand.co.za)

3. Unknown (extracted 5 June 2023) Heidelberg history leaflet (www.heritagechroniclesa.org)

4. Unknown (extracted 5 June 2023). Old Heidelberg station heritage day relived. (https://heidelbergheritage.co.za)

5. van den Berg, J. (2009). The evolution of the blockhouse system in South Africa (www.theheritageportal.co.za)

6. van Staden, N. (2022). Heidelberg Police station gets blue plaque status. (https://heidelbergnigelheraut.co.za)

7. Wikipedia (extracted 5 June 2023). Heidelberg, Gauteng. (https://en.wikipedia.org)