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Book - Star Twinkles

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ProvenanceAlfred Sawtell was a well-known nautical optician in Port Adelaide. This volume was donated by to the museum by his great granddaughter. The Port Adelaide business known colloquially as Sawtell’s ‘Nautical Optician’ was founded in 1853 and specialised in the manufacture and repair of timepieces, spectacles and navigational instruments. Its co-founder and namesake, Edwin Sawtell, was the first optician and watchmaker in South Australia, and later went on to establish a well-known jewellers and optometry practice in Adelaide. Sawtell’s son and business partner, Alfred Edwin Sawtell, assumed sole ownership of the nautical optician shop in the 1860s and remained at its helm until his death in 1902.In addition to the equipment and repair services provided by their shop, the Sawtells also benefitted the people of Port Adelaide and its surrounds by keeping accurate time. Prior to completion of the Government Observatory at Adelaide (1860) and time ball tower at Semaphore (1875), Edwin Sawtell and his son used a surveyor’s transit and astronomical clock to accurately calculate Greenwich Mean Time. They then relayed this information to vessels moored in the Port’s inner harbour so that their shipboard chronometers could be rated and corrected. Sawtell recognised the need for a comprehensive guide to the colony’s coastal waters and ports, and as a result compiled and published the first edition of Sawtell’s Nautical Almanac in 1873. The popular periodical was printed (often by Sawtell himself) at the nautical optician shop, and published annually until 1907. Sawtell also had a keen interest in astronomy and published a book on stellar navigation, Star Twinkles, in 1898.SignificancePort Adelaide was once a thriving maritime precinct with a plethora of nautical suppliers - instrument makers, ship chandlers, and sailmakers. Sawtell was one of the Port’s well known and respected marine businesses. The Star Twinkles almanac, produced by Sawtell was regarded as a navigational bible by local seafarers. This object conjures up an era when an extensive business network was sustained by maritime trade in the Port.DescriptionStar Twinkles, was published by Port Adelaide instrument maker Alfred E Sawtell. The hard cover book features a two-tone blue design with 'STAR/ TWINKLES' written in red within a large white star. 'Alfred E Sawtell/ PORT ADELAIDE' is inscribed in white across the bottom. A dedication in pencil on the title page indicates that it was given to Helen Muriel, tenth child of Alfred Sawtell. It is 68 pages with astronomical charts at the back. It contains practical information on astronomy and how to find and use stars.Creator (person) Creator (organisation) Acknowledgement KeywordsLGBTIQDate of Creation1898Date of Usage1898MaterialPaper
|card
|inks
|metal staples
|glues
DimensionType: Closed
Height: 182
Width: 120
Depth: 6
Unit (Lengths): mm
Accession NumberHT 2004.0619

Connections

PlacePort Adelaide, South AustraliaCollectionLGBTIQLGBTIQ

Image Credits

Image FilenameHT2004-0619_CI5338.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0PhotographerJames Bateman

Image Credits

Image FilenameHT2004-0157_CI2548.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0PhotographerRachel Harris, Bit Scribbly Design

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