| Brief Description |
Illuminated address album, with a citizens' address, comprising illustrated pages extolling William Webb's achievement in winning the World Single Sculls Championship in 1907 on the Whanganui River. Each page was designed by Benoni White, and the album was bound by HI Jones & Son.
The cover is in dark maroon fine leather with a gold-leaf pattern of symmetrical squares and motifs, "W.W." in the centre, and "Citizen's Address To William Webb. Wanganui August 16.1907." in the lower right corner. Each internal page features an illustration of an event in William Webb’s life, training, or the championship race itself, and the final two pages are signed by eminent citizens of Wanganui. Pages are as follows:
P1: Title page, Citizens Address to William Webb on the occasion of his winning the World’s Sculling Championship.
P2: Sporting performances up until 1907, with a portrait of Webb in the centre.
P3: Championship Sculler of the World, with a sepia-toned portrait of Webb on his boat in the top left corner, and a gentleman with a moustache in the top right. Text of the address begins [refer to ‘Inscriptions’ for page-by-page account of the text].
P4: Text continues. Image of several boats on the Whanganui River with people standing on them in the top left corner, head and shoulders portrait of Webb wearing his rowing uniform in the lower right.
P5: Text continues. Image of a view of the town of Wanganui with a focus on the rowing club in the centre of the page in sepia tones, green fern decoration at top of page.
P6: Text continues. Colour image of a stretch of the Whanganui River in the top left of the page, image of Webb in striped uniform in his boat in the lower right.
P7: Text continues. Sepia toned portrait of a balding gentleman in an ornate frame in the centre of the page.
P8: Text continues. Black and white image of several steam boats, sailing boats and waka with people aboard on the Whanganui River in the centre of the page.
P9: Text finished. Signatures of several Wanganui Citizens on lower half of the page.
P10: Signatures continue.
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| Signature/Marks |
W. W. / CITIZENS' / ADDRESS / TO / WILLIAM WEBB. / Wanganui. August 16, 1907.
BOUND BY / H. I. JONES & SON LTD. / WANGANUI
CITIZENS' ADDRESS / TO / WILLIAM WEBB. / on the occasion of his winning / THE WORLD'S SCULLING CHAMPIONSHIP. / Wanganui N.Z. August 16th 1907.
Performances:- / Prior to 1900: Two Starta at / PICTON: One at WELLINGTON, / obtaining One First, and / TWO SECONDS = JUNIOR FOURS. / 1900-1. WANGANUI:- / 1st Maiden Sculls, and / 2nd Junior Fours, and / unplaced in J. Clinker Fours. / 1901-2. WANGANUI:- / 1st Senior Sculls, / 1st Junior Sculls. / 1902-3. WANGANUI:- / 1st Senior Sculls, / 1st Champion Sculls. / 1903-4. WELLINGTON:- / 1st Senior Fours / 1st Senior Sculls.
Performances:- / 1904-5. WELLINGTON:- / 2ns Champion Sculls. / 1st Champion Doubles. / WANGANUI:- / 1st S. Clinker Fours, / 1st S. Best + Best Fours, / 1st Senior Sculls. / 1905-6. PICTON:- 1st Ch: Sculls, / 1st Ch: Doubles. / WAITARA: 1st S. Fours. / WANGANUI:- 2nd S. Fours, / 1st S. Sculls. / 1906 Dec: 26th: WANGANUI R. Debût as / Professional; defeating / James Stanbury - /ex-world’s Champion. / 1907 Aug: 3rd. PARRAMATTA R. N.S.W. / defeated Chas. Towns, / thus securing the / WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP.
William Webb / Champion Sculler OF THE WORLD. / Dear Mr. Webb, / on your return from Sydney,
where, on the Parramatta River, / famous as the scene of many / great aquatic struggles, you won / the sculling Championship of the world on August 3rd, 1907, defeating / the holder, Charles Towns, YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS / desire to congratulate you on the / enviable distinction thus earned, and / bid you a hearty welcome / home. / The fact that you are the first
New Zealand to win the coveted / title is a source of great satisfact- / ion to your fellow citizens, / enhanced by the fact that though / not a native of our Town, you / have resided here for so many / years as to identify yourself with the / place, and have practically learned all
your rowing on the / Wanganui River. / Not only do we feel / proud of your achievement, but / throughout the Dominion the same / feeling of pleasure was felt at your / victory as was displayed here. / We feel that your success as an / oarsman was thoroughly well deserved on / account of the single-minded way in which you
have pursued the great object of the world’s / Championship. / Your strict attention to your / training, your straight-going / & sportsman- like qualities & / your invariable modesty in the / hour of victory have gained you a place / in our admiration, no less than your skill / with the oar. / We are sure
that your success on the Parramatta River will / give a great fillip to sculling in the Dominion of / New Zealand. / In again / congratulating you on your / deserved win we would ex- / press the hope that you may / long retain the proud distinction / so worthily gained, feeling sure that when the time comes, / - as come it must, - for you to hand over the title of
Champion-Sculler of the World to another man, you / will still retain what is more worthy still, - the / record of a clean and honourable career as a / genuine Sport. / We are, / yours most faithfully,
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