Christmas card (kangaroo) from Ronnie McPhee to the McPhee family during World War I

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Christmas cards
Place: Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Materials: Ink, Paper
Collection: Judy and Ian McPhee collection no. 2
Accession number: 2012.0025.0016

Description

A printed folded Christmas card with a handwritten annotation. Decoration at the top of the card depicts a kangaroo against a yellow Australian mainland beneath an empire star and flanked by two flags: the Union Jack and the Australian Red Ensign. The text reads 'With / the Season's Greetings / and all good wishes / for a / Happy New Year / from Ronnie.' The word Ronnie is in slightly faded handwriting in ink. The paper is foxed.

This card was sent to the McPhee family from Ronnie McPhee, while serving in France during the First World War.

About the collection

This collection consists of a number of objects relating to the life of Muriel McPhee (1899 -1986). These include shoes, a hat and hatbox, gold bracelet and ring, mourning brooch, WWI era cards and photographs, lamp, women's clothing and undergarments, stockings, gloves, handmade post-partum abdominal binder and breast-feeding camisole, grocers invoices and hand-embroidered doily. Between 1916 and 1918, Muriel McPhee made a collection of clothes and household items, termed a 'trousseau', in preparation for her expected wedding and subsequent married life. Tragically, Muriel's 'sweetheart' was killed during World War 1, robbing her of her dreams of love, marriage and children. In keeping with post-WWI mourning customs, which were marked by stoicism and reserve, Muriel wore black clothing and accessories and kept mementoes such as photographs and a ring as constant reminders of her loss and grief. Like many bereaved young rural women, the loss of her 'young man' resulted in Muriel taking on an increasing burden of farm work, which restricted her access to further education and social opportunities. At the same time, she strove through her personal appearance to meet social expectations of femininity, modesty and sexual attractiveness and contributed to community solidarity through her sustained friendships with close friends and neighbours.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:00:19 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-02-24. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.