This fascinating historic album from the other side of the world is now in the collections of Gallery Oldham.

If you were travelling to New Zealand in the nineteenth century then this large album of pressed ferns is something that you might well have brought back as a souvenir.

These albums produced in New Zealand (and Australia) were also recommended as gifts for sending to friends in ‘the old Country’ and hence are quite commonly found in Britain.

The heyday of their production was from 1870-1900 and the main centres of production were Auckland and Dunedin in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, we have no information as to who brought this item back to Oldham, but it is thought that this volume may be quite a rare example of its type.

A study of contemporary newspaper advertisements and of entries and prizes awarded at both local and international exhibitions give us details.

Research shows that this album was made between 1874 and 1876 as the preparator, James Moreton, was only in business for a short time.

We know his name from the small, printed label stuck to the inside back cover.

The label tells us that Moreton was also a naturalist and taxidermist.

He was based in the city of Invercargill which is in the extreme south west of New Zealand.

There are 30 pages of pressed ferns in the book each page has a main fern in the centre which is carefully labelled in handwriting giving us the name of the species.

Most pages are additionally decorated with smaller ferns and mosses.

It is likely that these beautiful arrangements were made with other family members assisting.

In 1876 Moreton was declared bankrupt and all his assets were sold.

A newspaper advertisement in 1880 tells us that he was selling live ferns for export and that he won prizes at the Southland Horticultural Association show for his displays of living ferns.

The Victorian age was marked with a great popularity for ferns which appeared in all forms of decoration as well in gardening and for house plants.