The fishing village, harbour, and seafront life of old Kalk Bay — the place where the Van Blerk family put down roots at the Cape.
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Fishing boats drawn up on the beach beneath the mountain, with the village's thatched and tin-roofed cottages behind — the working heart of old Kalk Bay.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A view back across the harbour to the village, with the pier, station buildings, and the row of houses climbing the lower slopes of the mountain.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A hand-tinted postcard of Kalk Bay's fishing quarter, sailing boats drawn up along the shore and a crowd gathered on the rocks — published by Causton.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
Children and bathers in the tidal pool, with the village and railway line behind. One of the more precisely dated postcards in this collection, thanks to its postmark.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A lively holiday scene — sailing boats moored in the harbour, crowds strolling the seafront path in their Sunday best, and the False Bay Fishing Curing Co. building visible at left.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A remarkable handwritten petition referencing Kalk Bay's early whale fishery. The petitioners — Antonio Da Roza and Dina Chatarina Nor[?]ha, among others — ask the Colonial authorities for leave to marry and have their children christened, and for a passport to remain in the Colony.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A grand seafront hotel with Cape Dutch and Tudor-style gables, palm trees, and neat gardens — one of several hotels that served Kalk Bay's holidaymakers in this period.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A double-storey hotel with wraparound verandahs, advertising Ohlsson's ales, stout and lager beer — a glimpse of the village's social hub of the day.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A striking balanced boulder overlooking the sea — one of the natural landmarks that made Kalk Bay a popular subject for postcard photographers.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A full panorama of the village curling around the bay beneath the mountain, repurposed as a festive greetings card — thatched roofs sit alongside the newer tin-roofed cottages.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A festive hand-tinted postcard — “A Happy Christmas” — showing rowing boats returning to shore as a crowd gathers to meet them.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A market-day scene on the beach, with bathing boxes, fishing boats, and a crowd gathered along the seafront path beneath the railway.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A wide panorama looking along the coast toward the harbour and pier, with the village climbing the mountainside above.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive
A festive crowd gathers along the seafront to watch the regatta, with the Kalk Bay Fish and Land Co. building visible across the harbour.
Image courtesy Michael Fortune / The Cape of Diab Archive