Picnic at Enoggera Reservoir, Brisbane - circa 1910

The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1890s. Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry after WWI. Throughout this initial era, the development of automotive technology was rapid. Hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included the electric ignition system, independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. Transmissions and throttle controls were widely adopted and safety glass also made its debut. Henry Ford perfected mass-production techniques, and Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” auto companies by the 1920s. Car manufacturers received enormous orders from the military during World War II, and afterward automobile production in the United States, Europe, and Japan soared.

The Coloured Shell series of postcards from 1905 until 1915 are beautifully coloured cards produced from photos taken all around Queensland, Australia. They were a high quality postcard and very popular at the time and now are very keenly sought after by collectors. Although the photographers of the original photos on which these postcards are based are not mentioned, Henry Mobsby (photographer with the Qld Govt Dept of Tourism) is believed to be one of them.