Old Fremantle Childhood

Arnold Beste arrived in Fremantle, Australia in 1905 from Germany with his family and became a professional photographer. Little of his work remains except the charming photographs of his children as they played, went on picnics, and grew up on the streets of Fremantle. Over seventy previously unpublished photographs illuminate the childhood of the three Beste children in this port town, between the gold rushes and World War I. For them, fresh air and freedom were part of daily life, but it also included everyday obstacles such as class sizes in excess of sixty pupils, the bubonic plague, and the discussion of secret files revealing concern about Arnold Beste's German heritage which surfaced during the Great War. Much more than a simple tribute to the excellence of Arnold Beste's photography, the complimentary text and contemporary material make this a fascinating insight into Australian childhood a century ago. The beautifully produced book is available in a regular hardback edition or a boxed limited edition of 200 copies. Old Fremantle Childhood follows John Dowson's Old Fremantle, which was a winner of the Western Australian Premier's Book Award.