A postcard from Dili at the turn of 20th century

A postcard from Dilly, Portuguese Timor, dated March 21st, 1907. This BW photo points towards the hills in the south of Dili along Avenida Bispo de Medeiros (see map below and more recent photo here). I suspect the fences to the right belongs to what is now Mercado Municipal (Dili Convention Centre in Mercado Lama).

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The postcard was sent to the US by one Gordon Taylor, addressed to 18 Gould Avenue, Newark, New Jersey. 18 Gould is now an empty lot as you can see on the Google map below. Where are the descendants of Mr Taylor, one wonders.


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According to the postcard, Timor or Dili was the sender's first foreign stop, a possible indication that the traveller might have originated from Australia or New Zealand, or even one of the island nations in the Pacific. He or she was en route to Manila. 'Wonderful spot', the sender said of Dili (or Timor).

You can find more of these old postcards on Timor Online (link to album), a Facebook discussion group set up by Portuguese people with links to Timor, past and present. You have to have a Facebook account and be a member of this group to see the photos.