J.W. Cliff (1844 – 1919) was born in Leeds, Yorkshire West Riding to Isaac Cliff and Eleanor Spence.

He migrated to Australia (date unknown) where he married Jessie Louisa Smedley in George St, Sydney, on the 26 December 1867.

Warehouseman

On arrival in Australia, he joined the firm of WG Gardiner and Co. as a warehouseman.

He either joined in a senior role, or rapidly ascended to the position of partner in the firm as evidenced

In March 1882 as Mr JW Cliff, a partner of WG Gardiner and Company, Importers and Warehousemen, prepared for his departure to England, the employees presented to him an illuminated album containing professional photographic portraits, and rural and urban views of New South Wales. Each of the album’s 50 pages was decorated with exquisite medieval-style illuminations … The album was produced to commemorate Cliff’s departure for Europe with his family and was offered, the ‘grateful employés’ stated on the title page, as ‘a slight token’ of the ‘high admiration and esteem’ in which they held Cliff. With dimensions of 480 x 410 x 5 centimetres and weighing 8 kilograms, their token of admiration and esteem seems anything but slight.

From “Medievalism and the colonial imperative, Illuminating their links in colonial New South Wales”, by Valda Rigg

Here are a couple of the opening pages from the illustrated album

Waiwera

The home ‘Waiwera’ in Lavender Bay, Sydney, was the home of John W Cliff and his family