Peter Sykes of Swanage said the East Cliff lift postcard postmarked 1916 printed on May 13 was a reproduction of a picture taken by Edwardian photographer Francis Godolphin Osbourne Stuart FRPS.
Francis published his own black and white postcards from 1901. He was the official government photographer for the port of Southampton, recording damage to ships during the First World War. He died in 1923 aged 80 and is buried in Southampton Old Cemetery.
The East Cliff lift is the oldest of the three operating in the borough. Built by Waygood & Company Limited of London it was opened by Lady Meyrick on April 16 1908.
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