# Richmond Guardian

> newspaper from Australia

**Wikidata**: [Q115569371](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115569371)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/richmond-guardian

## Summary

The Richmond Guardian was an Australian newspaper published in Victoria from 1885 to 1924, serving the Richmond area. It operated for approximately 39 years before ceasing publication in 1924, and is catalogued in the National Library of Australia's Trove database with the identifier 310. As a regional newspaper from Australia, it contributed to the landscape of Australian journalism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

## Key Facts

- **Publication years:** 1885–1924 (active for 39 years)
- **Place of publication:** Richmond, Victoria, Australia
- **Country of origin:** Australia
- **Format:** Printed newspaper (typical of the era)
- **Trove newspaper ID:** 310 (National Library of Australia)
- **Instance of:** Newspaper (as classified in Wikidata)
- **Wikidata description:** "newspaper from Australia"
- **Dewey Decimal classification:** 070 (newspapers and journalism, per standard newspaper classification)
- **UNSPSC Code:** 55101504 (newspapers, per standard product taxonomy)

## FAQs

**What type of publication was the Richmond Guardian?**

The Richmond Guardian was a scheduled newspaper publication containing news of events, articles, features, editorials, and advertising—consistent with the standard definition of a newspaper. It was published in print format, which was the dominant medium for newspapers during its operational period from 1885 to 1924.

**Where was the Richmond Guardian published?**

The Richmond Guardian was published in Richmond, Victoria, Australia. Victoria was one of Australia's most populous and economically significant colonies/states during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Richmond was a substantial suburb of Melbourne.

**When did the Richmond Guardian operate?**

The Richmond Guardian operated from 1885 until 1924, representing approximately 39 years of continuous publication. This timeframe places it squarely within Australia's colonial and early federal period, covering significant historical events including the federation of Australia in 1901.

**How is the Richmond Guardian catalogued in Australian archives?**

The Richmond Guardian is catalogued in the National Library of Australia's Trove database with the identifier 310. Trove is a major digital resource for Australian historical newspapers, providing access to digitized copies and bibliographic information for thousands of newspaper titles published across Australia's history.

**What is the classification of the Richmond Guardian in library systems?**

In library classification systems, the Richmond Guardian falls under the Dewey Decimal classification 070, which covers newspapers and journalism. It is also classified under UNSPSC Code 55101504 (newspapers) in product taxonomies. As an Australian newspaper, it would be categorized within the broader hierarchy of periodicals, printed press, and print-native publications.

## Why It Matters

The Richmond Guardian matters as a historical record of Australian journalism and regional media in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Operating from 1885 to 1924, it documented nearly four decades of local, state, and national events in Victoria, providing coverage of politics, commerce, community affairs, and social developments in the Richmond area and broader Victoria region.

As one of many regional newspapers that flourished during Australia's colonial and early federal period, the Richmond Guardian represents the vital role of local press in shaping community identity and disseminating information before the era of electronic media. Its 39-year publication run demonstrates sustained demand for local news in the Richmond area during a period of significant growth in Melbourne's suburbs.

The newspaper's inclusion in the National Library of Australia's Trove database (ID: 310) ensures its preservation and accessibility for historical research, genealogy, and scholarly study of Australian media history. Such regional newspapers collectively form the foundation of Australia's journalistic heritage, documenting perspectives and events that national outlets often overlooked.

## Notable For

- Being an Australian regional newspaper with a 39-year publication run from 1885 to 1924
- Serving the Richmond suburb of Melbourne, Victoria
- Being preserved and catalogued in the National Library of Australia's Trove database (ID: 310)
- Representing Australian regional journalism during the colonial and early federal period
- Contributing to the documented history of newspapers in Australia, which spans over 200 Wikipedia language editions

## Body

### Historical Context

The Richmond Guardian operated from 1885 to 1924, a period encompassing significant transformations in Australian society. During these years, Australia evolved from a collection of British colonies into a federated nation. The newspaper's founding in 1885 occurred during Victoria's economic boom period, while its cessation in 1924 followed World War I and the dramatic social and economic changes that accompanied it.

The newspaper operated within the broader context of Australian newspaper development, which traces its roots to the invention of the newspaper format in 1605. Australian newspapers emerged from the British journalistic tradition, adapting to local conditions and community needs. The Richmond Guardian exemplified this tradition, serving as a local voice for the Richmond community while connecting it to broader regional and national currents.

### Geographic and Cultural Context

Richmond, Victoria, is an inner-suburb of Melbourne located approximately 3 kilometres east of the CBD. During the late 19th century, Richmond was a densely populated working-class and middle-class area with strong industrial, commercial, and residential development. The presence of a local newspaper like the Richmond Guardian reflected the community's need for information specific to local affairs, commerce, and social life.

Victoria, as the Australian state where Richmond is located, was during this period one of the nation's most populous and economically developed regions. Melbourne, Victoria's capital, served as Australia's largest city and commercial centre for much of this era, and suburbs like Richmond played integral roles in the city's social and economic fabric.

### Publication Details

As a newspaper of its era, the Richmond Guardian would have contained the standard components typical of late 19th and early 20th century newspapers: news reports, opinion pieces, editorials, features, and advertising. The structural elements common to newspapers of this period—including columns, opinion pieces, and editorial content—would have been present in its pages.

The newspaper operated exclusively in print format, as digital publication did not exist during its operational period. Print newspapers of this era typically used paper as their primary material, consistent with the general characteristic noted in newspaper classification systems.

### Cataloguing and Preservation

The Richmond Guardian is catalogued in the National Library of Australia's Trove database, which represents the most comprehensive digital collection of Australian historical newspapers. The Trove identifier 310 distinguishes this title among thousands of Australian newspaper titles preserved in the collection. This cataloguing enables researchers, genealogists, and historians to access and study the newspaper's content.

In library classification systems, the Richmond Guardian falls under the Dewey Decimal system classification 070, which encompasses newspapers and journalism. This classification places it within the broader category of periodicals and printed press, consistent with its nature as a scheduled publication.

### Classification in Information Systems

The Richmond Guardian is classified in Wikidata as an instance of "newspaper" with the country of origin listed as Australia. Its place of publication is recorded as Victoria. This classification connects the newspaper to broader ontological structures in knowledge bases, including equivalents in DBpedia and Schema.org for the general concept of newspapers.

The newspaper's classification as a product category and subclass of periodical, goods, printed press, and print-native publication reflects its role as a commercial cultural product that served community information needs.

### Relationship to Broader Newspaper Ecology

The Richmond Guardian existed within a broader ecosystem of Australian newspapers. During its operational period, Australia supported a vibrant newspaper industry with publications ranging from major metropolitan dailies to regional and suburban titles like the Richmond Guardian. This ecosystem provided diverse perspectives and local coverage that complemented national and state-level publications.

The general characteristics of newspapers—scheduled publication, inclusion of news, features, editorials, and advertising—apply to the Richmond Guardian. Its function as a vehicle for mass communication and public record in its local community represents the fundamental role that newspapers have played in democratic societies.

### Digital and Archival Presence

While the Richmond Guardian was published in an era before digital media, its legacy is preserved through digitization efforts by the National Library of Australia. The Trove database provides access to digitized copies of the newspaper, enabling contemporary researchers to examine its content. This digital preservation ensures that the Richmond Guardian's contribution to Australian journalism history remains accessible for future generations.

The newspaper's representation in Trove with ID 310 connects it to the broader digital infrastructure for Australian historical research, placing it within a collection that includes hundreds of newspaper titles spanning centuries of Australian publishing history.