National Library of Australia

Australia’s first government sponsored treasures exhibition

Two similar exhibitions followed the one in Hobart. The first was held in 1861 in Melbourne; the next was again in Hobart in 1862. But the first great Australian treasures exhibition was not until 1869, and its origins were very different. It was the idea of a public body—a Fine Arts Commission appointed by the Victorian government. It was staged Australia’s first government-funded and operated library, the Melbourne Public Library.

The goal was still primarily to put private collections on public display. Yet the Library’s Trustees, whose responsibilities included Melbourne’s Art Gallery and its Museum, were by far the biggest lenders. For all that private collectors enjoyed the chance to display their treasures, the Trustees made the most of this opportunity to reveal their own.

The 2640 objects on display that filled the Library’s Great Hall were even more diverse than those in Manchester. Of these, 300 items, ranging from a worm plant from New Zealand to a piece of marble from Old London Bridge and a ‘snuff-box, very ancient’ [Catalogue of the Works of Art, Ornamental and Decorative Art, Exhibited by the Trustees of the Melbourne Public Library and Museum, Melbourne: Trustees of the Public Library, (final edn), 1969, p. 46.], defied all traditional collection categories.

For all this wealth of material, only one object was displayed for its Australian historical significance: a colt revolver from the Burke and Wills expedition.

The exhibition was open six days a week and the entry fee was modest: one shilling for an adult and sixpence for a child. Adults only had to pay sixpence on Saturday nights, as the organisers sought to make it accessible to working men and women ‘whose ordinary occupations would debar them from the enjoyment’ [Christine Downer and Jennifer Phipps, Victorian Vision: 1834 Onwards, Images and Records from the National Gallery of Victoria and State Library of Victoria, Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 1985, p. 38.].

Only about 100 people went on each of the first few days, but the crowds rapidly increased so that the organisers extended the exhibition from two to three months. In all, over 5000 people bought season tickets, while almost 55 000 paid for admission at the door, yielding a profit of over £2500, which was used to fund an art scholarship.

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