Summary

Coloured invitation printed on card to a Conversazione, an evening event held in the Exhibition Building on the evening of Tuesday 7 May 1901 as part of the Australian Commonwealth Celebrations. The invitation was sent to Mr Richard Frederich Toutcher M.L.A. and Mrs Toutcher.

The invitation was designed by GBH Austin and was printed by Sands & McDougall Ltd. Austin's original design is in the Watson papers at the National Library of Australia.

George Brougham Hubert Austin (1859 -1921) was a Melbourne architect and artist who was employed for many years by the Victorian Department of Public Works where he designed the La Trobe Street Courts. He also designed many of the public decorations that festooned Melbourne during the Federation celebrations in 1901.

Description of Content

Printed colour invitation on card. Foxing across card and signs of insect grazing on right hand side of invitation. The invitation feautres a highly detailed decorative border surroundeing a view of the Royal Exhibition Building seen from the southern side. The border illustration depicts an abundance of native flora and fauna amongst framed vignettes of British monarchs,capital cities and state emblems. A coat of arms decorated with the southern cross is centred at the bottom of the composition. Below the feature illustration is a section of text printed in gold, with a handwritten invitation.

Physical Description

Printed colour invitation on card. Foxing across card and signs of insect grazing on right hand side of invitation. The invitation features a highly detailed decorative border surrounding a view of the Royal Exhibition Building seen from the southern side. The border illustration depicts an abundance of native flora and fauna amongst framed vignettes of British monarchs,capital cities and state emblems. A coat of arms decorated with the southern cross is centred at the bottom of the composition. Below the feature illustration is a section of text printed in gold, with a handwritten invitation.

Significance

On 9 May 1901 the Exhibition Building hosted the opening of the first Federal Parliament, where the new federal parliamentarians were sworn in, before an audience of 12,000 dignitaries and their families. Prime Minister Barton wanted the event to be as inclusive as possible and no other public building in Australia could accommodate such a large group of people.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York visited Melbourne for the event, creating great excitement as they attended receptions, processions and other functions held in their honour. Melbourne's streets and buildings were elaborately decorated, and people from all over Australia visited for the celebrations surrounding the opening. The Exhibition Building was the venue for many of the events during the week of celebrations which included the opening, a conversazione, evening reception and state schools fete.

Following the opening, the new Federal Parliament sat in Victorian Parliament House until 1927 when Parliament House (now old Parliament House) in Canberra was completed. During this time Victoria's State Parliament sat in a specially designed chamber in the Western Annex of the Exhibition Building.

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