Summary

Booklet titled 'Descriptive Catalogue / Exhibition of Enlargements / Official War Photographs', produced to accompany an exhibition of 'Official War Photographs' arranged by the Australian War Museum, Exhibition Building, Melbourne, in 1921. Although the War Museum opened officially to the public on Anzac Day, 1922, several smaller exhibitions were held earlier, including this photographic exhibition which opened in August 1921.

The catalogue lists the 247 photographs in the exhibition, with brief descriptions of the place and circumstances depicted, and their 'Official Photo No.' Visitors could access the Australian War Museum's 'entire' collection of 20,000 photographs, contained in 'records and albums', and order copies of them. It was suggested that the copies would make suitable gifts for returned soldiers.

The Australian War Museum was located at the Exhibition Building between 1921 and 1925 before it moved to Sydney where it was housed in the Exhibition Building in Prince Alfred Park. It remained there until closing in 1935, by which time construction had commenced on a purpose-built Australian War Memorial in the new national capital, Canberra. The new building was opened by the Governor-General, Lord Gowrie, on Remembrance Day, 11 November 1941.

The Australian War Memorial continued to use the Exhibition Building as its principal store until the 1940s and as its main office in the 1930s.

Physical Description

Australian War Museum. Descriptive Catalogue Exhibition of enlargements, Official War photographs. Octavo, stapled in title wrappers. Melbourne, Australian War Museum, 1921.

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