Summary

Gentlemen's season ticket to attend the Victorian Exhibition in Melbourne in 1861, and the subsequent International Exhibition in London, 1862. Housed in ornate gilt binding by William Detmold, bookbinder, Melbourne, and including a chronology of Australian commemorations during October-November 1861, printed for the Victorian Exhibition and listing the seven classes for exhibits.

The Victorian Exhibition 1861 was held in Melbourne's first Exhibition Building, built in 1854 on the corner of Latrobe and William Streets. It was designed by Samuel Hendon Merrett and Thomas Merrett, architects and designers for the Melbourne Exhibition of 1854. The building served a variety of purposes, both as an exhibition building for the 1854 and 1861 exhibitions, as the primary concert venue for the Melbourne Philharmonic Society between 1854-66, a lecture hall, and the venue for the 1864 Vice Regal Ball.

After suffering a range of structural problems and leaking glass roof, the building was demolished at the end of the 1860s and the Melbourne Mint constructed on the same site during 1871-72.

Physical Description

Gilt and black leather bound seasonal ticket to the Victorian Exhibition 1861, held in Melbourne, and the International Exhibition 1862, in London. The cover depicts a gilt embossed illustration of Melbourne's original Exhibition Building on the corner William and Latrobe streets, now the former Melbourne Mint. The end pages list commemorative dates across the months of October and November 1861, while the inner catalogue lists the seven classes of exhibits on display at the Melbourne exhibition.

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