Summary

Invitation to the Opening of the First Commonwealth Parliament of Australia, 9 May 1901. The invitation was sent to Mr & Mrs Anthony Clota.

The invitation was designed by John Longstaff and Norman Lindsay. The Weekly Times, 16 March 1901, described the invitation: 'The design is severely classical, and inspired with the motive of conveying a due sense of the greatness and dignity of this historic event.'

Physical Description

White card invitation of an engraving in several colours. Contains symbolic female figures and coat of arms representing the British and Australian Commonwealth. Central figure, seated, represents Justice. At her feet a crown and scepter are laid, 'to denote that the monarch will always acquiesce in laws passed by Parliament, provided they are just.' On the left appears a figure of Britannia, above the royal coat of arms and in front of the white cliffs of England; on the right is a female figure representing Australia, with one hand out-stretched and above the Australian Coat of Arms. Behind her is a pastoral scene; she stands beneath a gum tree. At the top is a border of waratahs; on the left is a border of oak. The six states are represented in shields at the bottom of the card.

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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