Summary
Copy of The Australasian Sketcher, Adelaide edition, 11 June 1881 (pp177-92), published by G.N. & W.H. Birks, Adelaide.
The front page illustration depicts the Exhibition Ball held on 1 June 1881 at the Exhibition Building to mark the close of the Melbourne International Exhibition. The newspaper contains illustrations and extensive text including articles about the Exhibition.
The Ball was attended by approximately 2,200 people, a figure lower than anticipated by the event organisers. While the Exhibition Buildings represented the largest such space to hold a Ball, the numbers meant that the floor was not particularly crowded, with no use being made of the northern transept. A stage for Allan's band, under the leadership of Henry Warnecke, was erected under the main dome. The interior of the hall itself was primarily decorated with ferns and flags.
The International Exhibition ran from 1 October 1880 to 30 April 1881. Over 1.3 million people visited the exhibition at a time when Melbourne's population was only around 282,000.
Physical Description
Copy of The Australasian Sketcher, Adelaide edition, 11 June 1881, pp.177-92, published by G.N. & W.H. Birks, Adelaide. Page 177 is the front page of the newspaper and has a highly decorative masthead and depicts the word 'Australasian' in an unfurling banner, with side foliate motifs, an artist's palette and brushes, and an ornamented 'Sketcher' with a winged female form emerging from the 'S'. The front page illustration depicts the Exhibition Ball held on 1 June 1881 at the Exhibition Building for the close of the Melbourne International Exhibition. The central figures are two men and one woman, all formally dressed in evening wear. One of the men is filling in the woman's dance card. He has a small sword in a scabbard attached to his belt. Men and women are dancing in the background.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Place & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1 Jun 1881
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Publisher
G.N. & W.H. Birks, Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 11 Jun 1881
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Printer
Webb, Vardon and Pritchard, Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 11 Jun 1881
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Inscriptions
Title, p. 177: THE / AUSTRALASIAN / SKETCHER / Header: No.125-VOL.IX. ADELAIDE EDITION. SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1881. PRICE 6d. Image caption, p. 177: A SKETCH AT THE EXHIBITION BALL.
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Brand Names
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Classification
Public events, Melbourne international exhibition 1880, Media coverage
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
405 mm (Length), 288 mm (Width)
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Keywords
Civic Mementoes, Exhibitions, Exhibitions: Melbourne International, 1880-1881, Illustrations, Newspapers, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs, World Fairs, Balls & Dances