Item SH 960733 Newspaper - 'At the Aquarium', The Australasian Sketcher, Melbourne, 8 Apr 1885

Summary

Copy of The Australian Sketcher, no. 191, vol. XIII, Melbourne, Saturday, 8 April 1885, pp. 49-64. Page 49 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'.

Page 57 consists of a full page black & white illustration captioned 'At the Aquarium' and referring to the Aquarium at the Exhibition Buildings. The illustration consists of six vignettes depicting various parts of the Aquarium exhibition. The centre image shows a woman and three children all in contemporary fashions viewing the shark tanks. This is surrounded by five smaller images, depicting a young boy lamenting the fact that he hadn't brought his fishing rod, a well-dressed woman admiring the zebra fish, the sea elephant and a final caricature of a group of people looking into a barely visible tank. The caption reads 'Some of the Queer Fish', though the pun appears to be that the caption is more applicable to the viewers rather than the fish themselves. Pages 54-55 contain an article describing the new aquarium and the sharks, sea lions, and assorted fish that form the collection.

Proposals for an Aquarium exhibit at the Exhibition Buildings began to gain momentum throughout 1884, and by September the concept was well defined, as the Argus reported:

'The most important feature of the alterations now being made is the aquarium, or rather series of aquaria - for there will be several - in which the wonders of marine life will be exhibited. They will be situated in the eastern annexe. The dens of the sea-lions and seals are placed close together, and are being constructed in the most elaborate manner. There will be solidly built rockeries, honeycombed with caves, and miniature cascades will fall from their summits, lending to the whole a romantic appearance.' (Argus, Wednesday, 3 September 1884, p.6)

The Aquarium opened in late February 1885, and although it was 'at present little more than the germ of such a collection as may be made in these southern waters, it is still large and attractive enough to create a national hunger for something bigger and better' (Argus, Saturday, 28 February 1885, p.13). Attendance reports showed that it soon established itself as a popular venue.

Physical Description

Copy of The Australian Sketcher, no. 191, vol. XIII, 8 April 1885, pp. 49-64. Page 49 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'. Page 57 consists of a full page black & white illustration captioned 'At the Aquarium' and referring to the Aquarium at the Exhibition Buildings. The illustration consists of six vignettes depicting various parts of the Aquarium exhibition. The centre image shows a woman and three children all in contemporary fashions viewing the shark tanks. This is surrounded by five smaller images. The first shows a small boy in a broad brimmed hat before a small tank. The second shows a woman, stylishly dressed admiring the zebra fish. The third shows the entrance to the aquarium decorated with potted palms. The fourth shows a sea elephant lazing on some rocks and the final image shows a group of cartoon- like caricatures captioned 'Some of the Queer Fish'. Pages 54-55 contain an article describing the new aquarium and the sharks, sea lions, and assorted fish that form the collection.