Summary
Coloured invitation printed on card to a Conversazione, an evening event held in the Exhibition Building on the evening of Tuesday 7 May 1901 as part of the Australian Commonwealth Celebrations. The invitation was sent to Mr and Mrs I. Loxton Menzies.
The invitation was designed by GBH Austin and was printed by Sands & McDougall Ltd. Austin's original design is in the Watson papers at the National Library of Australia.
George Brougham Hubert Austin (1859 -1921) was a Melbourne architect and artist who was employed for many years by the Victorian Department of Public Works where he designed the La Trobe Street Courts. He also designed many of the public decorations that festooned Melbourne during the Federation celebrations in 1901.
Physical Description
The invitation shows an etching of the Exhibition Building, surrounded by an ornate border of heraldic shields, portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, views of Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart, and native flora (including wattle, waratah, pink heath, Sturt's desert pea, and flannel flower), and native fauna (kookaburra, possum, lyre bird, cockatoo & koala). The royal crest 'Dieu et mon droit' and the Australian crest 'Advance Australia' are also included.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Miss Appleby - St John's Homes for Boys & Girls, 16 Aug 1988
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Place & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901
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Artist
George B.H. Austin - Department of Public Works, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901
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Printer
Sands & McDougall Limited, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901
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Issued To
Mr John Henry Loxton Menzies, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901
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Place & Date Used
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901
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Inscriptions
Printed: UNITED AUSTRALIA 1901/ ONE FLAG/ ONE HOPE/ ONE DESTINY; AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH CELEBRATIONS/ THE GOVERNMENT OF VICTORIA requests the honor of the presence of/ / at a Conversazione in the Exhibition Building on the Evening of Tuesday 7th May 1901 at 8 P.M. Handwritten: Mr & Mrs I.L. Menzies
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
36.5 cm (Length), 30.5 cm (Height)
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Maximum dimensions
369 mm (Length), 303 mm (Height)
Measurement From Conservation.
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References
Argus, Wednesday 8 May 1901. Official program is held in the National Library collection. See also Punch, May 9, 1901, p.543.
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Keywords
Royal Exhibition Building, Australian Federation, 1901, Celebrations, Civic Life, Civic Mementoes, Public Institutions, Souvenirs