Search the collections
Where is it from?
- A Artist Melbourne, Australia
- A Person Depicted Melbourne, Australia
- A Person Depicted Melbourne, Australia
- A Person Depicted Melbourne, Australia
- A Place & Date Used Melbourne, Australia
Similar items over time
Painting - 'The Opening, Commonwealth Parliament', Charles Nuttall, Oil, 1901-1902
Reg. No: SH 961775
Previous Page
![Oil Painting - The Opening, Commonwealth Parliament [Nuttall] (Artworks)](/collections/itemimages/182/310/182310_largethumb.jpg)
Next Page
- Summary:
- Charles Nuttall was commissioned by the Historical Picture Association to paint the opening of the first Federal Parliament on 9 May 1901. He was asked to paint as many recognisable faces as possible on a canvas 12 feet by 8 feet. He began work on 19 August 1901 in a studio within the Exhibition Building, and the painting was unveiled on 19 June 1902. There are 344 identifiable 'heads'.
Upon completion, the painting was sent to Paris so that it could be reproduced in photogravure by the art dealership of Goupil et Cie. It was reported in the Adelaide Register at the time that the 'reproduction will be the largest ever made on a steel plate, being 42 inches in length, and the people of Australia will thus be in possession of a faithful record, painted on the spot, of the greatest event in our national history'. The majority of prints of the painting carry the name of Goupil printed in the lower right corner below the image.
By March 1903, the painting had been shipped to London where photogravure prints were produced by 'Mr. James Greves, the well-known fine art publisher, of New Bridge street'. While in London, the painting was sent to Buckingham Palace so that it could be inspected by King Edward VII, before being exhibited in July at McLean's Gallery in the Haymarket.
Forty 'artist's proofs' were made available for £15 15s, another limited run of sixty-five proofs were made available for £10 10s. while the 'best India prints' could be bought relatively cheaply for £3 3s.
Copies of this 'realistic' painting were reproduced and hung in public buildings, state and secondary schools, libraries, friendly society lodges and in the homes of Australians nationwide. It was this image which helped keep Federation alive in the public's mind in the first decades of the twentieth century. - Description:
- Monochrome oil painting by Charles Nuttall depicting the opening of the first Federal Parliament in the Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne, on 9 May 1901. The painting shows the interior of the Great Hall, with the assembled crowd during the ceremony. On the official dais are the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York and the Governor General, the Earl of Hopetoun and the Countess of Hopetoun. Facing the dais are the members of the first Commonwealth Parliament. There are up to 344 individual recognisable portraits within the painting. The painting has a carved wooden frame with a leaf pattern.
- Description Of Content:
- Painting by Charles Nuttall of the opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament in Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building.
- Acquisition Information:
- Transfer from Trustees of the Royal Exhibition Building (REB), 1991
| Discipline: | History |
| Dimensions: | 226 cm (Height), 405 cm (Width) |
| Dimension Comment: | Weight: approx. 250kg. |
Downloads
Key to the Nuttall Painting
492.3 Kb
PDF
More information
| Tagged with: | artworks, australian federation 1901, buildings, civic mementoes, interior views, national identity, royal exhibition building, souvenirs, art, paintings, australian federal parliament opening ceremony 1901, artists, royal exhibition building history of events 1892-1917 |
| Themes this item is part of: | Royal Exhibition Building Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection, HRH King George V (1865-1936), HM Queen Mary (1867-1953), John Adrien Louis Hope, Governor of Victoria & Governor-General of Australia (1860-1908) |
| Primary Classification: | PUBLIC EVENTS |
| Secondary Classification: | Federation |
| Tertiary Classification: | paintings |
| Inscriptions: | Text: Charles Nuttall, 1902. |
| Format: | Painting: Colour |
| Artist: | Mr Charles Nuttall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901-1902 |
| Person Depicted: | HRH George Duke of Cornwall & York, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901 |
| Person Depicted: | HRH Mary Duchess of Cornwall & York, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901 |
| Person Depicted: | Right Honourable John Hopetoun, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1901 |
| Place & Date Used: | Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1902-2010 |
| References: |
David Dunstan et al: Victoria Icon: the Royal Exhibition Building. Argus, Tuesday, 22 October 1901, p.4 Register (Adelaide), Monday, 9 December 1901, p.7. 'The First Australian Historical Picture', Register (Adelaide), Friday, 7 February 1902, p.4. 'An Historic Painting', Register (Adelaide), Thursday, 13 February 1902, p.4. 'A Notable Painting', Register (Adelaide), Friday, 20 June 1902, p.5. 'The Opening of the Commonwealth Parliament/ Mr. Nuttall's Picture', Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, 20 June 1902, p.5. Register (Adelaide), Monday, 6 July 1903, p.6. Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, 15 August 1903, p.5 'Obituary/ Mr. Charles Nuttall', Argus, Thursday, 29 November 1934, p.10. |
Themes
This item is part of the following themes:
Related items
There are 3 other items that specifically relate to this item
Previous Page
Next Page
Comments