Friday, December 24, 2010

1866-1867 Intercolonial Exhibition Medal

The Australian Intercolonial Exhibition, held in Melbourne in 1866-1867, was the first exhibition of all of the Australian colonies, and saw the first construction of a pre-Federation nascent (white) Australian national identity, featuring exhibits from Victoria, Mauritius, Netherlands-India, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, and was a major clearing house for what was to be represented by the colonies at the Paris 1867 Universal Exhibition.

The Exhibition Medal featured seven women representing each of the Australasian colonies, under a latin banner - translated into English "They all look different, and yet alike as sisters would".

From "Race and Australian National Identity at the 1866-1867 Intercolonial Exhibition", in "Seize the Day: Exhibitions, Australia, and the World", Monash University Press.

No comments:

Post a Comment