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NEW TO OUR COLLECTIONS

Sketch from the Ekka series, by William Robinson - a recent acquisition

Sketch from the Ekka series, by William Robinson

New acquisitions at the State Library of Queensland

Ekka series 1-20 by William Robinson AO

A major acquisition has been made for the John Oxley Library to mark its milestone 75th anniversary. With the support of the Queensland Library Foundation Partners, the State Library has purchased 20 drawings of the ‘Ekka’ by Queensland artist William Robinson AO.

This series of sketches depicts an important and abiding Queensland institution, the Exhibition, first presented to the people of Queensland in 1876. The exhibition or show is affectionately known by Queenslanders as the ‘Ekka’.

William Robinson, a significant Queensland artist, drew these sketches while observing the 2007 Exhibition and featured in the 2008 Museum of Brisbane exhibition "10 Days in August: Memories of the Ekka." The sketches record and interpret the experience of the Ekka with warmth and wit, capturing both individual stories and the frenetic atmosphere of the "show".

These artworks complement the wide variety of material in the John Oxley Library particularly the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association Records which consists of letter books, minutes and catalogues.

View more information about the Ekka series

Check One Search for material about William Robinson

View our resources about the Ekka

Dr Barbara Piscitelli AM Children's Art Archive

Dr Piscitelli specialises in the area of arts education and her research has included investigation of how children learn in museums and how arts education affects middle school students in disadvantaged communities. She is a regular reviewer for the Australian Journal of Early Childhood, and her publications also appear in art, museum and education journals. She is on the Board of Directors for the Collections Council of Australia and is a member of the Board of the Queensland Museum.

The majority of drawings and paintings in the Children's Art Archive are from Queensland children and depict their social worlds, their human rights and their futures. The Queensland collection is multicultural in scope and includes examples of the art of Indigenous children from Cape York, Torres Strait Islands and urban Brisbane.

Two exchange programs have been undertaken between Australian and Asian children as part of cultural diplomacy projects with Vietnam and China. The Vietnamese collection contains two sets: children's view of their social world (1992-93) and of play (2001). The collection documents children's lives at the beginning of doi moi, the period of social reform and the development of the market economy (1992), and at the period of rapid educational and social change (2001).

The Chinese collection consists of work from Hubei province, collected in the mid 1990s and includes drawings about major infrastructure developments, such as the dam at Three Sisters Gorge, as well as works about children's views of their lives at the end of the 20th century and into the future.

De Jode's map of New Guinea and Terra Australia Incognita, 1593

Gerard de Jode's map is considered by some authorities to represent the first printed map of Australia. It appeared in the 2nd edition of De Jode's Speculum Orbis Terrae, one of the rarest and most sought after of all late 16th century atlases. It is now virtually unobtainable on the market.

The map shows New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and a large, fictitious northern Australia (a possible depiction of part of the Queensland coast). It is frequently presented as evidence of European knowledge of Australia prior to the Dutch landing on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula in 1606.

View the One Search record for more information.

Exotic Botany magazine

The magazine Exotic botany: consisting of coloured figures, and scientific descriptions, of such new, beautiful, or rare plants as are worthy of cultivation in the gardens of Britain, was designed to introduce early 19th century British gardeners to new plants that were being imported from the colonies.

Included are 120 hand coloured engravings by James Sowerby, 38 of them showing Australian species.

The magazine was published in 1804-05 on paper hand made from rag, with an ornately gold tooled binding. After 200 years the exquisite colouring still vividly captures the brightness of the flowers themselves.

View the One Search record for more information.

How do I access items in this collection?

Access at the State Library

Browse Levels 2, 3 and 4 or request from storage with your e-services card via One Search. Order stored items online 24 hours ahead of your visit and items should be waiting when you arrive.

Use one of our computers to search for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles and to view images and manuscripts from our collection. You can book a computer with your e-services card for up to two hours per day.

Bring your own laptop and access our electronic resources via our wireless service.

Access off-site

Search One Search for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles. You will need to login with your e-services card or QPL account.

Some State Library items are available for loan to other libraries. Contact your local library for information about interlibrary loan and copy services.

Last updated: 24th June 2009

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