Redmond Barry

Photographer unknown, Sir Redmond Barry, albumen silver carte-de-visite, H37475/34

Sir Redmond Barry (1813–80) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer who arrived in Melbourne in late 1839. He subsequently became a founding judge of the Supreme Court. In 1853 he was appointed by Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe as Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and Head of the Trustees of the Melbourne Public Library, positions he held for nearly 30 years until his death. During that time he also oversaw the establishment of the Museum and the National Gallery.

Joseph Reed

Joseph Reed, Ground plan for Melbourne Public Library, 1859, ink, watercolour wash, pencil on paper, H2010.69/9

Designs for the new Melbourne Public Library were sought through an open architectural competition. In January 1854, Joseph Reed's Italianate design was awarded first prize. This particular design, which did not go ahead, was proposed by Reed in 1859 for the whole site bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell and Little Lonsdale Streets. The square building labelled 'Museum and Galleries of Art', on the eastern side of the site, was intended to be covered by a dome.

Intercolonial Exhibition

Thomas Ellis & Co, View of part of the exhibition hall set up as an art gallery, 1866–67, albumen silver photograph, H30476/18

The Intercolonial Exhibition of 1866–67, a prelude to the 1867 International Exposition in Paris, welcomed a quarter of a million people to the site of the Melbourne Public Library. Under the leadership of Redmond Barry, the exhibition drew together Australia's colonies, along with New Caledonia, Mauritius, the Dutch East Indies and New Zealand, and was an opportunity to present the country's wealth and industrial progression.

Ned Kelly

Charles Nettleton, Ned Kelly in irons at Melbourne Gaol – the day before his execution, 1880, albumen silver photograph, MS9298/6/PHO1

The dramatic Kelly story began at the family homestead on 15 April 1878. That night, a young Irish police constable, Alexander Fitzpatrick, came to the homestead to arrest Ned's brother Dan for horse stealing. But after making advances to their young sister Kate, Fitzpatrick was injured in an altercation with their mother, Ellen Kelly, and several 'bystanders' – who may have included Ned. Ned and Dan went into hiding and were joined by their friends Steve Hart and Joe Byrne. They were outlawed and became popularly known as the Kelly Gang.

Ellen Kelly

Unknown photographer, Mrs Kelly and her two granddaughters, c 1911, albumen silver photograph, H2003.25/4

Two days after giving birth to her 12th child, Ellen Kelly was arrested for her part in the melee during which Ned Kelly shot Constable Fitzpatrick. She was a prisoner in the Melbourne Gaol when Ned was hanged there in 1880. Released at age 51, Ellen Kelly lived another 40 years in the Greta area, raising her youngest children and some of her semi-orphaned grandchildren. Her youngest son, Jack, toured the world as a stunt rider in a Wild West show before joining the Western Australian police force.

Stringybark Creek

Arthur Burman, Scene of the Wombat police murders at Stringybark Creek, c 1878, gelatin silver photograph, H2894

In late October 1878, the police hunt for the Kelly Gang intensified. Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonigan, Scanlon and McIntyre rode out from Mansfield and set up camp at Stringybark Creek on 25 October. The Kelly Gang ambushed the police camp, killing Kennedy, Lonigan and Scanlon, while Constable McIntyre escaped on Kennedy's horse. This photograph is a re-enactment of the attack on the police.

Compass

Unknown maker, compass issued to police sent out to track the Kelly Gang; brass, glass and paper, AS Kenyon Collection, H13277

The hunt for the Kelly Gang and the siege that ended in Ned Kelly's arrest involved many policemen, from district officers such as Captain Standish and Superintendents Sadleir and Hare to Acting Chief Commissioner Nicolson. Official correspondence of the police and the Chief Secretary's Office are significant sources of information, and give insight into how the gang’s activities were viewed by authorities.

Proclamation

Proclamation declaring Daniel and Edward Kelly outlaws, 1878, stereotype, H17218

As a direct result of the police shootings by the Kelly Gang, the Felons Apprehension Act was introduced in Victoria in October 1878. Under the provisions of the Act, a member of the public could apprehend, or even shoot, an outlaw on sight. This is the original plate from which the November 1878 proclamation outlawing Daniel and Edward Kelly was printed. It was distributed as a poster to various post offices and police stations around Victoria.

Jerilderie letter

Ned Kelly, Letter, known as the Jerilderie Letter, in Joe Byrne's hand, February 1879, manuscript, gift of Bronwyn Binns, 2000, MS 13361

Soon after the police shootings at Stringybark Creek, Ned Kelly dictated to Joe Byrne a letter for Mr Donald Cameron MLA, a politician Kelly believed to be sympathetic to his situation. In February 1879 Ned Kelly and his gang held up the Bank of NSW at Jerilderie and presented this letter for publication in the Jerilderie and Urana Gazette. The letter wasn't published at the time and its contents weren't publicly known until the late 1940s, when a copy held by Public Record Office Victoria was published.

Burke and Wills expedition party

TW Cameron, Expedition party outside Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, 1898–1906, MS 13867/33

In 1860 the Royal Society of Victoria planned the Victorian Exploring Expedition as a scientific enterprise. Following the appointment of Robert O'Hara Burke as leader, the Argus published a call for men to join the exploration team under Burke's leadership. A strong response was received from bushmen, stockmen, amateur naturalists, scientists, surveyors, artists and doctors. State Library Victoria holds 593 of the original applications submitted to the exploration committee. Eighteen men were chosen to join the expedition, which set off from Royal Park on 20 August 1860, watched by around 15,000 spectators.

William Wills' surveyor's rule

Throughton & Simms, maker, surveyor's plotting scales with case, owned by William John Wills, ivory and leather, H530

William Wills was appointed surveyor, astronomical and meteorological surveyor, and third in command on the Victorian Exploring Expedition. A studious young scientist and surveyor, Wills was responsible for observations and for recording data, which he noted in multiple notebooks from day two until just before he died during the doomed expedition, in June 1861.

Ludwig Becker

Ludwig Becker, View from Mt Hope, Pyramid Hill, 1860, watercolour, pen and ink, presented by the Exploration Committee of the Royal Society of Victoria, 1874, H16486

Ludwig Becker was the scientific observer on the Victorian Exploring Expedition, although other members, such as William Wills and Hermann Beckler, were also keenly interested in observing and recording new data about the unexplored interior. Becker died at the expedition's camp by the Bulloo River in 1861. His illustrations of landscapes, plants and animals are now considered some of the finest watercolours of 19th-century Australian art.

Brass plate

Unknown maker, oval brass plate bearing the initials of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, c 1861, presented by the Exploration Committee of the Royal Society of Victoria, 1875, H5099

This brass plate was attached to the box that brought the remains of Burke and Wills back to Melbourne.

Order of the funeral procession of Burke and Wills

Order of the funeral procession of Burke and Wills, 1863, presented by the Exploration Committee of the Royal Society of Victoria, 1875, MS 13071