Gill, S.T. (1818-80; English/Australian)
The Treasury, Melbourne 1854
Lithograph, 16.9 x 22 cm
Donated by John Pascoe Fawkner 1868
State Library of Victoria (H2296)
The impression donated by Fawkner, reproduced here, is in mediocre condition due to clumsy removal of the original mount; the SLV also holds a better impression, accessioned c.1934.
The prominent three-storey bluestone building to the left, also visible in Austin Arrival of the First Gold Escort {1884} SLV [WT], was apparently Melbourne’s original Treasury, located in William Street.
Soon after this print was made, this building was superseded by the much more grandiose Treasury Building at the top of Collins Street, built 1858-62 in Renaissance Revival style to the design of J.J.Clark, and described by Frances O’Neill as “one of the most significant 19th-century buildings in Australia.” For an early view of Clark’s building, see De Gruchy & Leigh Panoramic View of Melbourne 1863 {by 1894} SLV [PR].
Refs.
Not listed in NGV 1894 or 1905
For this print, and the impression accessioned c.1934, see SLV catalogue (H2296 and H12618 respectively)
For J.J.Clark’s Treasury, see e.g. the entry by Frances O’Neill in Brown-May & Swain Encyclopedia of Melbourne (2005), pp.734-35. For Clark (1838-1915), see also Andrew Dodd, JJ Clark: architect of the Australian Renaissance, Sydney: NewSouth, 2012