Collections - General Interest

General Interest


As well as the specific categories described elsewhere, the Collection holds a wide range of interesting and unusual items linked to Australia. These range from the chronometer from the Beagle used on Darwin’s famous voyage to William Bligh’s personal cutlery and Viscount Sydney’s tableware, cannons, convict relics, weapons, and more…

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Collections - Cartoons

Cartoons


The British press was remarkably free to criticize its leaders and lampoon public figures even back in the 18th and 19th centuries. This resulted in numerous cartoons appearing about Australia and the Collection includes copies of many of the famous examples.

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Collections - Ceramics and Pottery

Ceramics and Pottery


The Silentworld Collection includes quite a number of ceramic and porcelain items including a Sydney Cove Medallion, struck from clay found by the First Fleet settlers, through to some of the earliest known images of Australia and convict life to be recorded in porcelain.

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Collections - Maritime Archaeology

Maritime Archaeology


Most of the material recovered from a decade of maritime archaeological expeditions by the Silentworld Foundation is held by the Australian National Maritime Museum for the benefit of the nation, but Silentworld nonetheless holds a substantial collection of shipwreck items. This includes items found on its own expeditions as well as material from the Endeavour, the Batavia, the Bounty and other famous names.

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Collections - Printed Material

Printed Material


The Collection holds a wide range of printed material and other ephemera from a copy of the first day of issue of the first newspaper in Australia, through to a wide range of printed material of the day including numerous printed views of Australia distributed to the public in England and other countries, eager to learn more about the “new” country of Australia.

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Collections - Currency and Shares

Currency and Shares


Amongst some of the most interesting aspects of the Collection are examples of early promissory notes issued before Australia had its own currency, the Proclamation Coins of Governor King, the Holey Dollar, shipwreck coins, and Australia’s first share certificate.

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Collections - Books

Books


The Collection includes a selection of original books relating to the period.  Where possible these are first editions, many still in original boards and uncut.  A focus has been on Association Copies – books that are signed by the author or have special significance such as Philip Parker King’s personal copy of Dampier’s Voyages, annotated by King as he followed Dampier’s voyage along the Australian coast.

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Collections - Landscapes

Landscapes


The Silentworld Collection holds a wide range of early views of colonial Australia including landscapes and seascapes. These include very early views of Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Fremantle, as well as, many regional locations.

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Collections - Indigenous History

Indigenous History


The Foundation is especially proud of its collection of original portraits of named Aboriginal figures drawn by Nicolas Petit on the Baudin expedition’s visit to Australia in 1802. In addition to the Petit portraits and other European drawings of aboriginal life, the Silentworld Collection holds a number of original aboriginal artefacts from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as ancient stone tools from a much earlier age. These tell the story of the extraordinary and unbroken interaction with Australia, and deep cultural ties to the land and oceans of the continent.

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Collections - European Portraits

European Portraits


The Collection includes oils, watercolours and engravings of some of the household names of the day, from explorers to naval officers, convicts and settlers.

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