A Nation Imagined: The Artists of the Picturesque Atlas will offer audiences the ‘incredible opportunity to see works of art that haven’t been seen in almost 140 years’, says exhibition co-curator Natalie Wilson.

Explore highlights from the exhibition below. 

The prospector

Julian Ashton, The prospector, 1889, oil on canvas on hardboard, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1889, Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter, Accession number 4554 

Spring Street, Melbourne, from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia

William Smedley, Spring Street, Melbourne, from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia, nla.cat-vn1654251

Uncover the adventures of Picturesque Atlas of Australasia artist A. Henry Fullwood in this short video featuring his 'sketching tour' letter. Citation: A. Henry Fullwood, Bound volume containing a long illustrated letter titled 'Sketching tour through New England, N.S. Wales', c. 1880, item within nla.cat-vn1564088

Frank Mahony, Rounding up a straggler, 1889, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1889, Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter, Accession number 6104

The home of the hermit

George Collingridge, The home of the hermit, nla.cat-vn360410

Blandfordia grandiflora R.Br., family Blandfordiaceae, ca. 1885

Ellis Rowan, Blandfordia grandiflora R.Br., family Blandfordiaceae, ca. 1885, nla.cat-vn1318532

'Australia' title page from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia

T.H. Wellington (engraver), after Frederic B. Schell, Australia, title page from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia, nla.cat-vn1654251

Shoalhaven River from Cambarwarra [sic], 1892

A. Henry Fullwood, Shoalhaven River from Cambarwarra [sic], 1892, image courtesy of a private lender.

A solitary ramble

Julian Ashton, A solitary ramble, 1888, watercolour, opaque white highlights on paper, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1888, Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter, Accession number 18

Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney, 1918

Julian Ashton, Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney, 1918, etching, black ink with pale plate tone on ivory laid paper, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1918, Photo: AGNSW, Accession number 3319

Sheep-shearing from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia

George Ashton, Sheep-shearing from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia, nla.cat-vn1654251

Sturt Street, Ballarat, c.1886

A. Henry Fullwood, Sturt Street, Ballarat, c.1886, pencil and monochrome gouache on card. Art Gallery of Ballarat. Gift of 3BA and The Courier (Ballarat), 1978. Preparatory drawing for the engraving Sturt Street in Picturesque Atlas of Australasia, October 1887.

Portrait Sketch

Frank Mahony, Portrait Sketch, nla.cat-vn2227689

A. J. C. Autumn Meeting, the lawn at Randwick, 1888

Frank Mahony, A. Henry Fullwood & Sydney Mail, issuing body, A. J. C. Autumn Meeting, the lawn at Randwick, 1888, nla.cat-vn7506079

Explore A Nation Imagined: The Artists of the Picturesque Atlas

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