Australia in 400 Years of antique maps & prints

Since closing our Milton gallery at Camford Square, Derek and I have been surprisingly busy - maps, prints and books bought online, meeting customers at our shops in the Brisbane Antique Centre at exit 30 (Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road), and sharing refreshments with visitors to the Antique Print Club-house on Mt Nimmel in Neranwood.

We now also have regular exhibitions in Clayfield at Brisbane Antique Emporium (Open Daily at 794 Sandgate Road – free parking, off Junction Road). The current exhibition shows 400 years of Antique Maps & Prints of Australia.

As recently as the 17^th century Terra Australis Incognita (unknown southern land) represented European opinion that a large landmass at the South Pole balanced the populated countries of the northern hemisphere. Including “curious” in their titles, even early 18^th century maps wrong coastlines for Australia - until James Cook discovered and charted the east coast in 1770.

Early European engravings showed decidedly strange interpretations of Australia’s unfamiliar marsupials. Engravings of our birds and animals include the ‘kanguroo’ on Captain Cook’s voyage (more accurate in shape than many images from the First Fleet settlement). 19^th century beautiful large hand-coloured lithographs of Australian birds and mammals were published by John Gould. 18^th century hand-coloured engravings of distinctive Australian flora had finely engraved dissections of flowers. Some in the 19^th century used uncoloured sections to emphasize foliage detail. Exquisite hand-coloured botanical lithographs c1840 are beautiful decorative artwork.

 One of the earliest and undoubtedly the most famous early view of Australia is of Cook’s Endeavour in the river near Cooktown in north Queensland, where it was repaired after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef. Engraved scenes of early country views and city architecture, tell us of life in colonial Australia. Engravings and lithographs depict the hardships endured by immigrants in carving homes and livelihoods from the land, and include wonderful S.T. Gill character studies of those seeking gold, and engravings of other more humorous incidents. Formal Victorian customs and dress were not suited to life in the harsh Australian environment. We are lucky that early settlement and development was graphically recorded in engravings to provide images for publication and circulation back in Europe – and for us to appreciate today! You'll find many more at http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/ 

Let us know if we can be of assistance.. and Gift Certificates for any value are always available http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/p-1947-gift-certificate-for-antique-maps-prints-or-books.aspx..