Federation: Pictorial material

The National Library collects pictorial material in order to document significant people, places and events in Australian history and society. Formats include photographs, prints, drawings and cartoons.

Catalogue search tips

Use the name of an artist or photographer to find pictorial material in our catalogue. You can also try keywords such as:

  • Australia history 1891-1901
  • Federation Australia celebrations
  • Federal parliament 1901

Then in the results list, under Limit your search, limit the Format to Pictures and/or National Library digitised material.

Painting of the opening of Federal Parliament in 1901

Tom Roberts, Sketch for opening of Federal Parliament, 1901, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-134312660

Tom Roberts, Sketch for opening of Federal Parliament, 1901, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-134312660

black and white photo of a parade down a street watched by crowds of people

Wendy McDougall, The Federation story uses the rotunda where the inauguration took place, 1st January 2001, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-146222793

Photographs

A feature of the collection is the number of contemporary photographs of Federation celebrations held by the Library. These include photograph albums of events in Sydney and Melbourne.

Photo of a rotunda in Centennial Park, Sydney

The Kiosk, Centennial Park, Sydney, 1901, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140803566

Pictures collection

handdrawn map of Australia showing Western Australia 'completing the union by voting yes'

West Australians complete the union by voting yes, 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137005405

Our Pictures Collection includes material in a wide variety of formats.

See Using the Pictures collection for more information on the use of this material.

Cartoon of two well dressed men escorting a woman who is a personification of Federation

H. Cotton, Federation, 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135490191

Page published: 16 Jan 2024

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