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Opening of the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia in Melbourne: the Queen's Arch
Opening of the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia in Melbourne: the Queen's Arch

Opening of the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia in Melbourne: the Queen's Arch

Date1901
Object numberANMS0047[814]
NamePhotograph
MediumBlack and white photographic print on paper
DimensionsOverall: 82 x 109 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection Transfer from the Australian War Memorial
DescriptionThis photograph depicts the Queen's Arch which was erected in Collins Street in Melbourne, Victoria in May 1901 to commemorate the opening of the first Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. It is a tribute to the reign of the late Queen Victoria, who had died in January 1901. One newspaper article described: 'Nothing could be more effective than the Queen's Arch at the Russell-street intersection - a striking structure in purple colors, surmounted with the statue of the late Queen Victoria in gold, above which was a huge crown.' 'Swanston and Collins Streets', Australian Town and Country Journal, 11 May 1901, p 13.