DescriptionSydney Harbour from the North Shore, the Sydney International Exhibition Building dominates the city.HistoryThe 1879 Sydney International Exhibition was an attempt by Sydney to showcase the economic, agricultural, cultural and social benefits and achievements of New South Wales. The jewel and stage for this was the Garden Palace (completed in 1879), an elaborate wooden building constructed in what is now the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was based on a similar structure in London and quickly became an iconic sight on the Sydney landscape, as this painting shows.
After the exhibition ended in 1880 the building was used to house Government departments. In 1882 the whole building was destroyed by fire, a devastating blow to the emerging city.SignificanceThis watercolour shows the growing size and prestige of the original colony of Sydney.
