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Two scrimshaw pieces, c1840 and c1860

These are two pieces of scrimshaw made from sperm whale teeth by unknown artists. Designs have been incised into the teeth and filled in with black and coloured inks. The piece on the right was made in around 1860 and shows a woman in a crinoline - she wears a hat and a patterned coat and dress. She stands on a decorated ...

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'The blowing up of the Boyd', 1889

This is an oil painting on canvas by the artists John Louis Steele and Kennett Watkins, painted in 1889. It depicts the destruction of the sailing vessel 'Boyd' by Mäori in Whangaroa harbour (far north of the North Island of New Zealand) in 1809. There are four Mäori waka (canoes) present. A waka in the foreground shows ...

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'Classifying the treasures', 1929-31

This is a black-and-white photograph taken by Frank Hurley of an evening scene in the wardroom of the ship 'Discovery' during the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) to Antarctica, 1929-31. The title typed on its cardboard mount calls the picture 'Classifying the Treasures' and indicates ...

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'Discussing the site at Tumut', 1902

This is a black-and-white photograph, measuring 18.4 cm x 24.0 cm, taken in 1902 during a tour of inspection by senators from the Federal Parliament of possible sites for the proposed federal capital. Senators and local dignitaries are posing in groups on a hillside, ostensibly discussing the merits of a site at Tumut in ...

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Three Indigenous Australians, c1850

This is a watercolour painted by Samuel Gill in about 1850, entitled 'Two natives and child by a creek'. The painting, which measures 10 cm x 12 cm, is also known as 'Aborigine with barbed spear'. The location is unidentified. The image shows three Indigenous Australians - a man, a woman, and a child aged about three. All ...

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Sheep run and wool dray, c1855

This is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 12.2 cm x 19.0 cm, painted in about 1855. It is made in the form of a Christmas card, inscribed with 'The COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON'. The painting has two 'pictures within a picture', like wall hangings, surrounded by the leaves and bright red flowers of Sturt's desert pea. One ...

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'Where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed', 1882

This is a watercolour by Alfred Sharpe that shows the house where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, as seen from Motumaire Island in the Bay of Islands (far north of the North Island of New Zealand) in 1882. Steep exposed rocks, with a number of trees growing on them, dominate the foreground. The Treaty House is ...

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Armed Constabulary camp near Parihaka, 1881

This is a black-and-white photograph of a New Zealand Armed Constabulary camp near the settlement of Parihaka, Taranaki (halfway down the west coast of the North Island) in 1881. Several dozen uniformed men are lined up on either side of a track. Some are leaning on a railing that runs alongside the track on each side, ...

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Räwiri Püaha's gun

This is a 'superimposed-load' or 'four-hammer' double-barrelled shotgun. Known as 'Koatariini', it belonged to Räwiri Kïngi Püaha, a chief of the Mäori tribe Ngäti Toa Rangatira. The butt of the shotgun is made from walnut. The barrel and trigger are made from steel and brass, and are attached to the rest of the gun with ...

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'Arrival of the mail, Myers Flat diggings', probably 1850s

This is a black-and-white print, measuring 17.7 cm x 21.6 cm, created from a wood engraving. It shows two men seated on a horse-drawn, two-wheeled buggy. Nine miners are gathered by the buggy, awaiting the delivery of letters, reading letters or newspapers and exchanging news. Although not visible on this image, the title ...

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Crested weedfish

This is a preserved specimen of a crested weedfish ('Cristiceps aurantiacus', but labelled 'Auchenopterus aysoni' in this specimen). It was collected by a Mr Stephenson in 1901 in the Bay of Islands, in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is head down in alcohol in a glass jar on which two labels are pasted. ...

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'At whare komiti', 1885

This is a black-and-white photograph taken in 1885 by Alfred Burton. It depicts a group of 17 unidentified Mäori women and children in front of a thatched whare komiti (committee house). It was taken at Haerehuka, near Otorohanga, in the upper central North Island of New Zealand, and measures 12.5 cm x 17.8 cm.

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Triunial projector, c1890s

This is a triunial or triple projector, also known as a triple lens magic lantern, probably from the 1890s. The projector is mainly made from varnished wood such as mahogany, and brass. Three lens systems in telescopic tubes project from the box, each covered with a brass lens cap. In front of each tube is a slide gate, ...

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Ophir gold diggings in 1851 - asset 1

This is a hand-coloured lithographic print of a painting by George French Angas showing a stream zigzagging through she-oaks and sparsely treed cliffs at what was to become Ophir, Australia's first gold rush site. The print shows 14 miners prospecting using several different methods. Measuring 24.2 cm x 35 cm, the print ...

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Stone axes and picks, early 1900s

This is an image showing six stone axes and picks made by people of the Warumungu and Tjingali groups near Tennant Creek in central Northern Territory. On average, the axes are 50 cm long and 20 cm wide, while the picks are 40 cm long and 25 cm wide.

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Water molecule

This is a colour image of a model of a molecule of water, H₂O. In this model, atoms are represented by coloured spheres held together by grey rods, representing covalent bonds. The water molecule contains one oxygen atom (the red sphere) and two hydrogen atoms (the grey-white spheres).

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New Zealand hatchetfish

This is a colour photograph of a New Zealand hatchetfish ('Polyipnus kiwiensis') in a transparent container. The organs responsible for bioluminescence are visible against the black background. The keel-shaped abdomen of the hatchetfish can also be seen.

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'Cradling, Forrest Creek', 1853

This is an 1853 hand-coloured lithographic print, entitled 'Cradling. Forrest Creek'. It was made by Samuel Thomas Gill (1818-80) from a sketch done on the spot as he watched gold miners cradle for gold at Forest Creek (as it was more commonly spelled), in Victoria. One miner scoops water into the cradle, while the other ...

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Invitation to Commonwealth celebrations, 1901

This is a coloured printed invitation to a conversazione celebrating the Commonwealth of Australia. It measures 30.2 cm x 37 cm. At the bottom is the wording, 'THE GOVERNMENT OF VICTORIA requests the honor of the presence of Mr W J Ferguson MLA and Mrs Ferguson at a Conversazione in the Exhibition Building on the Evening ...

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Iodine molecule

This is a colour image of a model of a molecule of iodine, I₂. In this model, two iodine atoms are represented by deep red spheres held together by a grey rod that represents a covalent bond.