NB this select list is designed to supplement the important examples of early acquisitions catalogued under Illustrated Books. Again, emphasis is given to titles on art, architecture, archaeology and travel/exploration. Some of the title listed below included illustrations but usually only in small numbers and/or of modest artistic merit. Nevertheless, many of them are important texts, the majority of them still extant in the SLV.
Abbreviations refer to 1854, 1857 and 1861 MPL catalogues (which should be consulted directly for a fuller picture of the early acquisitions); earliest catalogue noted.
[Barry] The Works of James Barry, Esq., Historical Painter, 2 vols., London: T.Cadell & W.Davies, 1809. MPL 1857, IV.iv [1859], p.14; SLV AF750 B27 (& RARE SF759.2 B27W) [reprints many of Barry’s publications and letters; there are a few minor line-engravings; see also * Barry (J.) 29 etchings {1881} NGV/Loc? [ET]]
Bartsch, Adam. Le Peintre Graveur, 22 vols., Vienna, 1803-21. MPL 1857 (‘Foreign books,’ p.5); SLV A760 B28L (21 vols.& supplement; 1803-21; not illustrated) [the SLV also holds rev.ed., 24 vols., Leipzig, 1854-70: SLV A760 B28L]
Beckford, William. Italy, Spain and Portugal, 2 vols., Paris etc., 1834. MPL 1861, p.32; SLV S914.5 B38 [travel diaries by the noted British art collector and patron (1760-1844)]
Belzoni, Giovanni. Travels in Egypt and Nubia, 2 vols., London, 1820. MPL 1854, p.9; not extant in SLV (but later editions are held)
Blanc, Charles. The History of the Painters of all Nations, London, 1855. MPL 1857, ii (‘to arrive’), p.5; not extant in SLV? [Blanc (1813-82) was an art critic and first editor of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, founded in 1859. The SLV also holds his Grammaire des arts du dessin, 3rd ed., 1876, and other titles]
Bligh, William. Voyage to the South Sea…, London: George Nicol, 1792. MPL 1857, xv [1860], p.15; SLV CCF910.45 B61V (Rare Books) [Includes Bligh’s account of the mutiny on the Bounty (1789); see Oval Portraits (no.9)]
British Museum (see * British Museum: Ancient Marbles 1818-45 {1859} loc? [IB]): several other early volumes were also acquired in 1859, including Manuscripts, vol.1 (1834); Printed Books, vol.1 (1841); and Greek & Etruscan Vases (1851). MPL 1857, IV.iv [1859], pp.17-18; SLV: various (refer catalogue)
Brosses, Charles de: (i) Histoire de Navigations aux Terres Australes, 2 vols., Paris, 1756. MPL 1861, p.18; SLV RARE LT919 B79; and (ii) Terra Australis Cognita, trans.John Callander, 3 vols., Edinburgh, 1766-68. MPL 1857, IV.iv [1859], p.84; SLV RARE LT919 C13T [compilation by the French nobleman and polymath (1709-77); Callander’s English edition, which included an additional conclusion entitled “Of the method of forming colonies in the TERRA AUSTRALIS, and the advantages that may be expected to result to Great Britain from such establishments in that hemisphere,” influenced James Cook and others]
The Builder. MPL 1857, III.i [1858], p.7, & MPL 1861, p.385 [1843-57]; SLV (1842ff.): refer catalogue for details
[Canova] The works of Antonio Canova in sculpture and modelling, engraved in outline by Henry Moses…, 3 vols., London: Henry Bohn, 1824. MPL 1857, p.13. The SLV holds 2 copies of the 1849 edition, one donated in 1888: see SLV AF 733 C16 [The illustrations are straightforward outline engravings; for Canova, see Plaster Casts]
Champollion, J.F.le jeune: Grammaire Egyptienne, Paris, 1836, and Dictionnaire egyptien en ecriture hieroglypique, Paris, 1841. MPL 1857 (Foreign Books, p.7); SLV RARE SF493.1 C35 & RARE SF 493.1 C35G
Chevreul, Michel. The principles, harmony and contrast of colours and their application to the arts…, trans.Charles Martel, London: Longmans, 1855. MPL 1857, III.ii [1858], p.14; SLV A701.8 C42
Cook, James. Voyages, 8 vols.& Atlas, London, 1784. MPL 1854, p.15; cf.SLV RARE LT910.41 C77HI: The history of Capt.Cook’s three voyages around the world…, London: Hodges & Pain, 1784 (2 vols.)
Crowe, J., & Cavalcaselle, G.B. The Early Flemish Painters: Notices of their lives and works, London: John Murray, 1857. MPL 1857, III.ii [1858], p.14; SLV A759.9 A22 [important early text by these pioneering authors; after 1861, the SLV also acquired their New History of Painting in Italy (1864-66), History of Painting in North Italy (1871) and Titian monograph (1877): all listed in MPL 1880, p.312]
Crystal Palace, Sydenham (see Wyatt Views of the Crystal Palace 1854 {1859} SLV [IB]): see also (i) The Fine Arts Courts in the Crystal Palace, first series, north-west side. 5 vols.in 1, London, 1854 (texts by Owen Jones et al.: Egyptian to Saracenic courts). MPL 1857, III.ii [1858], p.14; SLV A708.2 F49; and (ii) The Fine Arts Courts in the Crystal Palace, second series, north-east side. 5 vols.in 1, London, 1854 (texts by Wyatt & Waring, Mrs Jameson: Byzantine etc., & modern sculpture). MPL 1857, IV.iv [1859], p.29; SLV A708.2 F49
Cunningham, Allan, The Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters, Sculptors & Architects, 6 vols., London, 1829-38. MPL 1857, III.i [1858], p.10; SLV A709.42 C91L [for Cunningham, see also Turner and Wilkie, as noted below]
Darwin, Charles. Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the various countries visited by H.M.S.”Beagle,” under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., from 1832 to 1836, London, 1839. MPL 1857, III.i (1858), p.10; SLV? [holds 1891 ed., from Bernard Smith collection]
Fergusson, James (see Fergusson Rock Cut Temples of India 1845 {by 1861} SLV [IB] and * Fergusson Ancient Architecture in Hindostan 1848 {by 1861} Loc? [IB]): see also (i) The Palaces of Nineveh and Persepolis Restored: an Essay on Assyrian and Persian Architecture, London, 1851. MPL 1861, p.152. SLV S 913.352 F38 [dedicated to Henry Layard, is illustrated with conventional wood engravings]; and (ii) The illustrated handbook of architecture: being a concise and popular account of the different styles of architecture prevailing in all ages and all countries, 2 vols., London: John Murray, 1855. MPL 1857, iii, p.14; SLV S720.9 F381 [NB after 1861, further titles were acquired: for details, see linked entry on Fergusson]
Flaxman, John (see also linked artist entry, listing IB entries): Lectures on Sculpture, 2nd ed., London, 1838. MPL 1857 (xv, 1860, p.34); SLV A730 F61
Flinders, Matthew. Voyage to Terra Australis, undertaken for the purpose of completing the Discovery of that Country, and prosecuted in 1801-2-3, in H.M.Ship “Investigator.” London, 1814. MPL 1861, p.155; SLV (?) [the library holds a number of Flinders’ charts from 1814]
[Florence] Tableaux, Statues etc. de la Galerie de Florence et du Palais Pitti, 4 vols., Paris, 1789-1821. MPL 1857, III.i [1858], p.13; not extant in SLV; the NLA, Canberra, holds vols.1-3 (1789)
Fuseli, Henry. Twelve Lectures on Painting, delivered at the Royal Academy with Additional Observations and Notes. London, 1830. MPL 1857, i, p.18; SLV A705 M27T (1833 ed.)
[Gillray] Wright, Thomas, & Evans, R.H. Historical and descriptive account of the caricatures of James Gillray…, 2 vols., London: Bohn, 1851. MPL 1857, III.i [1858], p.14. The copy originally in the MPL appears to have comprised 2 volumes (see MPL 1880, p.513); cf. 1 volume catalogue now in the SLV, identified by a bookplate as “bequeathed to the Public Library of Victoria on the 24th day of March 1904 by Alfred Felton”: SLV A741.5 G41ZW
Goethe, Johann. Theory of Colours, trans.Charles Eastlake, London: Murray, 1840. MPL 1857, III.ii [1858], p.22; this ed.not extant in SLV but later eds. are held, including a reprint of this ed., ed. Deane Judd, MIT Press, 1970: SLV A701.8 G55
Great Exhibition (see Wyatt Industrial Arts of the Nineteenth Century 1853 {1861} SLV [IB]; and Crystal Palace, above); see also the following titles: (i) Official catalogue, London: Spicer Brothers, 1851. MPL 1854, p.18; SLV RARE S606.404 EX4 (presumably the volume listed in MPL 1854; (ii)Art Journal illustrated catalogue (1851). MPL 1857, I, p.3; the SLV holds a copy formerly owned by J.P.Fawkner, donated in 1966; & facsimile ed. publ. in 1970; (iii) Lectures on the results of the Great Exhibition of 1851: Delivered… at the Suggestion of H.R.H.Prince Albert, London: David Bogue, 1852 and 1853. MPL 1857, V.i [1860], p.19; SLV S604 L84 [Vol.2 (1853) includes lectures on the arts by Henry Cole, Owen Jones, M.D.Wyatt & others]; (iii) Prospectuses of Exhibitors, 16 vols., London, 1851. MPL 1854, p.18; not extant in SLV?; (iv) Reports of the Juries, London: Spicer Bros., 1852. MPL 1854, p.18; SLV S606.442 L1R [and see also Ellis, Robert (ed.). Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue of the Great Exhibition, 3 vols. & supplement, London: Spicer Bros., 1851 (including numerous wood engravings, and an account of the construction of the original Crystal Palace): SLV S606.442 L10]
Handbooks for Travellers. London: John Murray, 1858 etc. MPL 1857, V.i [1860], pp.14-15; cf. Murray’s Handbooks for Travellers (1849-58): SLV S914.8 M96 [some volumes extant]
Haydon, Benjamin (see Haydon Marcus Curtius 1843 {1897} NGV [PA]): see also (i) Haydon, Lectures on Painting and Design, 2 vols. London: Longman, Brown, & Longmans, 1844. MPL 1857, I, p.20; SLV A750.4 H32 [covers anatomy, colour, beauty, Fuseli, the Elgin Marbles, etc.; there are a few minor illustrations]; and (ii) Taylor, Tom (ed.). Life of Benjamin Robert Haydon: from his Autobiography and Journals, 2nd ed., 3 vols., London: Longmans, 1853. MPL 1861, p.194; SLV A 759.2 H32H
Holland, John. Memorials of Sir Francis Chantrey, London, 1851. MPL 1857, xvii [1861], p.15; SLV A730.942 C36H [for Chantrey, see under Plaster casts]
Hunter, John. A Voyage to New South Wales, London, 1793. MPL 1854, p.24; cf.MPL RARE LTF994.02 H91H: An historical journal of the transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island…
Jameson, Anna (Mrs) (see also Crystal Palace, above): see (i) Legends of the Madonna, London, 1852. MPL 1861, p.223; SLV A 755 J23; (ii) Memoirs of the Early Italian Painters, and of the progress of painting in Italy from Cimabue to Bassano, London, 1845. MPL 1857, iii, p.19; SLV A 759.5 J23M; and (iii) Sacred and Legendary Art, 2 vols., 3rd ed., London: Longmans, 1857. MPL 1861, p.223; SLV A755 J23S [1st publ. 1848; various small woodcuts and some etched reproductions by the author, of modest quality]
Kugler, Franz: (i) Handbook of Painting: the German, Flemish, Dutch, Spanish, and French Schools, ed.Edmund Head, London: John Murray, 1854. MPL 1857, ii, p.23; SLV A 759 K95; and (ii) Handbook of Painting: the Italian Schools, ed. Charles Eastlake, 2 vols., London: John Murray, 1855. MPL 1857, ii, p.23; SLV A759.5 A51
Labarte, Jules. Handbook of the Arts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, as applied to the decoration of Furniture etc, London: John Murray, 1855. MPL 1857, III.i (1858), p.17; SLV A 709.4 L11 [inc.numerous wood engravings; other copies available online]
Leonardo da Vinci. Treatise on Painting, trans.John Francis Rigaud, London: J.B.Nichols & Son, 1835. MPL 1854, p.16; SLV holds 1877 ed.publ.by Bell & Son: SLV A750 V74T. For an online copy of the 1835 ed., see https://archive.org/details/davincionpainting00leon?ref=ol&view=theater
Lessing, G.E. Laocoon: or, The limits of poetry and painting, trans.William Ross, London, 1836. MPL 1861, p.256; SLV A701 L56R
London, National Gallery: (i) Engravings…, 2 vols., London, 1830. MPL 1857, III.iii [1859], p.24; not extant in SLV?; (ii) Engravings from Pictures…, London, 1840. MPL 1861, p.166; SLV AEF 708.2 L84 [engravings by J.Burnet et al.]; (iii) The Vernon Gallery of British Art: engravings from the works of British artists in the National Gallery, 3 vols., London, 1849-54. MPL 1861; SLV AEF 708.2 V59
London, Royal Academy: Catalogues of Exhibitions. MPL 1857, xvii [1861], p.60 [& MPL 1861, p.396 (1769-1860)]; SLV A/RARE 708.2 R81 [complete series 1769-1960; succeeded 1961ff by Summer Exhibitions]
Manchester, Art Treasures exhibition (see Waring Manchester Art Treasures 1858 {1858} SLV [IB]): and Catalogue of the Art Treasures exhibition… 1857. MPL 1857, III.ii [1858], p.6; the SLV holds 2 copies, one supplied by Guillaume, possibly the copy listed in 1857/61 (SLV A708.2 AR7), and the other purchased from Melbourne bookseller Dwight in 1867 (SLV RARES 704 AR75V; available online through the SLV catalogue)
Michelangelo (see linked entry for other relevant entries): (i) The Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Engraved by J.Linnell, London, 1836. MPL 1857, III.i (1858), p.4; not extant in SLV? [engravings after drawings by Perino del Vaga & others]; (ii) Illustrations, Architectural… (etc.), London, 1857. MPL 1857 III.i (1858), p.4; not extant in SLV?
New York Exhibition. The World of Science, Art & Industry, New York, 1854. MPL 1857, III.i [1858], p.23; SLV SF 606473 L4W
O’Neil, A. Dictionary of Spanish Painters, London, 1833. MPL 1861, p.324; SLV A759.6 ON2D
Reynolds, Joshua (see also Reynolds (J.), after: Engravings 1820 {1858} SLV [IB]): (i) The Works, containing his Discourses, Journey to Flanders and Holland, &c; with Life by Edmond Malone, 3 vols., London, 1809. MPL 1861, p.386; SLV A 704 R33; (ii) Notes and Observations on Pictures by… ed.William Cotton, London, 1859. MPL 1861, p.386; SLV A 759.5 A73
Roscoe, William: (i) Life of Lorenzo de’Medici, 7th ed., London, 1846. MPL 1861, p.394; SLV holds 3rd ed.of 1797; (ii) Life and Pontificate of Leo X, 4th ed., London, 1846. MPL 1861, p.394; SLV S922.21 L5510R
Ruskin, John (see also Ruskin Stones of Venice 1851-53 {1857} SLV [IB]): (i) Modern Painters, 3 vols., London, 1846-56. MPL 1857, ii, p.31; not in SLV; (ii) The Seven Lamps of Architecture, London, 1855. MPL 1857, ii, p.31; not in SLV; (iii) Lectures on Architecture and Painting, London, 1855. MPL 1857, ii, p.31; not in SLV; (iv) The Two Paths: being lectures on art, and its application to decoration and manufacture, delivered in 1858-9, London: Smith, Elder, 1859. MPL 1857, ii, p.31; not in SLV [however, the SLV holds another copy of the 1859 edition, purchased in 1923; NB many of the older editions were apparently discarded after Cook & Wedderburn’s complete edition (1903-12) was acquired]
Society of Arts, Transactions, 58 vols., London, 1783-1846. MPL 1857, III.i (1858), p.29; not in SLV (however, the SLV holds the Journal of the Society of Arts, 1874-1908)
Tench, W. A Complete Account of the Settlement of Port Jackson (1793). MPL 1857, IV.iv (1859), p.84; SLV RARE CC994.02 T25C
The Traveller’s Library, 25 vols., London, 1856. MPL 1857, III.iii (1859), pp.33-35; SLV YC 082 T69
Tuckey, James. Account of a Voyage to establish a colony at Port Phillip, 1802-4, London, 1805). MPL 1861, p.523; SLV (RARE LT) CC 910.09164 T79A
[Turner, J.M.W.]: Burnet, John. Turner and his works: illustrated with examples from his pictures, and critical remarks on his principles of painting; the Memoir by Peter Cunningham, London: David Bogue, 1852. MPL cat.1861, p.68; SLV AF759.2 T85ZBU [illustrated with 10 apparently rather freely interpreted engravings; includes a catalogue of Turner’s paintings]
Vasari, Giorgio. Vite, 3 vols., Bologna, 1647. MPL 1857, i.32 and ‘Foreign books,’ p.19; SLV RARE 709.45 V44V
[Velazquez] Stirling, William. Velasquez & his Works, London, 1854. MPL 1857, III.ii (1858), p.42; not in SLV [but the SLV does hold his Annals of the artists of Spain, 3 vols., London: John Olivier, 1848]: SLV A 759.6 ST4A [acquisition date unknown]
Versailles, Galeries Historiques. MPL 1857, III.ii (1858), pp.20-21: Galeries Historiques de Versailles, par Gavard, 20 vols., Paris, 1837-44; MPL 1861, p.165: 13 vols., Paris, 1838 (as presented to Melbourne by Napoleon III). Cf. SLV AEF 708.4 V61 (Gal.Napoleon, 1 vol. only)
Waagen, G.F.: (i) Peter Paul Rubens (1840). MPL 1861, p.543; not extant in SLV; (ii)Treasures of Art in Great Britain, 3 vols., London: John Murray, 1854. MPL 1857, iii, p.32; cf. SLV A708.2 W11T (vol.2 only)
Wathen, G.H., The Golden Colony, or Victoria in 1854…, London, 1855. MPL 1857, IV.iv [1859], p.88; SLV RARE LT919.45 W31G
[Wilkie] Cunningham, Allan. Life of Sir David Wilkie: his Journals, Tours, and Critical Remarks on Works of Art, 3 vols., London, 1843. MPL 1861, p.112; SLV A 759.2 W65C
Winckelmann, Histoire de l’art chez les Anciens, Paris, 1803. MPL 1861, p.561; SLV RARE S709.3 W72 [1794 ed.]
Wornum, R., Characteristics of styles: an introduction to the history of ornamental art…, London: Chapman & Hall, 1856. MPL 1857, III.ii [1858], p.43 (as Analysis of Ornament, 1856); SLV A740 W89 [based on lectures given 1848-50; illustrated with wood engravings]
Young, Edward [Rev.]. Pre-Raffaellitism; or A Popular Enquiry into some newly-asserted principles connected with the philosophy, poetry, religion and revolution of art, London: Longman etc., 1857. MPL 1857, III.i [1858], p.32; SLV A759.2 A98 [diatribe against Ruskin’s 1855 Edinburgh Lectures: see above]