Since it was first established in 1856, the State Library of Victoria has sought to share its many treasures with the general public. Now you can discover some of our most beautiful, rare and unusual treasures online, and learn more about their history and the people who created them. Drawn from the Library's Rare Books, Pictures, Maps, Australian Manuscripts and Children's Literature collections, this selection of 21 items reveals the depth and diversity of the Library's vast collection.
A rare silk dress created for a costume ball in 1866.
Clarice Beckett's painting of one of Melbourne's city bridges.
One of Australia's most important colonial paintings depicting the bushfires of 1851.
Rare eyewitness account of the Eureka uprising at Ballarat in December 1854.
Dictated by Ned Kelly to Joe Byrne in 1879, many view it as Kelly's 'manifesto'.
First-hand account of life as an itinerant labourer in Victoria in the late 19th century.
This pistol was said to have been used by Peter Lalor at the Eureka Stockade.
An exquisite presentation album of photographs of 19th-century Gippsland.
The record of an early expedition around the Port Phillip district.
One of the finest ornithological books ever produced, it is also the Library's most valuable.
Written in 1467, this is known as the most beautiful book of the 15th century.
One of the first illustrated books produced in England by William Caxton.
A rare photograph by Antoine Fauchery depicting miners at work on Victoria's goldfields in the 1850s.
Signed by over 5000 gold diggers, it was presented to Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe in 1853.
The oldest book in the Library, this rare manuscript dates from the 10th century.
Sir Isaac Newton's Principia is known as one of greatest works in the history of science.
Jean de la Fontaine's work is considered to be one of the greatest illustrated books ever published.
A first edition of the classic scientific work by Charles Darwin, published in November 1859.
The most complete assemblage of armour worn by Ned Kelly and his gang.
A rare Australian example from the 'toy book' genre of children's literature.
Published in France from 1798, these books are the tallest in the Library.
The Happiest Days of my Life is one of Edna Walling's unpublished manuscripts.
A rare 100ft painting showing a 360 degree view of Melbourne in the 1840s.
