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Collection: Colonial

Treasures from a range of local, state, national, and private collections will be part of the Centre of Democracy’s story. Some of the objects here are on display right now, others have been, or will be part of the changing exhibition in the Institute Building.

See something you like? Explore the collections using the tags below.

Do you have something historically significant you think should be on display? contact us at [email protected]

  • activism
  • art and illustration
  • australia
  • badge
  • belongings
  • ceramics
  • Colonial
  • document
  • elections
  • environment
  • ephemera
  • Federation
  • gay
  • indigenous
  • International relations
  • jacket
  • local government
  • monarchy
  • nuclear
  • object
  • people
  • premier
  • prime minister
  • referendum
  • republic
  • Responsible government
  • state government
  • suffrage
  • Suffrage125
  • union
  • voting
  • women

Sixteen reasons for supporting woman’s suffrage

A letter on patrchemt coloured paper with a red symbol at the top and the words premiers office. The letter is written by hand and has a 3 cm margin indented from the left.

‘…The greatest constitutional reform…’

the plans of the City of Adelaide corporation champers proposed in 1852

In Chambers

A small statue of queen Victoria in white ceramic.

Statuette of Queen Victoria

A cream and red invidiation DL sized. There is a red cross at the top and in the centre red block text that reads Banquet Town Hall.

Federal conventions

The Temperance Movement

Her Majesty ‘doth declare her assent to the said Bill’

A landscape invitation. THere is a portrait of a man in gey to the left surrounded by coloured depciticons of australian landscape. There are flags above his head.

Swearing in of first Governor General of Australia

Voter registration card

Voting card

This document in hand written on blue lined paper. It has a wax seal in the top left corner which is covered by a small white paper square to protect it.

A partially elected Legislative Council

A petition, approximately A4 in size. It is addressed in the top right corner to Henry Ayers with a short statement that follows about why. From one third the way down there is two columns with signatures.

Nomination by petitioners

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