The Picturesque Atlas Of Australasia - Volumes 1 & 2 - Both Front Covers Detached
By Hon. Andrew Garran
Illustrated Under The Supervision Of Frederic B. Schell
Published by Picturesque Atlas Publishing Company Limited: Sydney & Melbourne 1886 - 1888
Includes ALL 7 x Foldout Railway, Postal & Telegraph Maps
(measuring 695mm tall x 900mm wide approx):
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Victoria
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New South Wales
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Tasmania
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South Australia
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Queensland
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Middle Island New Zealand
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North Island New Zealand
"Andrew Garran (1825 - 1901), English-Australian journalist and politician, was the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald from 1873 to 1885. Lavishly illustrated travel books had long been popular in Europe and North America when the same American team that produced Picturesque Canada established the Picturesque Atlas Publishing Company in Wynyard Square, Sydney, on Gadigal Country, in 1885. Released in 42 supplements between 1886 and 1889, the Atlas attracted over 50,000 subscribers willing to pay 10 guineas ($1,200 in current prices) in instalments. Their reward was an exceptional publication.
The Picturesque Atlas of Australasia (1886-1889) is a monumental publication produced in Sydney & Melbourne, conceived to present a comprehensive visual and written record of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific in the late 19th century. Combining detailed essays with hundreds of finely engraved illustrations, it sought to convey the landscapes, cities, industry, notable figures, flora, and fauna of the region to both local and international audiences. The work was created by a team of leading artists, engravers, and writers, many from overseas, and was sold by subscription, making it one of the most ambitious and expensive publishing projects undertaken in colonial Australia.
The atlas not only served as a pictorial celebration of the colonies' progress but also as a vehicle for fostering a sense of shared identity and pride in a rapidly developing region. Its images range from panoramic cityscapes and rural homesteads to depictions of goldfields, indigenous peoples, and historic events, blending artistic romanticism with documentary accuracy. Today, The Picturesque Atlas of Australasia is highly regarded as both an artistic achievement and a valuable historical record, offering a vivid window into the people, places, and aspirations of Australasia on the eve of federation."
