A Window On Maritime History

by Stephanie Williams

Words: Mary Koolhof (OAM, Owen Stanley Album Project Coordinator, The Royal Society of Tasmania)

A remarkable visual record of Australia’s maritime history is set to reach a far wider audience thanks to a recent grant awarded to the Royal Society of Tasmania. The Society has received funding through the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS) to create a high-quality interactive digital version of the Owen Stanley Album (Volume 2), one of the treasures of its art collection.

Created between 1837 and 1843, the album contains sketches and watercolours by Royal Navy officer, explorer and artist Owen Stanley. During this period Stanley commanded HMS Britomart, which undertook extensive surveying voyages around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. His artworks provide a rare visual record of landscapes, coastlines, settlements and people encountered during these expeditions, capturing a world undergoing rapid change.

For historians, maritime researchers and local communities, the album offers a glimpse into the early colonial era across the Australasian region. Among its 82 images are scenes of Van Diemen’s Land including the penal settlements on the Tasman Peninsula and the Orphan School in New Town, making it especially significant to Tasmania’s history. The album also includes depictions of cultural ceremonies and gatherings in Indonesia, portraits of prominent Māori figures, and views of significant buildings in New Zealand. “This album provides a remarkable window into places, people and daily life nearly 200 years ago,” said RST Art Coordinator Marley Large. “It’s like travelling alongside the expedition and seeing the world through Owen Stanley’s eyes.”

In 1900 it was donated to the Royal Society of Tasmania by Eliza Stanley, Owen Stanley’s sister-in-law. The gift followed efforts by Bishop Henry Montgomery and other Society members to collect and preserve items of historical significance for Tasmania. More than a century later, the album remains one of the Society’s most important artistic and historical holdings.

Because of its age and fragility, the album is rarely displayed. To ensure its long-term preservation, the Royal Society recently undertook a major conservation project with support from MMAPSS. Expert paper conservator Alison Titchen treated the album, while Hobart photographer Simon Olding carefully created archival-quality images of every page. This work has laid the foundation for the next stage of the project: transforming the photographs into an interactive digital flipbook. “The album is a historical treasure waiting to be explored,” said Owen Stanley Album Project Coordinator Mary Koolhof. “There is so much in the paintings and in Owen Stanley’s notes that is fascinating.”

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