POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Occasional table

Object No. 93/97/1

This occasional table is one of the few pieces of Australian-made furniture known with any certainty to have been exhibited in the world's first international exhibition. The Great Exhibition of Works of Industry of All Nations, held in London at the Crystal Palace in 1851, was the forerunner of a series of local and international industrial and trade exhibitions held during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Importantly, the Great Exhibition gave the Australian colonies the opportunity to display local natural resources and manufactured products to an international audience. With the prospect of attracting opportunities for trade and investment in the colonies, the exhibition provided a focus for both governments and colonists. At the time it also helped to inspire local pride in Tasmania as a centre for quality furniture manufacture. This table was one of only twelve pieces of furniture made in Tasmania and exhibited in the Van Diemen's Land section of the Great Exhibition. Apart from illustrating the uniqueness and beauty of local native timbers, the table is also representative of various aspects of Australia's participation in the exhibition and in developing new markets for industry and trade, something that the Tasmanian colonial government must have emphatically embraced. The small colony of Tasmania was the largest exhibitor of any of the Australian colonies at the Great Exhibition. Although the table has stylistic equivalents that are found in Europe and especially England, this example shows how such design influences and traditions as well as quality craftsmanship were being practised in Australia during the nineteenth century. Despite these similarities, a primary difference was the use of non-traditional timbers. The international exhibitions provided opportunities to show other nations and companies throughout the world the quality of timbers and other natural resources unique to Australia. The table is also interesting in that despite a strong provenance of ownership being known from the time it was exhibited in the Great Exhibition the identity of the maker still remains uncertain. Marked "W Champion", this is the name of the exhibitor and owner William Champion rather than the maker. Comparison between this table and a similar table in the Museum's collection made by William Hamilton of Hobart about 1850, may indicate Hamilton or one of his followers was the actual maker. The table is mentioned briefly in a listing of exhibits and exhibitors in The Courier newspaper (Hobart, Tasmania), 8/11/1851, p.2 References; Kevin Fahy & Andrew Simpson; Australian Furniture - Pictorial History and Dictionary 1788-1938, (Casuarina Press, Sydney, 1998, p.446) Milford McArthur; "William Champion: a Colonial Cabinetmaker?", in Australiana, vol.23 no.1, February 2001, pp.20-23. Anne Watson; "A 'Champion' Table", in Australiana, vol.15 no.4, November 1993 pp.98-101. Anne Watson; "Australian And English Furniture" in The Australian Antique Collector, July-December 1994 pp.23-27. The Great Exhibition of Works of Industry of all Nations, Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue, (Vol. II, London, 185) Michael Lea Curator, Design and Society June, 2010