1866 Isometric View of Melbourne Original

NOTE: Because of the high detail in this work, we recommend that you purchase print sizes of A2, A1 or A0. Smaller print sizes may disappoint you in revealing the incredible detail of this image.

A truly magnificent work, depicting Melbourne and its suburbs in 1866, using an isometric perspective. The original artist worked on this for over three years.

The viewer is looking in a southern direction, looking across the city of Melbourne out to Port Phillip Bay. In the centre foreground you can make out St. Patrick's Cathedral, St Peter's Church and on the right hand side, the Melbourne Cemetery (where Queen Victoria Market is now located). On the left foreground we can see the Fitzroy Gardens and East Melbourne, and looking further south we can see the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a train heading towards Richmond. On the far left we can see the Cremorne bridge spanning the Yarra.

There are hundreds of fascinating points of interest in the image, and any owner of this print can spend many days looking at all of the buildings, geography, architecture and infrastructure of the day.

Produced by De Gruchy & Leigh in 1866. The original lithograph was mentioned in De Gruchy & Leigh's "Strangers' Guide to Melbourne" from 1866 where it is stated "This splendid lithograph has been upwards of three years in the artist's hands, and has been generally admitted to be the only view of the capital of the southern Hemisphere that fully represents its commercial importance, or is capable of giving our friends at home an adequate idea of Melbourne and that portion of its suburbs which lie south of the River Yarra. From the elaborate nature of the work (every house being distinctly visible) only a limited number of copies can be struck off."

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This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the National Library of Australia. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks.