Architect Joseph Reeds

watercolour design for

the Exhibition Building,
as would be seen from
the City end of
Nicholson Street.
Source: Museum Victoria, Item
SH 194

A Display of Victorian Nationalism?

The Melbourne International Exhibition, 1880-1881
The Melbourne
International Exhibition,
running from October 1st,
1880 until April 30th 1881
was one of the city of
Melbournes first big events,
with almost 1.5 million
visitors, more than five
times the population of
Melbourne at the time,
seeing the exhibition during
its 8 month run. 29 nations
set up displays within the
purpose built International
Exhibition Building (now the
Royal Exhibition Building).
On the surface the event
seems to have been born
purely from nationalist
sentiment, designed to
showcase the colony of
Victoria to the world.
Christopher E. Orrell
discusses the extent to
which this assertion is true

It is Friday, October 1st, in

the year 1880. The streets of
Melbourne are crowded
with great throngs of people,
lining the route from
Queens Wharf on the Yarra
before Customs House (now
the Immigration Museum),
along Market Street to
Collins Street, then along to
Spring Street, and then
along Spring Street into the
Carlton Gardens, and up to
the main doorway of the
newly built Exhibition
Building. This crowd,
estimated to be 70,000
strong, had been growing
since 8 oclock in the
morning despite the weather
threatening rain, and the
wind bringing the potential
of dust stormsi. The crowd
was not to be dissuaded by
any means from watching

the parade to mark the

opening of the Melbourne
International Exhibition.
Flags from every nation
were said to be present, with
the British and Victorian
flags especially represented
amongst the crowdii.
The parade itself was a
display of national pride
from the host nation,
Victoria (A nation in and of
itself until federation in
1901), as well as shows of
pride from several of the
other nations represented at
the Exhibition. The parade
to the Exhibition building
was lead by the crew and
marching band of the
Victorian navys flagship
Cerberus, joined by the
crews of the various other
foreign naval vessels in the
harbour at the timeiii. They

Left: A map of the pavilions for the

Melbourne International Exhibition. The
coloured portions denote members of the
British Empire. Blue: Victoria, Red:
Great Britain, Purple: British colonies
inside Australia, Green: British colonies
outside Australia. Source: State Library of
Victoria IAN09/10/80/191 Colours added by author

Below: A Portrait of the Premier of

Victoria, Graham Berry. Source: State Library
of Victoria A/S07/07/77/60

were joined at Melbournes

town hall by the assembled
representatives of the
various trade union
movementsiv. Following
behind were several key
political figures of the state,
including the Governor of
Victoria, the Marquis of
Normanby; and the premier
of Victoria, and key figure
in the organisation of the
Exhibition, Graham Berryv.
The level of nationalistic
fever spread even into the
opening ceremony, with
everything, down to the
official opening cantata
extolling the virtues of
Victoria, and giving her a
place in the worldvi. This
show of nationalism defined
the opening day of the
Melbourne International
Exhibition, if not the entire
event itself. The extent to
which these feelings of
national pride influenced the
organisation and even the
very genesis of the event
itself is up for debate. The
influence of nationalism

upon the organisation of the

first Worlds Fair hosted in
Melbourne will be herein
examined and contrasted
with the other influences
that resulted in this grand
event.
The Worlds Fair movement
was an 19th Century bastion
of nationalism, with each
host nation building grand
structures, known as
palaces of industry, to
house all the great industrial
innovations from around the
world, and to display the
finery of the nationvii.
Melbournes Worlds Fair,
the Melbourne International
Exhibition, was no different.
In addition to the pomp and
ceremony that the opening
provided, the Exhibition
Building itself was also a
show of nationalismviii.
The building, with its
temporary annexes was the
biggest building in the
Southern Hemisphere at the
time of the exhibition, and it
stood imposingly against the

II

Melbourne skyline, dwarfed

only by the citys many
churches. The highest point
of the building, the smaller
dome atop the main dome
was clad in gold as a
conspicuous display of the
young colonies wealth
brought by the gold rush of
the 1850six.
The allocation of space
inside the building, too,
drew on nationalistic
sentiment, with more than
half of the almost 900,000
feet of space being devoted
to parts of the British
Empire, with most of this
space being filled by either
British or Victorian
displaysx. The allocation of
the display floor was very
heavily skewed in the
favour of the British Empire,
with other nations losing out
on the allocation of the
available floor space, with
some nations, such as the
United States, being

Right: The Mining display in the Victorian

court. The large rhomboid represents all the
gold mined in Victoria until June 30, 1880. It
lists the total value as 196,393,632 in the
currency of the day. Source: Museum Victoria, Item
107808

allocated less than half of

the floor space that they had
requestedxi.
Even the furnishings of the
building had inspired
nationalistic sentiment in the
Victorians. In the lead up to
the Exhibition the
commissioners desired 500
Dozen chairsxii for seating
guests during the course of
the Exhibition. The
commissioners desired that
these chairs all be sourced
from Victoria, and gave the
stipulation that the chairs
were not to have had any
Chinese labour involved in
their constructionxiii. This,
however, was even in the
19th Century seen as a poor
political move, and was
widely criticised in the
papers as having been
influenced by the lobbying
of the local manufacturersxiv,
and was seen as favouring
the Melburnian
manufacturers over those in
regional Victoriaxv. After
months of heavy criticism in
the papers, with no amount
of defence from
commissionersxvi or trade
union officialsxvii able to
sway the opinion of the
public, nor the papers, the
decision was eventually
overturned at the end of
Julyxviii. It is clear from this
episode with the chairs that
the organisation of the
Melbourne International
Exhibition was not entirely
smooth sailing for the
commissioners. In fact,

quite the opposite, as the

idea of having an
International Exhibition in
Victoria was resisted by the
conservative Legislative
Assembly and in the
conservative papers such as
The Argus from the time the
Exhibition was first
proposed up until the
opening day.
Politics played a large role
in the organisation of the
Melbourne International
Exhibition. From its
inception through to the day
it closed, the Melbourne
International Exhibition was
seen in certain quarters as
the brainchild of the
politician Graham Berry,
and cursed as the blight of
Berryismxix. Berry was a
divisive figure, falling
firmly on the Protectionist
as opposed to the Free
Trade side of the political
spectrum of the time,
putting him at odds with the
majorly Free Trade
favouring Legislative

III

Assembly. Berry was seen

as pushing for higher taxes
on those who owned large
tracts of land, and
supporting large tariffs upon
imports to provide support
for Victorian traders and
manufacturers, as well as
smaller farmers. As such he
was portrayed as a cancer on
societyxx or as a monster of
all consuming greedxxi by
the conservative media.
Berryism and the Melbourne
International Exhibition
became linked through his
relentless pursuing of the
idea. It was Berry who first
presented the idea of having
an international exhibition
in Melbourne to
parliamentxxii in 1877. It was
not until after the Paris
exhibition in 1878 that the
idea of having an
international exhibition in
Melbourne had started to
look attractive to the rest of
the Victorian parliament,
especially after the reports
of the commission for the
Victorian representation at

Above: Crowds around

the British court. Source:
Page LXXIX of the Official
Record Containing Introduction,
History Of Exhibition, Description
Of Exhibition And Exhibits,
Official Awards Of Commissioners
And Catalogue Of Exhibits,
(Melbourne: Mason, Firth &
M'Cutcheon, 1882)

Left: The view down the

main aisle of the
temporary annexe. Source:
Museum Victoria, Item MM
107804

the Paris exhibitionxxiii. The

success of the Paris
exhibition, especially in the
eyes of the working class
Victorians was a political
miracle for Berry, as it
helped change the tune of
his opposition, and allowed
him to get the legislation for
the Melbourne International
Exhibition through both
houses of Victorian
parliament when he next
presented this idea in
February 1879. This was all
according to Berrys plan, as

he was the one who

appointed the
commissioners to the Paris
exhibition, and decided that
Victoria would hold a place
there. It has been suggested
that this was all done with
the intent of gathering
international interest in an
international exhibition in
Melbourne.xxiv It certainly
worked to inspire interest in
the colony of Victoria,
although it has also been
suggested that the sudden
acceptance of the idea of

IV

having an international
exhibition in Melbourne had
more to do with the fact that
Sydney was to host one in
1879.xxv
Some have cynically
suggested that the entire
purpose of the Melbourne
International Exhibition, and
as such the reason why
Berry was perusing it so
relentlessly, was that it was
supposed to alleviate
political tension in Victoria
at the time, and sway public
opinion into Berrys
favourxxvi, while it has also
been suggested that the
Exhibition was mounted by
Berry as an economic
stimulus to bring tourism
and trade into a slowing
economyxxviixxviii, or to show
the public the benefits of his
ideals of protectionismxxix.
It was not just Berry,
however, who was
campaigning for the
Melbourne International

Exhibition to be created, and

not just Berry who stood to
gain from the holding of an
International Exhibition in
Melbourne. Some of the
biggest groups that were
campaigning for the
exhibition to go ahead were
the manufacturers and
traders. Were the exhibition
to go ahead they stood to
gain on multiple fronts. Not
only would those who were
able to show their wares in
the exhibition gain exposure
to people within Victoria,
but they also had the
prospects of gaining
international notice for their
improvements. Not only this,
but many stood to gain
prestige that accompanied
the awarding of prizes to the
best examples of products
exhibitedxxx, and the
possibility of learning new
manufacturing techniques
from around the world. On
top of these other reasons,
there also stood the chance
to gain a permanent
exhibition hall in which they
could showcase the best
locally made goods, which
they believed would allow
them to compete with the
importers, tariffs or no
tariffs. It was with this in
mind that they first
approached Graham Berry
with their idea during a
deputation in June 1877xxxi.
The National Reform and
Protection League was the
main driver of the idea, and
they had constant
communication with Berry
about the idea. When the
idea was being pushed
through, and Berry
appointed his first
commissioners to oversee
the running of the

Melbourne International
Exhibition, which at the
time was no more than a
dream, several of the
commissioners appointed by
Berry were prominent
traders and manufacturers
from Melbournexxxiixxxiii.
Though later moves by the
Victorian parliament
attempted to reduce the
influence of the
commissioners from
manufacturing and trading
backgrounds, the plans were
in motion for the most part
by the time they attempted
to take control.
In the end, the Melbourne
International Exhibition
seems to have been born
more out of political
manoeuvring than any other
cause. Graham Berry drew
much of his political support
from traders and
manufacturers, and was
elected to represent their
interests against the
landholder dominated
Legislative Assembly, so it
was in his best interests to
listen to their suggestion of
hosting a Worlds Fair.
While this may be the case,
however, nationalism played
no small part in gaining the
support of the working class,
which in turn gave the
Legislative Assembly, who
were hostile to Berry, reason
to allow the Exhibition to go
ahead. While nationalism
was not a key player in the
creation of the Melbourne
International Exhibition, it
did finally allow it to go
ahead, and ultimately the
Exhibition proved to be an
outlet for the expression of
the nationalist sentiment of
the colony of Victoria.

Bibliography
Primary
Berryism, Melbourne Punch, Aug. 12,
1880, in Trove [Online database], date
accessed: 17 Oct. 2015
Berryism!, Melbourne Punch, Dec.
18, 1879, in Trove [Online database],
date accessed: 17 Oct. 2015
Chairs for the Exhibition, Bendigo
Advertiser, May 7, 1880, in Trove
[Online database], date accessed: 25
Sept. 2015
The Exhibition Chair Question,
Bendigo Advertiser, May 6, 1880, in
Trove [Online database], date accessed:
25 Sept. 2015
The Exhibition Chairs, The Age,
May 11, 1880, in Trove [Online
database], date accessed: 25 Sept. 2015
The Exhibition Commission, The Age,
May 6, 1880, in Trove [Online
database], date accessed: 22 Sept. 2015
The Inaugural Ceremonies, Argus
Exhibition Supplement, 2 Oct. 1880,
p.4, in Trove [Online Database], date
accessed 2 Oct. 2015
The Procession, Age, 2 Oct. 1880, p.5,
in Trove [Online Database], date
accessed 29 Sept. 2015
Thursday, June 21, 1877, Argus, June
21, 1877, p.4, in Trove [Online
database], date accessed: 25 Sept. 2015
International Exhibition (1880-81:
Melbourne, Vic.), Official Record
Containing Introduction, History Of
Exhibition, Description Of Exhibition
And Exhibits, Official Awards Of
Commissioners And Catalogue Of
Exhibits, (Melbourne: Mason, Firth &
M'Cutcheon, 1882)
Kennedy, J., The Exhibition Chairs,
The Age, May 8, 1880, in Trove
[Online database], date accessed: 25
Sept. 2015
Reid, J. A., The Exhibition Chairs,
The Age, July 27, 1880, in Trove
[Online database], date accessed: 26
Sept. 2015
Victoria, Parliament, Paris Universal
Exhibition : despatches, regulations,
correspondence, etc., respecting the
Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878,
Parl. Paper 45, Melbourne, 1878

Secondary
A Grand Opening Amid Grand
Words, The Centenary Exhibition
1880-1980 Official Souvenir Program,
(Richmond: Norman J. Field and Co.,
1980), pp.14-15

Dunstan, D., Countdown to the

Exhibition, Victorian Icon: A History
of the Royal Exhibition Building,
Dunstan, D. (ed.), (Melbourne:
Exhibition Trustees, 1996), pp.99-106
Dunstan, D., Graham Berry and
Politics in Victoria, Victorian Icon: A
History of the Royal Exhibition
Building, Dunstan, D. (ed.),
(Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees,
1996), p.19-22

Dunstan, D., Colligan, M., A Musical

Opening, Victorian Icon: A History of
the Royal Exhibition Building, Dunstan,
D. (ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition
Trustees, 1996), pp.107-114
Morrison, I., The Accompaniments
of European Civilization: Melbourne
Exhibitions 1854-1888, La Trobe
Journal, no.56, Spring 1995, pp.6-10

Parris, J., Shaw, A. G. L., Melbourne

International Exhibition, 1880-1881,
Victorian Historical Journal, Vol. 51,
No. 4, Nov. 1980, pp.237-254
Smith, F.B., Festivals of Nationhood,
Australian Cultural History, Goldberg,
S. L. & Smith, F. B. (eds), (Melbourne:
Cambridge University Press, 1988), pp.
158-176
Willingham, A., A Permanent and
Extensive Exhibition Building,
Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal
Exhibition Building, Dunstan, D. (ed.),
(Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees,
1996), pp. 51-67

Dunstan, D., The Providence of Paris,

Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal
Exhibition Building, Dunstan, D. (ed.),
(Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees,
1996), p.33-38

VI

Notes
i

The Inaugural Ceremonies, Argus Exhibition Supplement, 2 Oct. 1880, p.4, in Trove [Online Database], date
accessed 2 Oct. 2015
ii
A Grand Opening Amid Grand Words, The Centenary Exhibition 1880-1980 Official Souvenir Program,
(Richmond: Norman J. Field and Co., 1980), p.15
iii
ibid.
iv
The Procession, Age, 2 Oct. 1880, p.5, in Trove [Online Database], date accessed 29 Sept. 2015
v
Dunstan, D., Colligan, M., A Musical Opening, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition Building,
Dunstan, D. (ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), p. 107
vi
Meaden, J. W., Victoria: Cantata Poem, The Poetical Works of J. W. Meaden, (Melbourne: Victorian Alliance,
1899), pp. 35-39
vii
Smith, F.B., Festivals of Nationhood, Australian Cultural History, Goldberg, S. L. & Smith, F. B. (eds),
(Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 1988), pp. 158-176
viii
For a comprehensive history of the Royal Exhibition Building, see Dunstan, D., Victorian Icon: A History of the
Royal Exhibition Building, (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996)
ix
Willingham, A., A Permanent and Extensive Exhibition Building, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal
Exhibition Building, Dunstan, D. (ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), pp. 51-67
x
See the accompanying map of the exhibition for a breakdown of the allocation of the space.
xi
Dunstan, D., Countdown to the Exhibition, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition Building, Dunstan,
D. (ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), p.99
xii
Chairs for the Exhibition, Bendigo Advertiser, May 7, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 25
Sept. 2015
xiii
ibid.
xiv
The Exhibition Commission, The Age, May 6, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 22 Sept. 2015
xv
The Exhibition Chair Question, Bendigo Advertiser, May 6, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed:
25 Sept. 2015
xvi
The Exhibition Chairs, The Age, May 11, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 25 Sept. 2015
xvii
Kennedy, J., The Exhibition Chairs, The Age, May 8, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 25
Sept. 2015
xviii
Reid, J. A., The Exhibition Chairs, The Age, July 27, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 26 Sept.
2015
xix
Dunstan, D., Graham Berry and Politics in Victoria, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition Building,
Dunstan, D. (ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), p.19-22
xx
Berryism, Melbourne Punch, Aug. 12, 1880, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 17 Oct. 2015
xxi
Berryism!, Melbourne Punch, Dec. 18, 1879, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 17 Oct. 2015
xxii
Dunstan, D., The Paris Commission, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition Building, Dunstan, D.
(ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), p.29-31
xxiii
Victoria, Parliament, Paris Universal Exhibition : despatches, regulations, correspondence, etc., respecting
the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, Parl. Paper 45, Melbourne, 1878
xxiv
Dunstan, D., The Providence of Paris, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition Building, Dunstan, D.
(ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), p.33-38
xxv
A Grand Opening Amid Grand Words, The Centenary Exhibition 1880-1980 Official Souvenir Program,
(Richmond: Norman J. Field and Co., 1980), p.14
xxvi
Morrison, I., The Accompaniments of European Civilization: Melbourne Exhibitions 1854-1888, La Trobe
Journal, no.56, Spring 1995, pp.8-9
xxvii
Parris, J., Shaw, A. G. L., Melbourne International Exhibition, 1880-1881, Victorian Historical Journal, Vol.
51, No. 4, Nov. 1980, pp.237-254
xxviii
Davison, G., The Culture of International Exhibitions, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition
Building, Dunstan, D. (ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), pp.11-18
xxix
Morrison, I., The Accompaniments of European Civilization: Melbourne Exhibitions 1854-1888, La Trobe
Journal, no.56, Spring 1995, pp.8-9
xxx
For a comprehensive list of all exhibitors, all items exhibited, and all the prizes awarded, see: International
Exhibition (1880-81: Melbourne, Vic.), Official Record Containing Introduction, History Of Exhibition,
Description Of Exhibition And Exhibits, Official Awards Of Commissioners And Catalogue Of Exhibits,
(Melbourne: Mason, Firth & M'Cutcheon, 1882)
xxxi
Thursday, June 21, 1877, Argus, June 21, 1877, p.4, in Trove [Online database], date accessed: 25 Sept.
2015
xxxii
International Exhibition (1880-81: Melbourne, Vic.), Official Record Containing Introduction, History Of
Exhibition, Description Of Exhibition And Exhibits, Official Awards Of Commissioners And Catalogue Of Exhibits,
(Melbourne: Mason, Firth & M'Cutcheon, 1882)

VII

xxxiii

Dunstan, D., The Providence of Paris, Victorian Icon: A History of the Royal Exhibition Building, Dunstan, D.
(ed.), (Melbourne: Exhibition Trustees, 1996), p.33-38

VIII