This week we highlight one of the key elements of the Creating Perth exhibition, running in the State Library exhibition space until March 19 – an 1892 cyclorama of Perth city measuring 2.7 metres in length, created by architect and artist John Stewart Jackson.
John Stewart Jackson was an entrepreneur, architect and artist from Geelong. Prior to leaving Geelong he created a cyclorama of the city measuring 2.5m in length. He arrived in Perth in 1892 and took several months to draw the city making sure that each building was shown individually rather than being hidden behind others.
This cyclorama is believed to be one of the State Library’s earliest acquisitions. In lieu of photographic evidence, it is also an insight into how Perth may have looked from an elevated perspective in the late 19th century. The inclusion of inserted close-ups of specific buildings and select properties also provides an insight into the kinds of institutions, businesses and individuals considered of relevance to the greater socio-cultural fabric of Perth at the time.
Search the catalogue for to see the other images of Perth and stories online.
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Recorded live on ABC Radio Perth on 22 January 2021.