Percy Grainger as an Artist

It is not very well known that in addition to his prodigious gifts as pianist and composer, Percy Grainger was also a talented artist. Learning initially from his father John Grainger, the well-known architect (but fine watercolourist), and then from Frederick McCubbin – the famous Australian artist of the Heidelberg School, up until the age of eighteen, Grainger was seriously considering dropping his music career altogether in favour of the visual arts. Given that he befriended artists such as McCubbin, Rupert Bunny, Tom Roberts, Norman Lindsay (to name but a few), this is hardly surprising! Pictured is one of Percy Grainger’s artworks in watercolour.

Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961), Oscillator-playing tone tool, 1st experiment, 1951, watercolour, ink and graphite on paper, 14.2 x 25.7 cm, Grainger Museum collection, University of Melbourne.

Melbourne 1880

This map was reproduced from an original engraving by Samuel Calvert held in the National Library of Australia. It was a supplement to the Illustrated Australian News, October 1880. You can download a larger version from the digital repository: http://library.unimelb.edu.au/digitalcollections/cultural_and_special_collections/map_collections/

Books presented to the Library in the 1800s by Queen Victoria

To mark the upcoming Queens Birthday holiday, curators from the University Library’s Special Collections surfaced two books (pictured below) each signed by Queen Victoria and presented to the library in the 1800s.

Signed copy of The principal speeches and addresses of his Royal Highness the Prince Consort presented to the University Library by Queen Victoria
Note detail: Presented to the Melbourne University Library by Queen Victoria, Windsor Castle 1868
The principal speeches and addresses of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort: with an introduction giving some outlines of his character
Note detail: Presented to The Melbourne University Library in memory of Her great and good Husband by His broken-hearted Widow, and signed by Queen Victoria, 1864.

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