An Australian eleven

An Australian eleven' by Mabel Boothby is one of 14 watercolours of South Australian scenes by local artists in an album. Loving attention to natural history detail has been made by the artists who created these distinctively South Australian scenes for the children of the visiting Duke and Duchess of York on 11 July 1901.

A booklet of names has the signatures of 131 children from some of the prominent South Australian families of the day who contributed to the gift for the royal children, including the signature of Lawrence Bragg, the youngest ever Nobel Laureate.

The album and booklet of names as well as some books, is contained within a Blackwood chest, presented by some South Australian families to the visiting Duke and Duchess of York for their children on 11 July 1901. The sturdy chest was designed by H.P. Gill, Director of Technical Drawing at the School of Design, and was crafted by Peter Gordon. The hinges and clasps were manufactured by AW Dobbie & Co. The carvings of parrots and cockatoos amid eucalyptus leaves were made by Messrs Unger.

The chest was later presented by Princess Mary to Princess Mary's Village Homes for Little Girls, and was eventually sold. The Library was delighted to purchase a piece of South Australia's history at a Sydney auction in 1997.