Here, the State Library of Victoria is depicted before the construction of the southern corner pavilion in 1886. The matching northern pavilion wasn't completed until 1961.
The elaborate iron gates, which were removed in 1937, are shown here in detail. So too are the zinc lions at the head of the stairs, which were acquired by the Trustees on the advice of Sir Redmond Barry in 1876 and removed in 1924. The statue of Sir Redmond Barry was installed on the central landing shortly after this work was executed, and the statues of St George and the Dragon and Jeanne D' Arc were installed in 1889 and 1907 respectively.