Cirrus@Austlit

This thesis, and the subsequent book, examines the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia 1886-1888, edited by Andrew Garran, and published by the Picturesque Atlas Publishing Company in serial form to commemorate the centenary of European colonisation of Australia. The massive, three-volume Picturesque Atlas of Australasia sold over 50,000 copies and its publication was one of the most significant cultural projects in nineteenth-century Australia. The study outlines how the Atlas came to be produced and the way in which the publishers sought to promote it, and situates it within the traditions of picturesque publications. It also considers the representation of history within the Atlas, in terms of its narrative, illustrations and photographic representations.