The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo. This is the third in a series of 5 wool classing exercise books. They were written by Stanley Hucker in his time at the Gordon Technical College from 1936-1938. This book begins in a white cover with black ink illustrations and writing. These illustrations have been added to with Pink ink. Internally, the book is handwritten on yellowed pages with blue lines for the assistance in clarity of handwriting. The pages are also surrounded by a margin of red pen. The exercise book’s content is about veterinary studies relating to the diseases, injuries, and treatment of sheep. It is handwritten. A selection of pages have been photographed to give an impression of the information taught in classes, 90 years ago. This includes information about blow fly and bacterial diseases.Front Cover. Wording, printed and handwritten “THE / AUSTRALIAN / EXERCISE / BOOK / Veterinary / NAME Stanley J Hucker / GRADE III / School “Gordon” Geelong” Front Cover. Illustrations, printed. Kangaroo, kookaburra / Map of Australia with state names / Emu, Koalagordon institute geelong, wool classing, 1930s sheep farming, 90 years wool classing between father & son

Francis Gordon Davis is the only student from the Ballarat Junior Technical School who died during World War One. Back L-R: Francis Gordon Davis 1899-1919, Alfred Ernest Davis 1891-1968, Herbert Arthur Davis 1892-1964, Edward Henry Davis 1896-1958 Front L-R: Violet Isabel Davis 1894-1962, Alfred Ernest Davis 1858-1933 Copied courtesy of the Davis Family.francis davis, aif, australian infantry force, alfred ernest davis, herbert arthur davis, edward henry davis, violet isabel davis

This blazer belonged to Gordon Burleigh (1888-1956) who lived at ‘Macken Hill’ in Mepunga. He was the ninth child of James and Janet Burleigh who were early settlers in the Nullawarre area. Gordon Burleigh was a prominent and successful sportsman playing football and cricket in the local area and playing one game in 1914 in the Victorian Football League for Geelong. The blazer indicates that the cricket team he played for was the Premier team for 1934, 1935, and 1936 and the ‘S.W.’ on the blazer pocket may indicate South Warrnambool but it is more likely to be ‘South West’, perhaps the name of the district the team played in. This blazer is of considerable interest as it belonged to Gordon Burleigh, a prominent sportsman in the district in the early decades of the 20th century.This is a maroon-coloured blazer which belonged to Gordon Burleigh of Mepunga. It has gold-coloured edging and piping on the sleeves, pockets and edges (collar etc) of the blazer. It has two material-covered buttons and stitched buttonholes and gold stitching on the pocket. There is a tag on the collar but no writing is visible. Pocket: ‘Premiers, S.W., 1934-35-36’gordon burleigh, local cricket in the 1930s, warrnambool, cricket blazer

Black and white photograph of Gordon Hale.ballarat school of mines, gordon hale

Donated by Robert Gordon Lees VX93348photo/pictures, ballarat rsl, ballarat

This book is an autobiography of George Meudell (1860-1936). He spent about six years in Warrnambool as a young boy when his father came to Warrnambool as the Manager of the Bank of Victoria. Meudell went to the Warrnambool Common School 646. He later became well-known in Melbourne in social, economic and political affairs. He was a company promoter, stockbroker and writer and an acquaintance of most of the influential and wealthy people of the time. In 1928 Meudell wrote an article for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria Journal detailing his memories of Warrnambool and this article is now a very important piece of local social history. He was enthusiastic about the benefits of living in Warrnambool in the 1860s and 70s. Meudell’s book, ‘The Pleasant Career of a Spendthrift, was an important publication as it gave a complete account of the commercial morality of the power brokers in the financial world - those concerned with the land boom and the banks’ crash of 1886-1893. The book was so inflammatory that it was initially withdrawn from sale. This book is of considerable interest as it was written by George Meudell who lived in Warrnambool in the 1860s and 70s and played a part in Warrnambool’s history by writing about these years. The book is also of wider interest as it has some information on people connected with Warrnambool’s history, including John Archibald and Thomas Bent. The signature in the front of the book is of no known relevance to Warrnambool.This is a hard cover book of 282 pages. The cover is red with black printing and the spine is very faded. The book has a foreword and twelve chapters of text. The first page contains a signature and notes written in pencil.‘Gordon Leitch Christmas 1942’ george meudell, victoria’s land boom (19th century), history of warrnambool

White woodedn cross with knitted poppy attached coloured red with green & black centre. Soldier's name & serial number printed in black ink on front of the Australian flag attached on the back of the cross.Sharp, Gordon Cameron 2781465.cross, memorial cross

The Vaudevilles Costume, Comedy, Concert, Company Jack Clapham, Miss Hilda Butterfield, Miss Doris Medley, Miss Doris Mitchell, Miss Edith Gordon, Jack Hammond, Bert Hiles, Will Summerscales, Wilf MitchellTwo Pages printed program (A5 in size) Front labelled The VAUDEVILLES. With company members names ; Jack Clapham, Miss Hilda Butterfield, Miss Doris Medley, Miss Doris Mitchell, Miss Edith Gordon, Jack Hammond, Bert Hiles, Will Summerscales, Wilf Mitchell. Two inside pages Labelled REPERTOIRE PROGOGRAMMEthe vaudevilles programme

Depicted are eight young women all dressed in white tennis uniforms comprising a knee-length skirt, knitted V-neck jumper with two presumably black stripes, a collared white shirt, white socks and white sneakers. The group is posing for the photograph on a tennis court on the grounds of Ruyton Girls' School. Six of the women are standing up, and two of the women are kneeling in the front row and to the right side. All of the women are holding tennis rackets. The earliest documented mention of tennis being played by students at Ruyton Girls' School is at least 1905. The February 1910 edition of The Ruytonian notes "the Ruyton Tennis Club have had a very successful year ... again won the Kia-Ora club pennant; this is the third year in succession, and fifth time altogether." Ruyton are recorded as having played intra-school tennis with Aldworth Girls' Grammar School, Lauriston Girls' School, and Strathearne Presbyterian Girls' School. The third woman from the left in the back row has been identified as Helen Gordon (maiden name Cole).The record has strong historic significance as it depicts a former notable student, Helen Gordon (maiden name Cole). Helen started at Little Ruyton in Prep 1940 and finished Year 12 in 1952 as School Captain, Bromby Captain, Form Captain for Matric, Tennis Captain, Hockey Captain, Swimming Vice Captain, and an award for Best All-Round Girl. She also played baseball for Victoria. After finishing school, Helen went on to graduate from the University of Melbourne as a physiotherapist in 1956. Her first position at age 19 involved setting up clinics with the Victorian Health Department Poliomyelitis Rural division. Helen’s strong ties to Ruyton continued when she held the position of President of the Old Ruytonians’ Association from the start of 1966 to the end of 1967. In 2019, Helen received an Order of Australia Medal for service to community health as a physiotherapist. She was also the recipient of the 2022 Victorian Senior Achiever Award at Parliament House. Helen passed away in July 2023 at age 88. The record's significance is further enhanced by its strong provenance, having been produced by Ruyton Girls' School and donated to the Archives by a familial connection.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper.Reverse: HELEN GORDON / 1952. / Elaine (?) c Alpin / Elaine Macdonald . / Sally Backhouse /ruyton girls' school, kew, victoria, tennis, sport, women's sport, students, school, 1950s, uniform

Victorian Fire Brigades Assoc. JUNIOR STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS BENDIGO 2001 Under 17 D COUPLING FOUR COMPETITORS 3rd place Travis Allen, Brendan Gordon, Erin Ryan, Andrew Ludlowcertificate framed by a simple black plastic frameVictorian Fire Brigades Assoc. JUNIOR STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS BENDIGO 2001 Under 17 D COUPLING FOUR COMPETITORS 3rd place Travis Allen, Brendan Gordon, Erin Ryan, Andrew Ludlowjuniors, travis allen, brendan gordon, erin ryan, andrew ludlow, 2001

Three sheets of Gordon brand blotting paper.blotting paper, writing equipment

Colour photographs of graves in the Gordons Burial Groundgordons burial ground, michael canny, patrick canny, gordon cemetery, hannah canny, hand forged, harp of ein

This collection of 22 photos was most likely taken in 1984. Mr Gordon Scholes AO was the Minister for Defence in the Hawke Government from 1983 to 1984. It’s evident in these photos he was taken on a tour through the production areas. Mr John Brumby AO at this time was the Federal Member for Bendigo. He later moved on to Victorian state politics, serving as Treasurer from 2000 to 2007 and Premier from 2007 to 2010. Key Army Survey Regiment personnel identified include COL Alex Laing, the Director of Survey from 1983 to 1988 and CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka who led the unit from 1982 to 1985. The rank of the senior officer is not known, however would have been a Major-General or above, due to the presence of the aide-de-camp (female captain). This is a set of 22 photographs of a visit to the Army Survey Regiment, Bendigo circa 1984, by Mr Gordon Scholes AO, who was the Minister for Defence. The photographs were printed on photographic paper and are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. Photographs .1P to .11P, .14P to .17P and .19P to .22P were scanned at 600 dpi. Photographs .12P to .13P and .18P were scanned at 300 dpi. .1) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, Mr John Brumby AO, Mr Gordon Scholes AO CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, unidentified, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified (x3). .2) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka AO, Mr John Brumby AO, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified (x4), D-SVY COL Alex Laing. .3) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified (x2), Mr John Brumby, unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka AO, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, CAPT Danny Galbraith. .4) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka AO, Mr Gordon Scholes AO Mr John Brumby AO, unidentified. .5) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka AO Mr John Brumby AO, unidentified. .6) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: MAJ Daryl Hockings CSM, unidentified (x2). .7) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: CAPT Danny Galbraith, unidentified (x2), Mr John Brumby AO, unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka AO, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified (x2). .8) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka AO, MAJ Daryl Hockings CSM, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified. .9) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, Mr John Brumby AO, CAPT Bob John, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified (x2), MAJ Graham Baker, unidentified, MAJ Daryl Hockings CSM. .10) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: Mr John Brumby AO, CAPT Bob John, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified (x2), MAJ Graham Baker, unidentified, MAJ Daryl Hockings CSM. .11) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified (x2), MAJ Graham Baker, unidentified (x2). .12) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr Gordon Scholes AO. .13) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, Mr John Brumby AO, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka. .14) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified media, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, unidentified media (x2). .15) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified (x2), Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified media (x3). .16) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified (x5), CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr Gordon Scholes AO. .17) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified (x2), D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified (x3), CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, Mr John Brumby AO. .18) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr Gordon Scholes AO. .19) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka, Mr John Brumby AO, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified, Mr Gordon Scholes AO, unidentified (x2). .20) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified (x2). .21) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: Mr John Brumby AO, unidentified, D-SVY COL Alex Laing, unidentified. .22) - Photo, black and white, c1984. L to R: unidentified (x3), Mr Gordon Scholes AO, Mr John Brumby AO, CO LTCOL Jorge Gruszka. .1P to .22P – no annotationsroyal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo. This is the fourth in a series of 5 wool classing exercise books. They were written by Stanley Hucker in his time at the Gordon Technical College from 1936-1938. This book begins in a white cover with blue ink illustrations and writing. It has a centrepiece-coloured emblem of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth with flags of the Union Jack & Australia in background. Internally, the book is handwritten on yellowed pages with blue lines for the assistance in clarity of handwriting. The pages are also surrounded by a margin of red pen. The exercise book’s content is about wool studies relating to the health and productivity of wool sheep. It is handwritten. A selection of pages have been photographed to give an impression of the information taught in classes, 90 years ago. This includes information about: - Wool scouring - Shearing - Lamb marking - Breeding - Fellmongering - Comparison between wool and artificial fibres - Characteristics of good wool - Wool selling methods - Established studs in Victoria - Award rates (1937-38)Front Cover. Wording, printed and handwritten. “CORONATION / EXERCISE BOOK / NAME Stanley Hucker / GRADE SUBJECT Wool / SCHOOL Gordon Front Cover. Illustration’s colour, printed. King George VI & Queen Elizabeth with flags of the Union Jack & Australia in background.gordon institute geelong, wool classing, 1930s sheep farming, 90 years wool classing between father & son

Also refer to Cat No 3550.36..1) Susan's Diary & Social Notes - Ref to Gordon TILL's contact with his war experiences. .2) Article written by Gordon TILL discussing signals during the war. .3) Article written by Gordon TILL entitled Sunday - And The Bush Is Still. Items are different sizes.newspaper cuttings, signals

John Griffin’s wool classing exercise books from 1941-1943 when he was a student at the Gordon Institute in Geelong. John and his father John Henry Griffin owned a farm in Dunkeld and bred fine merino wool. One year they topped the wool sales figures for the area, in the late 1940s. There are four books in total. One book is on the topic of Veterinary Science and is from 1941. It contains information on topics such as birth and early lamb life, bone structure and other internal organisms of a sheep, such as the heart. Another book is on Wool Classing with topics such as wool scouring, dipping, shearing and micron counts. The third book is on general shearing shed knowledge. This includes a diagram for rolling a fleece, correct method for stamping a wool bale and branding abbreviations. The final book is on the History the Merino Sheep. It is a long form essay answer booklet. The Gordon institute and wool are synonymous with one another, the first class in wool sorting was offered at the Gordon in 1891. With much of the wool clip sent directly to England at this time, The Gordon's focus soon shifted to wool classing and marketing. By the 1930s, The Gordon's wool school was renowned as the state's wool industry training centre. Early specialist short courses were offered around Victoria to assist wool growers in preparing their clip for market, with modules on sheep breeding and pasture development included in the programs. Anne Griffin’s, John’s daughter, donated the exercise books to the National Wool Museum in 2021. Book 1 is predominately blue circular cover with cream background. Middle of book has pink highlighter mark. Reverse of book has an Arithmetical Table and a Multiplication Table in a blue ink on cream paper. It also has four black ink markings Book 2 is predominately blue circular cover with cream background. Book has red tape across the spine. Reverse of book has an Arithmetical Table and a Multiplication Table in a blue ink on cream paper. Book 3 is predominately blue plaid cover with cream background. Middle of book has pink highlighter handwriting which has been crossed with the same colour, leaving the text unreadable. Reverse of book has an Arithmetical Table and a Multiplication Table in a blue ink on cream paper. Book 4 is predominately blue diagonal striped book with cream background. Middle of book has small picture of Australia. Reverse of book has an Arithmetical Table and a Multiplication Table in a blue ink on cream paper. Book 1. Front cover: “All Schools” / EXERCISE BOOK / NAME Jack Griffin Grade Gordon Institute School of Technology(?) / Approved by the / Education Department Back cover. Reverse. ARTHMETICAL TABLES / (Numerous, see media) Book 2. Front cover: 2nd & 3rd / “All Schools” / EXERCISE BOOK / Name Jack Griffin / Grade 2 / School the Gordon / Approved by the / Education Department Back cover. Reverse. ARTHMETICAL TABLES / (Numerous, see media) Book 3. Front cover: Embassy / EXERCUSE BOOK / Name John Griffin / Grade 1 / School (?) / APPROVED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / Back cover. Reverse. ARTHMETICAL TABLES / (Numerous, see media) Book 4. Front cover: EXERCISE / APPROVED BY EDUCATION DEPT. / BOOK / NAME Jack Griffin / GRADE 3 / SCHOOL Gordon Back cover. Reverse. ARTHMETICAL TABLES / (Numerous, see media) gordon institute geelong, wool classing, 1940s sheep farming, note book, study, student

Music book incomplete, pages 5-25 music sheets, pages 26-27 Buglers duty. Pages 28-30 counter marching and tattoo instructions.Handwritten in black pencil "Gordon James".book, music sheets

In 1895 artist Gordon Coutts was commissioned by Elizabeth Harding (Mrs. Silas Harding), a wealthy pastoralist, to paint this portrait of Prince Albert. The portrait was completed by 1896 and is a copy of an original by German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873). In 1843 Winterhalter was commissioned to paint matching portraits of Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort. These originals hang in the Garter Throne Room at Windsor Castle and are part of the UK Royal Collection. Queen Victoria’s appreciation of Winterhalter began after she saw portraits by him of other European monarchs. Accordingly, between 1842 and 1861 he made fifteen visits to England and painted over 100 portraits of Her Majesty, the royal family and other friends and dignitaries. There are a number of notable differences in the original Winterhalter work and this painting. The local artist Coutts has changed the colour of the Prince’s cloak from deep blue/black to red (perhaps as a result of working from a black and white photograph). Other differences include extra satin shoulder ribbons, a simplification of the furnishings, notably the floor, and an inexact representation of the medallions worn; collars of the Order of the Garter, Bath, and the Golden Fleece. The painting is framed to match the official copy portrait of Queen Victoria, with the coat of arms of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, fixed atop the frame in place of the royal crown.Framed portrait, oil on cotton, of Prince Albert. The Prince Consort wears the robes of the Order of the Garter, holds a Field-Marshal’s baton, and is posed in front of a curtain and colonnade. Timber frame with a layer of gesso and decorative composition ornaments. There are rose, scotch thistle, clover leaf and Acanthus ornaments. The coat of arms that sits on top of the frame is a combination of carved timber and composition elements.Signed lower right corner in red brushpoint: ‘after Winterhalter / By Gordon Coutts / 1896’.albert, prince consort of victoria, queen of great britain, 1819-1861, winterhalter, franz xaver, 1805-1873, coutts, gordon (1865-1938)