Victoria the Golden
In 1907 the Premier of Victoria Thomas Bent purchased Victoria the Golden from the artist William Strutt for £120 and presented it to the Victorian Parliamentary Library.
Victoria the Golden is celebrated as one of the Parliament’s great treasures and we are excited to have it on display in Gold Rush: 20 Objects, 20 Stories.
About the artist
The son and grandson of artists, William Strutt (1825–1915) was born in Teignmouth, Devon. He studied in Paris in the atelier of Michel-Martin Drölling and at the prestigious École des Beaux Arts.
On 5 July, at the age of 24, he arrived in Melbourne. Soon after his arrival he was employed by the Ham brothers to work as an illustrator for the Illustrated Australian Magazine.
Strutt documented many facets of colonial life and its progress. He produced designs for the Arms of the City of Melbourne and the Colony of Victoria and also designed one of Victoria’s first postage stamps.
Object 14
Gold Rush: 20 Objects, 20 Stories
Object courtesy...