Item #128961 His Majesty's Ministers of State for the Commonwealth of Australia request the honour of the presence of [The G.S., I.O.O.F., Manchester Unity, Mr A. Leane & Mrs Leane (manuscript insertion in ink)] in the Exhibition Building, Melbourne, on Thursday, 9th May, 1901, to witness the Opening of the Parliament of the Commonwealth. Australian Federation Invitation.

[Australian Federation Invitation]

His Majesty's Ministers of State for the Commonwealth of Australia request the honour of the presence of [The G.S., I.O.O.F., Manchester Unity, Mr A. Leane & Mrs Leane (manuscript insertion in ink)] in the Exhibition Building, Melbourne, on Thursday, 9th May, 1901, to witness the Opening of the Parliament of the Commonwealth ...

Melbourne, Sands & McDougall Limited, 1901.

An attractive invitation card (later framed and glazed, visible image size 300 × 354 mm) featuring a large chromolithographic illustration by cartoonist Tom Carrington. His 'design shows Young Australia, fresh from battle, approaching Britannia for honour and acceptance. Toscin, a radical newspaper, disapproved: "The spirit of blatant jingoism ... has burst out in full vulgar virulence ... It is a clumsy, tawdry picture ... inspired by Kipling's drivel on the Old Queen and the Young Queen''. The original watercolour on which this invitation was based is held in the Wordsworth Collection, Perth' (Museum Victoria). A small stain to the bottom margin, and a few other trifling marginal blemishes (all well clear of the image proper); exposure to light has resulted in uniform fading (in particular, of any red or blue); overall, in very good condition.