Amaze Gallery

The Amaze Gallery features an ever-changing display of remarkable items from the Library’s collection.

Some of the Library's latest acquisitions are on display now. 

Highlights include:

A Century of Satire

See the famous and infamous cartoons, caricatures and comic strips created by members of the world’s first association of newspaper artists, and celebrate 100 years of Australian satire. 

From long-forgotten political battles to contemporary issues like the cost of living, the rise of dictators, and the rights of First Nations people, Australian cartoonists and illustrators have created some of the most unforgettable and funny commentary ever printed in black and white, and colour — and some not fit to print. 

The Australian Society of Black and White Artists — now called the Australian Cartoonists Association — was the first of its kind in the world. Founded in Sydney in July 1924 by newspaper artists from outlets like Smith’s Weekly, The Bulletin and Daily Guardian, the organisation has seen many prolific and influential members over the past century. These include icons such as May Gibbs, Australia’s renowned First Nations cartoonist Danny Eastwood, and well-known Sydney Morning Herald cartoonist Cathy Wilcox (the Association’s current president). 

Now 100 years on, visitors are invited to delve into a treasure trove of Australian humour and satire through the State Library’s extensive collection of black and white art. Highlights include the earliest drawings by Cecil Lawrence Hartt, one of Australia’s first newspaper cartoonists and the organisation’s founding president, artwork by Mr Squiggle creator Norman Hetherington, and recently acquired works by celebrated artists like John Shakespeare and Fiona Katauskas.

Bib and Bub

The delightful duo who featured in Australia’s longest-running comic strip are turning 100 and to celebrate we’re showcasing some of the earliest Bib and Bub cartoons to appear in Australian newspapers. 

May Gibbs was 47 years old and already a household name, thanks to the success of her gumnut baby books, when Bib and Bub first appeared in the Sunday News on 3 August 1924. Gibbs would go on to become Australia’s first successful female comic strip artist and a pioneer in a male-dominated field. 

As the 100th anniversary approaches, celebrate the work of May Gibbs and take a trip down memory lane with these iconic gumnut characters, whose humour, combined with small lessons in life, have enchanted young audiences for generations.

Governor Arthur Phillip's long-lost journal

Be the first to see a recently acquired rare fragment of Governor Arthur Phillip’s long-lost journal. 

This newly discovered 20-page journal fragment from the late 18th century contains significant new information about Phillip and his time in Australia, such as previously unknown details about convict life and proof that he kept a personal journal. 

It also provides an important layer of new information about this complex, contested part of our history in Phillip’s account of a previously unknown visit to Sydney by Gomebeere, an Aboriginal man he had met in the Hawkesbury region only nine months prior.