Tuesday, 17 June
6.50pm

The National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library with over five million items in its collection, including a surprising number of art works. Yet visitors to the Library glimpse only a fraction of the collection with many fragile items unable to be placed on permanent display.

Former director of the National Gallery of Australia Betty Churcher presents an insider's guide to some of the Library's art treasures, which are rarely on public display. From her unique vantage point, Churcher makes intriguing historical connections between paintings and engravings, photography, manuscripts and artefacts, illustrated journals and diaries.

These are fascinating tales about the creative process and the works themselves that offer a tantalising insight into Australia's culture and heritage.

Episode 3: The Photographer And The Painter
Artists working in different media have created a visual time capsule showing Melbourne in the late 1800s. The first, an album of photographs by the city's official photographer Charles Nettleton, features Bourke Street, Melbourne, Looking East, an 1878 photograph showing men chatting in the middle of sleepy Bourke Street. The second, a painting by Tom Roberts circa 1886, shows the same street bustling with pre-Christmas trade. The painting, originally named Allegro con brio, was altered in 1890 when the artist added three figures to the foreground. Aerial maps of the city in the National Library collection show the massive transformation that took place in Melbourne over the 50 years from 1838. The photograph, the painting and the aerial map provide snapshots of early Melbourne, each one supplying information particular to the medium.