Furnishing Van Diemen's Land
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This beautifully illustrated book is the first publication dedicated solely to Tasmanian-made furniture of the early colonial period.
Furnishing Van Diemen’s Land tells the story of how British design traditions were translated to the conditions of a new land by skilled furniture-makers, some of whom who arrived as convicts and others as free settlers. The island’s booming economy and high immigration in the first half of the century created a strong demand for locally made furniture.
The book explores Tasmania’s rich legacy of late Georgian, Regency and early Victorian furniture, characterised by restrained design, fine craftsmanship and beautiful ornamental timbers, including the island’s famed endemic species, Huon pine, blackwood and musk. It showcases pieces from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Collection, Government House Tasmania, and from collections held around Australia.
Featuring stunning photography and expert insights, Furnishing Van Diemen’s Land is an essential for collectors, historians and design enthusiasts.
Peter Hughes is Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, a position he has held for more than two decades. Educated in Sydney, Hobart, and Canberra, his training uniquely combines art practice and history, cultural theory, and furniture making. His research focuses on the social and technological revolutions of the nineteenth century, particularly their impact on design and the emergence of consumer culture. Peter is also deeply interested in the complexities and paradoxes of identity in colonial societies, as expressed through material culture.
In conversation with Peter is James Boyce. James is a multi-award-winning historian. His first book, Van Diemen’s Land, was described by Richard Flanagan as ‘the most significant colonial history since The Fatal Shore’. He is also the editor of Inga Clendinnen and the author of Losing Streak, Born Bad, Imperial Mud and 1835, which was The Age’s 2012 Book of the Year.
Join Peter and James at the Afterword Cafe.
Furnishing Van Diemen’s Land tells the story of how British design traditions were translated to the conditions of a new land by skilled furniture-makers, some of whom who arrived as convicts and others as free settlers. The island’s booming economy and high immigration in the first half of the century created a strong demand for locally made furniture.
The book explores Tasmania’s rich legacy of late Georgian, Regency and early Victorian furniture, characterised by restrained design, fine craftsmanship and beautiful ornamental timbers, including the island’s famed endemic species, Huon pine, blackwood and musk. It showcases pieces from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Collection, Government House Tasmania, and from collections held around Australia.
Featuring stunning photography and expert insights, Furnishing Van Diemen’s Land is an essential for collectors, historians and design enthusiasts.
Peter Hughes is Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, a position he has held for more than two decades. Educated in Sydney, Hobart, and Canberra, his training uniquely combines art practice and history, cultural theory, and furniture making. His research focuses on the social and technological revolutions of the nineteenth century, particularly their impact on design and the emergence of consumer culture. Peter is also deeply interested in the complexities and paradoxes of identity in colonial societies, as expressed through material culture.
In conversation with Peter is James Boyce. James is a multi-award-winning historian. His first book, Van Diemen’s Land, was described by Richard Flanagan as ‘the most significant colonial history since The Fatal Shore’. He is also the editor of Inga Clendinnen and the author of Losing Streak, Born Bad, Imperial Mud and 1835, which was The Age’s 2012 Book of the Year.
Join Peter and James at the Afterword Cafe.