This event is presented by the Curtin University HIVE
This immersive presentation will take attendees through a detailed look at the iconic wide-angle panoramic depiction of 1832 Albany created by Lieutenant Robert Dale and artist Robert Havell. The 2.7m long panorama exists as a hand-coloured lithographic print created by Havell, based on pencil drawings by Dale, from the peak of Mount Clarence/Corndarup in Albany. Four originals of the panorama are currently held in Western Australian collections, and other originals exist in collections around the world.
For the Albany Then & Now: Historical Panoramas of Menang Noongar Boodja exhibition, currently on display at John Curtin Gallery, digital scans of five different originals of Dale’s panorama were collated. These originals will be compared and contrasted using Curtin HIVE’s cutting edge visualisation tool, accompanied by a presentation examining the history of the artwork, the technique of its creation, and the similarities and differences between the five originals.
An original of the Dale panorama from the Janet Holmes à Court collection is also on display as part of JCG’s current Christopher Pease: Terra Nullius exhibition, where it is juxtaposed against artworks by Pease challenging the panorama’s colonial vision of harmony, and calling attention to Dale’s involvement in the transportation of Noongar resistance leader Yagan’s severed head to London for public display.
Following the presentation, attendees are encouraged to explore both the Albany Then & Now exhibition and Christopher Pease: Terra Nullius, before both exhibitions finish at JCG on 23 August 2026.
Presenters: Associate Professor Andrew Woods, Curtin University HIVE and Cristina Albillos, State Library of Western Australia
The Albany Then & Now: Historical Panoramas of Menang Noongar Boodja exhibition is a collaboration between the Western Australian Museum, Curtin University HIVE, and the State Library of Western Australia, with support from the City of Albany and Lotterywest.
Event Details
Wednesday 19 August 2026
12pm – 1pm
Free event, open to the public.
Location: Curtin HIVE, inside John Curtin Gallery
Photography
This event may be photographed and/or videoed, and images may be used for promotional and marketing purposes, including social media. If you do not wish to be photographed or videoed, please notify staff.
Accessibility
Everyone is welcome at the John Curtin Gallery – plan your visit.
Image credit: Andrew Woods, Curtin HIVE.
