Our rich and varied Pictures collection focuses on Australian people, places and events, from early European exploration of the South Pacific to contemporary events.

An 1827 illustration of an echidna has recently been added to our collection.

Paintings, drawings, sketchbooks and manuscripts by George French Angas.

The Main Reading Room houses a collection of sculptures and paintings inspired by Indigenous stories of the Australian landscape.

The Asian language collections cover a broad range of formats and focus on contemporary Asia from the 19th century onwards 

Take flight with some of the prominent aviation families in the collection.

Papers, pamphlets, books and periodicals relating to communism, socialism, fascism, capitalism, international relations, public finance, politics, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

Family papers, maps of the Hong Kong and Macau region, pictures, photographs and a large collection of books and pamphlets predominantly historical works, particularly histories of Portugal, the Portuguese colonies, China and Japan.

Fifty years on, see how the destruction and impact of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin 1974 is captured in our collection. 

To minimise handling of the rare and unique items in the Pictures Collection, the Library provides a photographic service.

Our dance collection contains portraits, manuscripts, oral history interviews, photographs, music scores, personal papers, theatre programs and memorabilia.

70 original pencil, pen, ink, charcoal and wash caricatures and cartoons, mostly of federal politicians between 1915-1925, assembled by Percy Deane.