Ned Kelly
-
Armour worn by Ned Kelly at the Glenrowan siege on 28 June 1880; Left shoulder plate on loan from Museums Victoria; Right shoulder plate purchased with funds from the Sundberg Bequest and the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, 2001; Snider - Enfield 0.577 - calibre long rifle belonging to Ned Kelly before 1880; Boot worn by Ned Kelly c. 1870–80, on loan from the descendants of the late Jesse Dowsett. -
Ned Kelly's armour is one of the most iconic, and popular, items in the Library's collection -
Death mask of Ned Kelly, Maximillian Ludwig Kreitmayer (maker), State Library Victoria, Gift of the School of Historical Studies, Monash University, 2001, H2001.241 -
Detail from the Jerilderie letter
State Library Victoria is the custodian of a rich collection of historical and contemporary Ned Kelly material, which has been acquired and donated over the years.
Key historical material includes the Jerilderie letter, Ned Kelly’s armour and death mask, family photographs, police telegrams and photographs, newspaper reports, letters, minutes from the 1880 Royal Commission into the Kelly Outbreak and books written about the bushranger by authors and historians from the 19th century to today.
Kelly’s cultural impact from the 19th century onwards is also well represented. Material relating to the 1906, 1970 (starring Mick Jagger) and 2003 (starring Heath Ledger) film versions of Kelly’s story is complemented by Peter Carey’s papers (an archive acquired from the author of the 2001 Booker Prize-winning novel The true history of the Kelly gang).
The Library continues to acquire and receive donations and long-term loans of Kelly-related material.
Digital material
Digital material about the Kelly story can be explored by:
- browsing or searching our catalogue to view, download for free, or order (for a fee) digitised manuscripts and photographs
- viewing material on ergo, our research and study website for students
- reading articles about Kelly in the Library’s La Trobe Journal, newspapers, journals and ebooks
- watching videos, including a virtual reconstruction of Kelly’s armour and the relocation of the armour in 2021.
Non-digital material
The Library has a large collection of books about Ned Kelly. These cover Ned Kelly fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. These and other non-heritage items can be requested for on-site viewing at the Library.
Ned Kelly's armour is on display in the Redmond Barry Reading Room.
