ST Gill, Title page, The Victorian Gold Fields during 1852–3, drawn by the desire of the trustees of the Melbourne Public Library, 1869, watercolour, State Library Victoria

In 1869 the trustees of the Melbourne Public Library, as the State Library Victoria was formerly known, commissioned ST Gill to produce 40 watercolour drawings of life on the Victorian goldfields, which he’d experienced firsthand in the early 1850s. The collection of sketches has become one of the State Library’s unique treasures, providing priceless insights into the colourful life and times of the Victorian gold rushes.