The spectacular exhibition , held in Christchurch, population 70,000,
had a big impact far and wide on the appreciation of arts and crafts , industrial development , architecture and
armaments. The above well illustrated
book , 355pp, was published in
1908 and is from the
Little Darwin Pacifica Collection .
A large number of the exhibits
in the British art section were bought
by the art galleries of NSW, Adelaide, the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts ,
the Canterbury Society of Arts , Auckland City Council and numerous private individuals .
Among the arts and crafts exhibits purchased were candlesticks,
panels, reliefs, a silver and coral brooch,
silver belts, stencilled prints, a mahogany
bookcase , a silver mother of pearl
bracelet and necklace , vases,
tiles, an Irish crochet collar, lace
,smocks from six English counties and linen
made by
crippled and invalid women, appliqué
lace , woodcuts, a wrought iron toasting fork , serviette rings , an embroidered chamois leather bag , an illuminated page of
Keats , a carpet, smocked and emboidered frocks, Limerick lace , hatpins , silver
mounted decanters, Ruskin Ware vases .
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In the extensive British drawings, etchings ,engravings ,statuary , paintings and miniatures was the above self portrait of one of the most famous black and white artists of his time , the late Phil May, who in 1886-8 strongly influenced the style on the Sydney Bulletin and was prominent in the Melbourne art circle before he moved back to Britain where his drawings and portraits became so popular, despite the fact that he reportedly described himself as " the most unhappiest man in London."
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There was a large naval and military section with a model of the battleship HMS Swiftsure, a War Office exhibit, a Palestine Exploration Fund display and meteorological charts and instruments . Canada , Australia ( NSW, Victoria and South Australia ) and Fiji (firewalkers) contributed to the exhibition .
New Zealand highlighted its agriculture, labour , mines, tourist and health resorts. A special attraction was the Maori Pa (village ) occupied by Maoris making traditional handicrafts, growing crops such as kumera , performing poi dances and hakas . A magnificent Maori canoe from the Waikato in the North Island floated in a nearby lake .
Above is the opening day main entrance scene . Nearly 2,000,000 people attended the exhibition and a message from the King on its closure said the exhibition would not only provide a permanent advantage to New Zealand it would strengthen the ties which held the colonies to each other , the throne and the Mother Country.
