Courtroom sketch 'Mr. Harris.' by Veronica O'Leary, 1982.
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- Type
- Courtroom drawings
- Date
- 13 September 1982 - 29 October 1982
- Place
- Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia; Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia
- Materials
- Coloured pencil, Ink, Paper
- Collection
- Veronica O'Leary collection no. 1
- Accession number
- 2011.0024.0167
Description
An ink and coloured pencil drawing on tan coloured pastel paper. The drawing depicts a courtroom scene featuring a judge, a man seated in the witness stand with two microphones facing towards him and four figures in legal attire in the foreground. Handwritten text reads 'Mr. Harris.'. The drawing is mounted on black card.
About the collection
The Veronica O'Leary collection consists of drawings made during the criminal trial of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain in Darwin in 1982. Veronica O'Leary was an artist and teacher living in Darwin who applied for the position of courtroom artist for the Australian Broadcasting Commission (now the Australian Broadcasting Corporation). The ABC paid for the rights to broadcast the drawings as part of the television news coverage of the events in court. The disappearance of Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (11 June - 17 August 1980) has become one of the most infamous events in contemporary Australian history. The explanation of her disappearance, that she was prey to a dingo at Ayers Rock (now Uluru), was soon treated with suspicion by the general public. After two coronial inquests, Lindy Chamberlain was convicted of murder and imprisoned for over three years, until mounting evidence forced a royal commission that ultimately resulted in the exoneration of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain by the Supreme Court of Darwin. The National Museum holds the largest public collection of material culture relating to the case.
Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 5:12:22 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-02-17. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.