Federation-era flag

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Flags
Date: 1901
Materials: Acrylic, Adhesive tape, Card, Textile - non specific, Wood
Collection: George and Sylvia Milne collection
Accession number: 2010.0011.0001

Description

A red, blue, black and cream coloured federation flag made of fabric mounted in glazed wooden frame. The flag features a Union Jack in the top left corner, a horizontal and vertical row of three stars across the middle and portraits of Queen Victoria in the top right corner, the Duke and Duchess of York in the bottom right corner and the Earl of Hopetoun in the bottom left corner. Black text in ribbon below portrait of Queen Victoria reads 'QUEEN - VICTORIA'. Black text in ribbon below portrait of Duke and Duchess of York reads 'H.R.H. DUKE OF YORK' and 'H.R.H. DUCHESS OF YORK'. Black text in ribbon below portrait of Earl of Hopetoun reads 'EARL OF HOPETOUN'. A cord is sewn into the left hand edge. The flag has slight blotches and stains.

About the collection

Associated with the Federation celebrations of 1901, this collection consists of six decorative and souvenir objects. The vendor acquired the collection in approximately 2001 during research into the social history of Federation. A Federation flag and two pieces of bunting depicting the Union Jack and portraits of royalty were thought to have been used in street decorations. Two souvenir medallions and a souvenir silver teaspoon were produced as souvenirs for the Australian public. All objects are in a good state of conservation. Federation provided an opportunity for the new nation to assert its position within the British Empire and was enthusiastically celebrated by the Australian public. As documented in archival collections, this collection may be examined as an example of the commercial aspect of street decoration in many urban centres across the country. It also illustrates the centrality of small promotional souvenirs to many individuals' participation in the celebrations surrounding Federation.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:11:40 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-02-23. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.