National Museum of Australia - Sydney Harbour Bridge imagery slideshow

Sydney Harbour Bridge imagery slideshow

WARNING: Visitors should be aware that this website includes images and names of deceased people that may cause sadness or distress to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge became a symbol of Australia's modernity when it opened in 1932. It quickly became a symbol to promote tourism and immigration to Australia.

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Ornamental shellwork Sydney Harbour Bridge. Several kinds of small beige shells are glued in rows to form blocks on a red cotton fabric-covered formwork, which is shaped like the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

This shellwork Sydney Harbour Bridge was made by Bidjigal woman Esme Timbery. Esme continues the tradition of creating shellwork artefacts at La Perouse in Sydney. After the bridge opened in 1932, its design appeared on wooden boomerangs crafted by Aboriginal men, and Aboriginal women made individual models of the structure. Esme's work is held in museums and galleries across Australia and she won the inaugural Parliament of New South Wales Indigenous Art Prize with her shellwork Harbour Bridge entry in 2005. © Esme Timbery. Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2009. National Museum of Australia. Photo: Lannon Harley.

Sydney Harbour Bridge imagery slideshow

Sydney Harbour Bridge imagery slideshow

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Shellwork Sydney Harbour Bridge, 2006