State Library Victoria has unveiled the new home of one of its most celebrated and controversial artefacts, Ned Kelly’s armour, after a year-long hiatus due to lockdown.
Senior Curator at the Library, Carolyn Fraser said the armour was now in a dedicated gallery space, in the Library’s South Rotunda, and was on display alongside Ned Kelly’s boot, rifle and a life-scale reproduction of the Jerilderie letter.
Ms Fraser said the new permanent display would encourage more Victorians to discover the armour and draw their own meaning from it.
“The free display invites all Victorians to explore the myth that is Ned Kelly – an iconic historical figure who continues to ignite fierce debate among historians, writers and artists worldwide,” Ms Fraser said.
“The Kelly story is contested history, yet it is one of the nation’s most enduring tales,” she said.
“Having the armour on display offers us the opportunity to explore its significance and the questions it raises about truth, myth-making and nationhood.”
Ms Fraser said Library acquired Ned Kelly’s armour in 1964, when it was transferred from the Melbourne Museum’s collection, however up until 2001 it was thought to have belonged to Steve Hart, another member of the Kelly Gang.
