Media Release
Tooth & Company Archives Added to UNESCO World Register
An important archive of Australian brewing and hotel industry history has been added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register, thanks to a successful joint bid by Powerhouse and The Australian National University’s Noel Butlin Archives.
The Tooth and Company Collections form the most significant and complete publicly accessible documentation of Australia’s brewing and hotel industries in the 19th and 20th centuries. The archive’s inclusion in the Australian Register highlights its significance to Australian social history through its documentation of businesses, regional communities, architecture and society. The archival collections present the growth of local manufacturing that resulted in colonial NSW’s reduced reliance on British imports and the evolution of the local brewing industry prior to its decline in the late 20th century.
Powerhouse acquired the Tooth and Company Collection in late 1986 with assistance from the Australian Government’s Taxation Incentive for the Arts Scheme. The collection featured paper-based archival material, photographic material, brewing equipment and ephemera, and was used extensively in a foundation exhibition entitled Brewing and Pubs. Highlights from the extensive Powerhouse Collection include a collection of architectural drawings gifted to Powerhouse by Tooth and Co architect George Tickelpenny in 1998, a Tooth and Co advertising sign, plans and drawings from 1930–1940 by architect Cyril Christian Ruwald, photographs from 1890–1985, and an archive of work produced by Sidney Warden, the most prolific of several architects commissioned to produce hotel designs for Tooth and Company.
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said, ‘Powerhouse is proud to stand with the ANU Noel Butlin Archives to join the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register, which recognises the importance of documenting key moments in Australia’s history.’
University Archivist at The Australian National University Kathryn Dan said, ‘The ANU Archives is honoured to have another collection inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. The Tooth & Company collections held by the ANU Archives and Powerhouse tell the story of Australian society through the major industry of brewing and hotels. The documentary heritage we hold connects with Australians in many communities, so it is critical we preserve it. Everyone knows a pub: it is either their ‘local’ or a piece of architecture in their community.’
The Australian Register is part of a worldwide system of registers of significant documentary heritage that operate under the auspices of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program. Founded in 2000, the Australian Memory of the World Program is one of more than 60 Memory of the World programs globally. Important historical documents that are part of the Australian Register include the Endeavour Journal of Captain James Cook, the Mabo Case Papers, the Convict Records of Australia, The Story of the Kelly Gang film, and the 1892 Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party.
Powerhouse developed a presence on the Australian Register through the inclusion of the Lawrence Hargrave Archive and Collection in 2004. As part of the Powerhouse Collection and Digitisation Project, the Tooth and Company Archive was assessed, documented, conserved and digitised.
For more information about the Tooth and Company Archive, visit collection.powerhouse.com.au
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About Powerhouse
Powerhouse sits at the intersection of arts, design, science and technology and plays a critical role in engaging communities with contemporary ideas and issues. We are undertaking a landmark $1.2 billion infrastructure renewal program, spearheaded by the creation of the new museum, Powerhouse Parramatta; expanded research and public facilities at Powerhouse Castle Hill; the renewal of the iconic Powerhouse Ultimo; and the ongoing operation of Sydney Observatory. The museum is custodian to over half a million objects of national and international significance and is considered one of the finest and most diverse collections in Australia. We are also undertaking an expansive digitisation project that will provide new levels of access to the Powerhouse Collection.
About The Noel Butlin Archives
The Noel Butlin Archives Centre (NBAC) collects business and labour records from Australian companies, trade unions, industry bodies and professional organisations. We are a national organisation with material from all states and territories. The NBAC holds the records of large companies such as the Australian Agricultural Company, Burns Philp, CSR Ltd, Dalgety’s, Tooth and Company and the Adelaide Steamship Company as well as those of smaller businesses such as pastoral stations. We hold records of federally registered trade unions and their predecessors, and of peak councils such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the National Farmers Federation. The records date from the 1820s to the early 21st century and include files, photographs, minutes of meetings, some staff and membership records, maps and plans, and publications such as trade journals and union newsletters. Some material may be closed because it is very recent or the owners' permission may be required before it can be used. Acquisition of material is governed by a collecting policy.
The collection supports research on topics such as industrial relations, immigration, working women, indigenous employment, architecture, economic history, family history, social history in Australia and the Pacific, and on particular industries such as agriculture, timber, shipping, mining, brewing, advertising and finance.