A 1913 painting of the Canberra landscape before construction of the new capital city will be on display in the week of Canberra Day.

A landscape painting of early Canberra, hanging on a wall in a gold frame.
William Nicholls Anderson (1872–1927), The Federal Capital Site, Canberra, 1913.

The Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) has acquired an oil painting titled The Federal Capital Site, Canberra by William Nicholls Anderson (1872-1927). This significant work of art is part of Canberra’s history. It was one of 12 entries to a 1913 art competition to depict the future site of Australia’s new capital city that was organised by the Commonwealth Historic Memorials Committee. The competition was intended to help generate support for Canberra’s development.  The painting depicts the landscape of the Molonglo Valley, with Canberra’s oldest church – St John’s Anglican Church in Reid – in the middle ground and the Brindabella mountain range in the background.

William Nicholls Anderson was born in Huntley, Victoria in 1872 and studied drawing under Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery of Victoria School, and later became a teacher and painter at the famous Heidelberg School of Australian Art. While not the competition winner, his painting of The Federal Capital Site, Canberra was highly commended for its scale and clarity and it is considered as Anderson’s most confident and monumental work.

The painting was exhibited nationally from 1913 to 1916 and is one of only 5 known surviving works from the historic competition. After being held in a private collection for 50 years, the painting was acquired by CMAG with the assistance of the National Cultural Heritage Account.

The painting will be on public display from 12 March 2026, exactly 113 years since the official founding of Canberra as Australia’s capital.  It will be integral to the Museum’s permanent exhibition Canberra/Kamberri: Place and People, which traces the region’s layered histories through art, objects and community stories.

The National Cultural Heritage Account provides support for Australian cultural institutions to acquire, protect and provide access to significant objects of Australian heritage to ensure they are kept in the country and enjoyed by the public. Organisations can apply for funding at any time.