1. Ned Kelly in Armour. 2. Ned Kelly after the Removal of his Armour.

The best colonial printed images of Ned Kelly.

Very rare pair of colour lithographic supplements of Ned Kelly, issued in the original edition of The Illustrated Sydney News, July 1880.

The upright image of Ned Kelly is different to ‘Ned Kelly at Bay‘, issued on  page 145 of  the Australasian Sketcher 3rd July, 1880 as a black and white engraving.

The image of Ned Kelly without his armour, is also different to ‘Destruction of the Kelly Gang‘, issued on  page 152 of  the Australasian Sketcher 3rd July, 1880 as a black and white engraving.

The Kelly Gang had their ‘last stand’  at Glenrowan, Victoria in 1880, where they took 60 hostages in a hotel. The Gang had established a base at the Glenrowan Hotel, determined to fight it out with police. Kelly planned to derail the expected train carrying the police, but this was prevented by a school teacher, let out of the hotel, who flagged the train to a halt. Led by Superintendent Hare and assisted by local Constable Bracken, the troopers attacked the Gang in the hotel. Superintendent Hare and other police officers were wounded when the Gang shot at the police. The townsfolk were allowed to leave the hotel when there was a lull in the fighting.

Ned Kelly was shot in the arm and thumb, and retreated to the bush, from where he hoped to attack police from behind. Knowing that the Felons Apprehension Act meant they could be shot, the Kelly Gang all wore suits of steel armour, made during the previous year. Despite this, Joe Byrne was shot in the groin and died. Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were shot dead, and the hotel was burned to the ground by the police.

As dawn broke, Ned Kelly, in his armour, approached the police from the rear and began shooting at them with his revolver, despite his wounds. After half an hour, he was shot in both unprotected legs. A wounded Ned was arrested and charged with the murder of a policeman. Ned Kelly was tried and convicted of the murder of Constable Lonigan at Stringybark Creek.