Normal Institution. Hyde Park, Sydney.

Very rare early etching of Carmichael’s Normal Institution.

John Carmichael (1811-1857). left the Australian College at the end of his contract in 1834, to set up his own school, the Normal Institution, taking 45 of the College’s students with him. The new school was established in Elizabeth Street opposite Hyde Park, and opened to students in January 1835. The school operated as a boys’ school for both day students and boarders, with fees differing accordingly. The school continued to operate from its original site until the building was sold in 1849 and moved to King Street east under the direction of Reverend Thomas Aitken, until it finally closed in the mid-1850s.

References:
Butler, Printed Images in Colonial Australia 1801-1901, p. 69-70
Ferguson, Bibliography of Australia, 2390
Kerr, Dictionary of Australian Artists p.134-135

Collections:
National Gallery Australia: Accession no NGA 89.65
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1249728