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Story: Arts education and training

Port Nicholson Mechanics' Institute, 1849

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 Port Nicholson Mechanics' Institute, 1849

Mechanics' institutes, set up to foster learning among the working class, included drawing among the subjects taught. In this 1849 advertisement, the Port Nicholson Mechanics' Institute offers instruction in linear drawing.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Wellington Independent, 31 January 1849, p.4

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Megan Cook and Caren Wilton, Arts education and training – Visual artists, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/45137/port-nicholson-mechanics-institute-1849 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Megan Cook and Caren Wilton, published 6 May 2014.