Media Release
5 November 2026
You are invited to an exclusive media preview
New acquisition: The earliest known Tasmanian cricket painting, capturing the first match between England and Tasmania.
11:00 am Thursday 12 November
Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, Ground Floor, State Library and Archives of Tasmania, 91 Murray Street, Nipaluna/Hobart
One of Tasmania’s most talked-about sporting history acquisitions will soon be on public display for all Tasmanians to enjoy.
The artwork, All England XI v XXII of Tasmania, Hobart, February 1862 is the latest acquisition of the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, State Library and Archives of Tasmania.
The painting records a match played at the Government Paddock in the Domain, Nipaluna/Hobart, February 1862 in the first English cricket tour of Australia (1861–62).
Twenty-two amateur players from Hobart and Launceston are depicted competing against the visiting Englishmen. Tasmania lost the game, but only by four wickets.
David Harper, Chair of the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts Management Committee, said ‘We’re delighted to secure this remarkable work for Lutruwita/Tasmania. The painting is a fascinating insight into Tasmania’s sporting and cultural past and is a work of considerable artistic merit.
‘Works of lasting significance are made accessible to the public by the generosity of the privately funded Allport bequest. This painting will now be preserved within Tasmania’s public collection for future generations to enjoy.’
The painting’s sale attracted significant attention from history enthusiasts. After generations with the Mitchell family, followed by a sale through Sotheby’s Australia and time in a British private collection, the work has now returned to Lutruwita/Tasmania.
State Library and Archives of Tasmania librarian Caitlin Sutton is delighted the painting is joining the collection as a remarkable piece of sporting history.
‘This painting has an extraordinary story. It sat in a private Tasmanian collection for decades, completely unknown to the cricketing world. After 20 years overseas, it has now returned home to Tasmania as an important piece of our state’s history,’ she said.
‘There was a great deal of curiosity about this painting’s destination. We’re thrilled that the answer is a public collection, where everyone can enjoy it.’
All England XI v XXII of Tasmania is on display at the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, State Library and Archives of Tasmania from Thursday 12 November 2026 until Sunday 31 May 2027.
Public event
The All England XI v XXII of Tasmania painting will also be celebrated at a public event at State Library and Archives of Tasmania on Tuesday 17 November, the night before the One Day International between England and Australia at Bellerive.
The public event will feature talks by the following:
- ABC’s Warwick Hadfield, one of Australia’s most loved sports commentators
- State Library and Archives of Tasmania librarian Caitlin Sutton, who oversaw the return of the painting to Lutruwita/Tasmania
- David Harper, Chair, Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts Management Committee.
To learn more about the painting view the webpage.
Communications and Marketing – 6165 6386 or 0417 465 669
