Experience the magnificent original drawings of Canberra. Marion Mahony Griffin created them for Walter Burley Griffin’s winning entry in the 1912 federal capital competition.

Marion Mahony Griffin was among the finest early 20th century architectural delineators. Her plans are works of art – visions of a city in a landscape she had never seen. Marion Griffin transformed Walter Burley Griffin’s concept of Canberra into a visual experience.

The plans were produced on heavy cotton. They are coloured with watercolours and photographic dyes and illuminated with swathes of gold. They are works on a grand scale. Thirteen panels are 1500 mm x 450 mm. Two panels are 950 mm x 950 mm.

Walter Burley Griffin’s design won the competition to design the new Australian capital. It has become one of the most famous city plans. Griffin imagined a city folded within the natural contours of the land. The city's design expressed its function as a national capital.

Marion Griffin’s beautiful representation of his design probably helped him to secure the prize.