Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Glass bridge and external frieze

Glass bridge and external frieze

1942
Frieze by M Swan, O H Dutton, F MacGowan and O Stein of Beat Brothers

1988
glass bridge by Andrew Andersons

The elevated glass bridge connects the Mitchell and Macquarie Street buildings. From here, the first segment of the frieze that continues along the southern side of the Mitchell Wing can be seen at relatively close range. This series of nine panels carved in sandstone was added to the building in 1942 to reference images found in the Library’s collection.

Carefully selected by the Library’s research team, the scenes are drawn from the religions, philosophies and arts of past civilisations. The first four carvings also represent the birthplaces of the earliest-known written languages: Egypt with the lion, Sumeria with the Assyrian winged bull, China with the warhorse and phoenix, and (obscured by the palm trees) India with guardian peacocks flanking a Tree of Life. The remaining panels can be seen from the paved terrace below, which curves around the skylight of the Glasshouse learning space to connect Macquarie Street to the Domain.

Also visible from the bridge are the extensions made to Parliament House by government architect Andrew Andersons and completed in 1985. Andersons was also the architect of the Library’s Macquarie Street building, completed in 1988.

Surprise discovery


Nita Kibble was the first woman to be appointed to the Public library in 1899. Ms Kibble applied as ‘N B Kibble’, to sit for an examination for appointment as a library staff member. The Library was surprised to discover that she was a woman, but after she topped the exam and after some further consideration, an offer of employment was made.


In the mid 1930s the principal librarian William Ifould appointed Nita Kibble to lead a team of librarians to research the architectural and decorative features that were to be included in the building. Nita Kibble and her staff Olive Land and Marjorie Hancock searched for the printer’s marks, portraits of the explorers, illustrations of the Aboriginal peoples, Greek mottoes, imposing portals, quotations and pictures of symbolic and allegorical figures of earlier civilizations.