The Powerhouse Foundation

The Graphite Elephant
An emblem for the Powerhouse Foundation – a reminder of our past, a symbol for opportunities that lie ahead.

This elephant carving was part of Australia’s first international exhibition, held in 1879 in the Garden Palace in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens.

Showing off the ‘wonders of manufacture’, the exhibition housed displays from 20 Kingdoms, Republics and Colonies. More than one million people visited during its eight-month run.

The exhibition’s success inspired the founding of a Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum.

Before it could open, the Museum was destroyed by fire. In just six hours, the building and most of its contents were lost.

This Indian elephant, carved from a block of graphite, was discovered among the charred remains. The little elephant soon found itself in the Museum’s new building in the Domain, and in 1893, a more fitting home was found in Ultimo at a site not far from where the Powerhouse museum is today.

The elephant is a perfect symbol for the Powerhouse Foundation. It serves as a reminder of our past, but is also an enduring emblem for the opportunities that lie ahead.