Lady Franklin Gallery
{{Short description|Art museum in Hobart, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox museum
| name = Lady Franklin Gallery
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| logo =
| image = Lady_Franklin_Gallery.jpg
| caption = Gallery and Ancanthe parkland in 2023
| alt =
| map_type = Tasmania
| latitude =
| former_name = Lady Franklin Museum
| established = {{Start date|1843}}
| dissolved =
| location = Lenah Valley, Tasmania, Australia
| coordinates = {{Location|42|51|58|S|147|16|41|E|scale:1563_type:landmark_region:AU|display=inline,title}}
| type = {{flatlist|*contemporary art
}}
| accreditation =
| key_holdings =
| collection_size =
| visitors =
| curator =
| architect = James Blackburn
| owner = Hobart City Council
| publictransit = {{Plainlist|* Road-Metro/Taxi}}
| car_park = On site
| website = {{URL|https://artstas.com.au}}
| network =
| embedded = {{designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Tasmanian Heritage Register
| designation1_free1name = Place ID
| designation1_free2name = Status
| designation1_free2value = Permanently Registered}}
}}
The Lady Franklin Gallery and Ancanthe Park is a historic sandstone museum and {{convert|2.96|ha|adj=on}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.hobartcity.com.au/files/assets/public/projects/150313_ancanthe_park_mp_final_report-resize.pdf |title=ANCANTHE PARK MASTER PLAN |date=2015-03-01 |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=Hobart City Council |publisher=Inspiring Place |page=6}} parkland in Lenah Valley, Tasmania, Australia.{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Rääbus |title=Lady Franklin Gallery: Why there's a Greek-style building at the back of Lenah Valley |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-17/history-of-lenah-valleys-greek-style-lady-franklin-gallery/9054468 |publisher=abc.net.au |date=17 October 2017 |access-date=1 April 2022}} When it opened on 26 October 1843, it became the first privately funded museum in Australia.
History
{{quote box|quote=“A pretty little design for a Glyptothek... I mean nothing more than 1, 2 or 3 rooms, of small size tho’ good proportions, to hold a small number of pictures, and a dozen of casts of the Elgin and Vatican marbles”.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hobartcity.com.au/files/assets/public/projects/150313_ancanthe_park_mp_final_report-resize.pdf |title=ANCANTHE PARK MASTER PLAN |date=2015-03-01 |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=Hobart City Council |publisher=Inspiring Place |page=4}}|source= – Lady Franklin's museum vision in 1841 |width=25%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
In 1836, Lady Jane Franklin and her husband Sir John Franklin relocated to Van Diemen's Land when he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the colony. In 1839, she purchased {{convert|53|ha}} of land in Lenah Valley with the intent of building a museum and botanical garden, which she named Ancanthe, Ancient Greek for "blooming valley".{{Citation|last=Woodward|first=Frances J.|title=Franklin, Lady Jane (1791–1875)|url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/franklin-lady-jane-2065|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|access-date=17 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917143239/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/franklin-lady-jane-2065|archive-date=17 September 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Built at her own expense in the Greek revivalist style with convict labour, the sandstone museum opened to the public on 26 October 1843. The museum displayed Tasmanian memorabilia, books, botanical specimens, sculptures, and other items from Lady Franklin's personal collection. Her hopes for the parklands to be transformed into a botanic garden never materialised. When the Franklins departed Tasmania in 1853, the museum and estate were entrusted to the nearby Queen's College, which itself was purchased by the Hutchins School in 1893. During this period, Lady Franklin's artefacts were dispersed, large portions of the parklands were sold for housing and the museum became a storehouse for apples.
The museum and parklands remained privately owned and in a state of disrepair until they were purchased by the Hobart City Council in 1921.{{cite web|title=Jane Franklin: A remarkable woman|url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/jane-franklin-remarkable-woman|website=Royal Museums Greenwich|access-date=1 April 2022}} The Art Society of Tasmania located to the premises in 1949.{{cite web|title=History of the Lady Franklin Gallery|url=https://artstas.com.au/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=167994&module_id=410619|website=The Art Society of Tasmania|access-date=1 April 2022}} The Lady Franklin Gallery is designated on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.{{Cite web |url=https://heritage.tas.gov.au/Documents/THROnline_Jan2021.pdf |title=Permanent and Provisional Registrations as at 22 Jan 2021 |access-date=2022-08-22 |publisher=Tasmanian Heritage Register |archive-date=24 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924092950/https://heritage.tas.gov.au/Documents/THROnline_Jan2021.pdf |url-status=dead }}
=Ancanthe Park development=
In 2013, the Saving Ancanthe Action Group unsuccessfully petitioned for the Hobart City Council to facilitate the purchase of former parkland surrounding the gallery on the merits of its historical and environmental value as a means to save it from housing development. The group further hoped to establish a Cultural Landscape and Historic Centre in the Vicinity of Ancanthe Park.{{Cite web |url=https://tasmaniantimes.com/2012/01/ancanthe-all-that-will-be-lost/ |title=Ancanthe… all that will be lost |date=2012-01-08 |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=Tasmanian Times |last=Sheridan |first=Gwenda}} In 2014, author Alison Alexander, who won the National Biography Award for her book The Ambitions of Jane Franklin, Victorian Lady Adventurer opposed the subdivision of sixteen allotments of Ancanthe Park.{{Cite web |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/hobart-historian-and-author-alison-alexander-wins-25000-national-biography-award-for-engrossing-work-on-lady-jane-franklin/news-story/d9a35f6293f215cdc0ea397cf14d3ae8 |title=Hobart historian and author Alison Alexander wins $25,000 National Biography Award for 'engrossing' work on Lady Jane Franklin |date=2014-08-04 |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=The Mercury (Hobart) |last=Mounster |first=Bruce}} Since at least 2015, the Ancanthe parkland has been further subdivided, with allotments sold for housing development. This resulted in the extension of Ancanthe Avenue, which runs directly through the former estate.