Hyde Park Barracks Ceramic Love Token Ornament

Convict love tokens were inscribed coins given by some convicts to their loved ones as mementos before they were transported to Australia.

This ceramic souvenir ornament is inspired by a love token held in the Hyde Park Barracks Collection. The token is thought to have been crafted from a 1797 ‘cartwheel’ penny by 19-year-old convict Cornelius Donovan, whose punishment for stealing cotton was transportation to Australia for seven years.

Read more about the Cornelius Donovan love token here.

Designed, handmade and painted exclusively for Museums of History NSW in creative partnership with the Brisbane ceramic studio of paper boat press.