The 1886 engraving "The High School Dunedin" was presented to Otago Boys High School by former pupil Ronald Dohig (79), of Timaru.
Principal Clive Rennie said he was delighted to receive the work, which was probably one of the earliest depictions of the school.
The engraving by North American artist William Crother Fitler shows the school in its second year at Arthur St.
Otago Boys was founded in 1863, and was initially located on the current Otago Girls High School site.
Mr Rennie said the print includes a large wooden building, partly obscured by a tree, which was a former psychiatric facility ("The Asylum").
The building was demolished to make way for the school's Shand building, which opened in 1913.
Mr Dohig was an Arthur Street School pupil who received a Brough Scholarship to attend the school between 1943 and 1946.
He later worked for architectural firms in Dunedin and Invercargill before settling in Timaru, where he worked as an architect.
He was also former South Canterbury Arts Society president.
About 15 years ago, Mr Dohig and his wife, Wendy, were visiting Sydney and saw several engravings in an art dealership.
They were surprised to learn the dealer had several etchings by the artist, including scenes from South Canterbury.
He was amazed to also see an etching of his former school among the work, and "had to have it".
William Fitler (1857-1915), was a North American artist who visited New Zealand after centenary celebrations in Australia in the mid-1880s.
Mr Rennie joked the school would have to open its own gallery.
In addition to Mr Dohig's endowment, a Dunedin family recently donated a print of a limited edition painting by war artist Peter McIntyre.
The cityscape dates from the late 1940s or early 1950s.
- Homepage photo: Former Otago Boys High School pupil Ronald Dohig (left) presents a 19th Century coloured engraving of the school's administration building to principal Clive Rennie. Photo by Craig Baxter.
