It is Library week and some of our librarians have picked a few of their favourite photographs from our collections.1
Our collection of images is varied, eclectic and endlessly fascinating. Thousands of images have been digitised and are often available to download as high resolution TIFF files.2 These are just a few of our favourites. Click on any image for a larger view.
Cats
Monika couldn’t go past Edna Walling’s ‘At Last!’ ‘Dina’. We are not sure whether that’s Steve (enjoying relaxing with Tiger on the car) at the table waiting for dinner or whether ‘Dina’ is another black cat.
At left: “At Last!” “Dina”. Photo by Edna Walling; H96.150/55. At right: Steve and Tiger. Photo by Edna Walling; H96.150/121
Trade marks
Lija is a big fan of the absurdity of the Peacocks Jams & Jellies advertisement and the baked beans gherkin. And cats and alcohol? We think Old Tom was gin.3
At Left: I come full speed to tell you Peacock’s Jams & Jellies cannot be excelled, [ca 1874-ca 1886]; H2008.94/20. Centre: Heinz promotional bookmarks in the shape of gherkins, 1897, H. J. Heinz Company, manufacturer; H2018.567/3. At right: James Dickson drink labels, 1876, Fergusson & Mitchell; H96.160/2210
Men in uniform
The smoke jackets were essential equipment for firemen, but the image does have a slight comedic element. Caitlyn found the serene second photo to be a beautiful and slightly homoerotic image of life aboard a troopship – moments of relaxation in the midst of immense danger.
At left: Types of Smoke Jacket, [ca. 1908]; H89.38/23. At right: Two R.A.A.F. men sunbathe on troopship northward bound in S.W. Pacific area, 1944, Argus; H98.105/2634
Fashionable gas masks
For Caitlyn
The `woman in gas mask during World War II’ is definitely up there, such a bizarre photo with very little context to it, and I love the absurdity of the fur coat, heals and gas mask. I also love how you can clearly see the retouching that has been done on the photo, suggesting that the photographer had a vision for how they wanted this to look.
Jane also found it a sobering image – “on the way to the opera, the sirens start wailing….”
At left: Woman at workbench with gas masks, [ca. 1940], Argus; H99.201/3854. At right: Woman in gas mask during World War II, [ca. 1940], Argus; H99.201/3874
Brunswick then and now
Brunswick locals amongst our staff were fascinated by the Brunswick of 1866.
At left: Central Brunswick. [1866]; H140. At right: Same perspective courtesy of current Google maps
Portraits
Our librarians have been working to identify people featured in the Vincent Kelly images.4 These are a couple of Jane’s favourites.
Studio portrait of a group of six people holding instruments, family name possibly Gard; [between 1915 and 1930], photographer W. Vincent Kelly; H2019.83/69. At right: Studio portrait of four girls, family name possibly Dunn, [between 1920 and 1935?], photographer W. Vincent Kelly; H2024.6/168
Australian Women’s Land Army
Mel loved the image at left from our collection ‘Women of the Australian Women’s Land Army at work’.
I think it shows strength and resilience, but also joy – she just looks so happy to be with the calves and it makes me wonder what her day-to-day experience of the war was like.
There were no chain saws either.
Women of the Australian Women’s Land Army at work, [ca. 1941-ca. 1943], Argus; H98.105/665 and H98.105/660
Working at Fachon
Terri chose these images of women working at the Fachon factory in the early 1950s.
There’s a whole series of these and I love to see working people. Such a beautiful group of women, so much variety in their dress and their stance and they obviously really like each other.
Photographs relating to Fachon Pty Ltd., Flinders Lane, Melbourne, [between 1953 and 1954]; H2013.196/1 and H2013.196/11
The Mitta Mitta valley
Clare’s favourite image is Eugene von Guérard’s painting of the Mitta Mitta Valley that hangs in Cowen Gallery.
I always look at it as I head in for my desk shift, it gives me a sense of peace and feels like the first breath of fresh air that you get when you go up to someplace like the Dandenongs. Personally I don’t think the digitised version does it justice, hanging in Cowen Gallery it seems to have the light purple haze to it that really sells me on the idea of cool mountain air in the morning/evening.
Head of the Mitta Mitta, Eagle’s View of the Mountains, 1879. Painting by Eugene von Guérard; H30578
Dangerous holidays in the Grampians
Angus particularly liked the Jaws of Death.
There are too many interesting images in the collection to just pick one, but this is a photograph I keep coming back to. Tourists in the Grampians standing on the rock formation called the Jaws of Death (now known by the less death defying name The Balconies) in the 1940s. I don’t know if it’s the surreal and dangerous sight of so many people casually posing on a precarious precipice that makes it so captivating, or the fact that blurry figure to the left looks like a ghostly priest.
At left: Jaws of death, 1947; H97.28/38. At right: Spring in the Grampians, 1930. Artist Gert Sellheim; H2000.209
Exploring Antarctica
Here are two of my favourite images. These beautiful hand coloured glass plates were taken by Keith Jack, part of the Ross Sea Party, of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917). The Ross Sea Party were stranded in the Antarctic between 1915 and 1917.
At left: Keith Jack Camp on Great Ross Ice Barrier, [ca. 1914-ca. 1917]. Compiler Keith Jack; H82.45/29.At right: Return of the sun, [ca. 1914-ca. 1917], Compiler Keith Jack; H82.45/38
Our Library then and now
Marcus was fascinated by this photo of the Information Centre back in 1980.
The gentleman in the background with his hands to his jacket always makes me think of a time-traveller from the future who’s checking to see where his phone has gone.
The Information Centre has changed a lot since then.
At left: Information Centre in the Dome, level 2, State Library of Victoria, 1980; H2013.383/9. At right: Information Centre c.2025
Our Library has an extraordinary collection of photographs reflecting all aspects of our history, of places, events, people. While most of our photographs reflect life in Victoria and Australia, some collections come from much further afield.
- See our research guide to Picture research.
- Availability and format will depend on copyright and other restrictions, so check the relevant catalogue record for details regarding conditions of use.
- Our Library does hold a large collection of Trade marks. For more on James Dickson & Co see this item from the The Year-book of Australia 1886
- See our blog Mysteries from the Rosenberg Collection of Vincent Kelly’s Bendigonian portraits.
