Victorian history

Neon magic!

Neon magic!

July 28, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

There is something magical about the sight of neon against the backdrop of an evening sky. Whilst neon signs have fallen out of favour in recent years, many of those remaining have achieved iconic status. We look back at some of the highlights.

Magic in the night sky

Magic in the night sky

July 2, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

Moomba, the Royal Melbourne Show, New Years Eve…Victorians love to celebrate major events with fireworks. While we might have an idea of what a typical firework display looks like (such as the regular ones held each New Years Eve), the displays of the nineteenth century were completely unlike like what we see today.

A trick of the light: a personal response to several paintings in the Cowen Gallery

A trick of the light: a personal response to several paintings in the Cowen Gallery

June 14, 2022

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Victorian history:

The Library’s Cowen Gallery features some magnificent paintings by Australian artists, whose work sheds light on how the Australian Impressionist movement inspired Australian painters around the turn of the century.

From flappers to fast fashion: 100 years of style in Melbourne

From flappers to fast fashion: 100 years of style in Melbourne

June 4, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

Join us on a journey from the 1920s to now. See what women were wearing across the decades and which trends mark each changing era.

The Chalet, winter, Mt. Buffalo 9Vic.) [1910]

Mount Buffalo Chalet: the island in the sky

June 1, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

Over 110 years old, picturesque Mount Buffalo Chalet sits atop a plateau in the Mount Buffalo National Park. This grand old lady has provided a leisurely holiday escape for almost one hundred years. Little wonder that for decades, Victorians made the chalet their favourite winter and summer retreat.

Setting the curriculum: the history of Victorian school readers

Setting the curriculum: the history of Victorian school readers

May 28, 2022

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:

To mark the 150th anniversary of public education in Victoria, we take a look at school papers and Victorian school readers. What insights can these texts offer into the social, political and cultural environments of their day?

Graham Berry & the Upper House

Graham Berry & the Upper House

May 26, 2022

Ask a librarian, Our stories, Victorian history:

Premier Graham Berry was a giant in the wild politics of 1870s Victoria. His battle with the Legislative Council resulted in mass sackings, freezing of budgets and a journey to London to try and woo the Imperial Government.

Melba, Queen of Song

Melba, Queen of Song

May 19, 2022

opera, Our stories, Victorian history:

Dame Nellie Melba was a legend in every possible way: her voice of an angelic purity and perfect pitch, her fame never equaled by another Australian singer, a fame which extended worldwide from the time of her international debut in Brussels in 1887 until the late 1920s when she staged her final performances.

Capturing politics & protest through ephemera

Capturing politics & protest through ephemera

May 12, 2022

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:

The Riley and Political Ephemera Collection is a wide-ranging and living collection that captures political life in Victoria through the medium of ephemera.

Australian houses and European migration: architects, designers and builders.

Australian houses and European migration: architects, designers and builders.

May 7, 2022

Ask a librarian, Victorian history:

See some of the contribution of European migrants to architecture, design and home-making in Melbourne.