Our stories

Francis Frith in exotic Middle Eastern dress

Extract from ‘True portraiture: David Roberts’ The Holy Land and Francis Frith’s Photographic prints of Egyptian antiquities’

June 27, 2019

Our stories, Painting, Photography:

Europe went crazy for all things Egyptian in the early 19th century, which helps explain why the Library’s collection includes rare works by two famous Egyptologists: painter David Roberts and photographer Francis Frith.

The Chief Librarian and the soap thieves

The Chief Librarian and the soap thieves

June 6, 2019

Our stories, People & professions:

In 1887, someone was stealing the State Library soap- or was it ‘someones’?

From celebrity to the streets, the power of photojournalism

From celebrity to the streets, the power of photojournalism

June 5, 2019

Our stories, People & professions:

Over the course of his 50-year career, news photographer Bruce Postle captured images of the rich, the famous and the powerful. But on many occasions, his work also involved the most humble and vulnerable people in the community.

‘Dear Walt’: Whitman in Victoria

‘Dear Walt’: Whitman in Victoria

May 31, 2019

Our stories:

Victorian school teacher Bernard O’Dowd entered a brief but remarkably intense and intimate correspondence with American poet and iconoclast Walt Whitman.

A hidden treasure, no more: Conservation treatment of ‘View of the north shore’

A hidden treasure, no more: Conservation treatment of ‘View of the north shore’

April 18, 2019

Collection Care, Conservation, Our stories:

Conservation treatment has returned strength and aesthetic unity to this vibrant watercolour, allowing this important artwork to be appreciated by the public once more.

Walking the blue lake

Walking the blue lake

April 16, 2019

Buildings & streets, Cities & towns, Our stories:

Dr David Sornig ponders the history of West Melbourne’s lost wetlands, and takes us on a collective journey around the area.

Evolution of a fiery redhead

Evolution of a fiery redhead

April 4, 2019

Our stories:

One of the most enduring figures in Australian popular culture is ‘Miss Redhead’, who first appeared on the Bryant and May Redheads matchbox label in 1947.

Hang ten with Rennie Ellis

Hang ten with Rennie Ellis

April 2, 2019

Our stories, Sport:

Rennie Ellis combined his two true loves of surfing and photography when he captured the thrills of the annual Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. A dozen of Ellis’s surf photographs are featured in The changing face of Victoria exhibition, ranging from 1970 to the mid-’80s.

Medieval lives: Working women in English society, 1300–1500

Medieval lives: Working women in English society, 1300–1500

March 29, 2019

Our stories, People & professions:

Until the late 20th century, the important role played by medieval women in the peasant household was largely ignored by historians.

Women changing the world, part three: Physical autonomy

Women changing the world, part three: Physical autonomy

March 28, 2019

Arts & literature, Our stories, Politics, Social life & customs:

In the third and final part of our exploration of works by women that have changed our world, we focus on women’s reproductive rights.