‘Dear Walt’: Whitman in Victoria
Victorian school teacher Bernard O’Dowd entered a brief but remarkably intense and intimate correspondence with American poet and iconoclast Walt Whitman.
Our stories
A hidden treasure, no more: Conservation treatment of ‘View of the north shore’
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Women changing the world, part two: political equality
Arts & literature, Our stories, Politics, Social life & customs:
Campaigns to secure the right to vote for women helped progress women’s political equality. Discover the ground-breaking women leading the charge through the rare books in this ‘World of the book’ display.
Melbourne’s lost department stores
Buildings & streets, Our stories, Social life & customs:
Melbourne and shopping have been hand in glove since the 1880s, and at its peak the city flaunted more than a dozen department stores.
Precious correspondence from Australian feminist, writer and poet Mary Fullerton
Arts & literature, Our stories:
Within the papers of a Victorian farmer from Beaconsfield, are a series of letters from his aunt, Mary Fullerton, an Australian author and a vocal member of the women’s suffrage movement.
