In conversation: curator and historian Luke Keogh
Previous Redmond Barry fellow Luke Keogh’s latest book details a fascinating untold story in natural history, and was recently shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s History Award.
Welfare records at the State Library
Family matters, Research tips & tricks:
Welfare records can be a great tool for a family historian! This blog explores the welfare collections held at the State Library, including the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum, Melbourne Orphan Asylum, Gordon Homes for Boys and Girls and more
Burke and Wills and Strutt.
Such was life, Victorian history:
William Strutt’s painting of the Burke and Wills expedition captures the daunting task facing the explorers.
Vale Margaret Bourke (1945–2021)
Announcements, News, Rare Books & Arts:
Des Cowley, Principal Librarian, History of the Book and Arts, shares the story of the unique and treasured Margaret and Tim Bourke Bridge collection.
Researching your Chinese Victorian ancestors
Family matters, Research tips & tricks:
In the mid 19th century, a wave of Chinese migrants came to Australia in search of prosperity. By 1861, over 24,000 Chinese individuals were living in Victoria . Many resided… Read More ›
![Portrait of an unidentified young woman, photograph by Louis Grouzelle, (between 1880 and 1890?]](https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Portrait-of-an-unidentified-young-woman-1-120x120.jpg)
Who’s that girl? Dating a 19th century photograph
Family matters, Research tips & tricks:
When browsing through collections of old family photographs it’s not unusual to come across images of unknown people and places. But how do you discover who these nameless ancestors are?
One method is to work out when the photograph was taken – once you have a rough time frame, you can compare the details of the sitter to ancestors in your family tree and hopefully find a match. This can be a complicated task, but every family historian likes a good challenge!
Pigeon messengers of World War I
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
It may be hard to believe today, but the humble pigeon played a heroic role as messenger in World War I, braving heavy artillery fire and poisonous gas to deliver messages between the front line and headquarters.
Robert Vere Scott’s photographic panoramas
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:
Panoramic photographs have been around since the mid years of the 19th century when photographers strived to produce the arc of a wide vista in a single image. Check out some spectacular examples from the collection.
Catalogue upgrade: QR codes and search suggestions
Ask a librarian, Research tips & tricks, Tips and tricks:
Create QR codes, see recent search suggestions and view up 50 results at a time with these new features recently added to the Library catalogue.
Voices from the Great War
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights:
Our Library has a vast collection of material relating to World War 1 including many original diaries and photographs. Two notable diaries were written by (Victor) Rupert Laidlaw and Alice Kitchin. Both were eyewitnesses to history and their diaries speak eloquently of their experiences, and reflect the horrors of the conflict.
Such was life
On the case: Detective Piggott and the development of forensics
The early 1900s was an exciting time to be a detective. Innovations in science and technology, combined with the popularity of detective stories shifted crime fighting away from the seedy world of informers, which had influenced the early years of policing, towards the detection of crime using scientific methods and forensic evidence. Find out about how one Victorian detective contributed to the development of police forensics.
Arts
Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios
John Hinds, an artist, photographer and active ROAR member from 1986 to 1992 spent time capturing artists he personally knew and the spaces that they used to create their works. His photographs captured a unique and often unseen time and place, creating an invaluable insight into the art scene in Melbourne.
