National Family History Month
August is National Family History Month and there’s no better time to delve into your family history research. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced researcher, State Library Victoria has a wealth… Read More ›
The voyage of the Hercules
In the 19th century the voyage to Australia was long and arduous. Emigrants faced the constant threat of disease and malnutrition, the danger of storms or shipwrecks, and the possibility… Read More ›
Adam Lindsay Gordon and the Adam & Eve Hotel
Collection Care, Preservation, Such was life:
A photograph of an old cottage inspires an investigation into the connections between Australian author Adam Lindsay Gordon, John Kinmont Moir and the mysterious Adam & Eve Hotel.
The Smith Trams and Trains Collection
Buildings & streets, Photography, Such was life:
The Library has recently digitised hundreds of images of Victorian trams and trains captured by a visiting enthusiast in the 1960s.
The changing face of Victoria: behind-the-scenes with Conservation
Collection Care, Conservation, Registration and loans:
The Conservation department play a major role in the development of exhibitions at the Library. We recently completed work on the installation of the Changing Face of Victoria exhibition, which this year involved preparing over 150 items for display.
Fireworks in Little Bourke street
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories, Victorian history:
There’s an air of intrigue around these deserted Chinese shopfronts, captured by artist Eric Thake in Melbourne during World War II
Victorian patents: a window on the past
Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:
From the world’s first commercial ice-making machine to a cycling skirt made especially for women, the Library’s collection of Victorian patents is a fascinating window into the lives of our forebears
The Crossley Building: past, present and future
Buildings & streets, People & professions, Such was life:
The Crossley Building on Bourke Street holds the history of one of Melbourne’s earliest, pre gold-rush retail and residential developments. For 60 years it was home to the iconic haberdashery business, Job Warehouse, which closed in 2012. Untenanted ever since and significantly run-down, where to next for this important piece of Melbourne’s built heritage?
The grandstand in Beech Forest
Ask a librarian, Our stories, Reference desk, Victorian history:
A grandstand made out of a tree stump? A racecourse in a forest? Join us as we ponder our question of the week.
Cigarette cards: preservation of a small, but unique collection
Collection Care, Our stories, Preservation, Social life & customs:
Collectible cards as we know them today have a very long tradition, dating back to the mid-late nineteenth century with the production of cigarette cards. A small, but unique collection of these wonderful items were recently rehoused by our Preservation team.
Such was life
Mary Fortune: pioneer of Australian detective stories
Mary Fortune was the author of the longest running 19th-century crime fiction series published in a periodical and one of the earliest female crime writers in the world.
Arts
‘It really belongs to you people anyway…’: The story of Ken Pound
To celebrate the Children’s Book Council of Australia Week, we pay tribute to the life of children’s literature collector, Ken Pound, and the collection he has left for us all.
