Beauty spots: from facial flaws to fashion statements

Beauty spots: from facial flaws to fashion statements

September 6, 2018

Social life & customs, Such was life, Theatre:

Under the eye or the corner of the mouth? Does the position of your beauty spot mean you are a flirt, engaged or just cheeky? Stars, pigs and horses; from the eighteenth century onward, the beauty spot has an alluring past.

Family, possibly the Newtons, out on a drive in the country.
H2002.106/159

Why can’t I find my ancestor?

August 9, 2018

Family matters:

When searching for family history records it’s not unusual to encounter ‘brick walls’ or barriers. Learn strategies for dealing with some of the common obstacles you may face when researching Victorian records.

Are you being served?

Are you being served?

August 8, 2018

Such was life:

Step back in time to the old-fashioned servo, where consumer choice was de rigueur, and service was king.

The breaking of the drought: silent movies and photography

The breaking of the drought: silent movies and photography

July 30, 2018

Arts & literature, Such was life:

The Library has digitised some wonderful photographs taken during the filming of the 1920 Australian silent movie, ‘The breaking of the drought.’ Melodrama, song, dance, water ballet, seduction, ruin and redemption; this movie has it all. And a happy ending too.

Family History & Newspaper Room temporary closure

Family History & Newspaper Room temporary closure

July 30, 2018

Family matters:

Find out which resources will be available while the Family History and Newspaper Reading Room is closed from Friday 24 August to Thursday 20 September.

Australia’s golden age of cycling

Australia’s golden age of cycling

July 20, 2018

Exhibitions, Our stories, People & professions:

Cheering echoed throughout the streets of Sydney in November 1937 as some 60,000 people gathered along the last 80 kilometres of Hubert Opperman’s epic trans-continental ride. Once as famous as cricketer Don Bradman, endurance cyclist ‘Oppy’ is currently featured in the Changing face of Victoria exhibition. Discover objects from his career, loaned to us by Museums Victoria.

Empress Josephine and the last emu

Empress Josephine and the last emu

July 16, 2018

Our stories:

In France, in 1822, the last surviving Australian dwarf emus died. The emus had made the unlikely journey from their their homes on Kangaroo and King Islands to the splendid gardens of Empress Josephine Bonaparte’s Malmaison.

Books celebrating NAIDOC Week 2018

Books celebrating NAIDOC Week 2018

July 12, 2018

Our stories:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women empower past generations and pave the way for future generations of Indigenous Australians. This selection of recent books by Indigenous Australian women reflects the literary achievements of Indigenous women and their gift of empowerment to children.

fairy The babes asleep in the wood

Early history of movable and pop-up books

July 3, 2018

Arts & literature, Our stories:

Pop-up books enthral readers for many reasons: their ingenuity, their beauty, and because they challenge the two-dimensional nature of printed books. Explore the range of paper engineering mechanisms that have been used in books for more than 700 years.

NAIDOC Week 2018: ‘Because of her, we can!’ ebooks

NAIDOC Week 2018: ‘Because of her, we can!’ ebooks

July 3, 2018

Our stories:

This NAIDOC Week, be inspired by stories and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, available as ebooks. Whether you live in Melbourne or Manangatang, log in from home with your State Library card number and start reading.

Such was life

Mary Fortune: pioneer of Australian detective stories

Mary Fortune: pioneer of Australian detective stories

October 15, 2024 2 comments

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

Portrait of Ken Pound for the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project, 2010. Photo by Gwenda Davey. This work is in copyright. National Library of Australia; nla.obj-228944556

‘It really belongs to you people anyway…’: The story of Ken Pound

August 19, 2024 6 comments

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.