Secret histories of queer Melbourne
Social life & customs, Such was life:
This new publication from the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives is an eye-opening and immensely readable introduction to Melbourne’s queer scenes, both private and public.
Such was life
Even in 1888 you needed a security ID photo!
People & professions, Such was life:
When the idea of celebrating a century of European settlement in Australia was first raised in 1886, Victoria volunteered to host an international exhibition of arts and industries. The resulting… Read More ›
What is Australia’s earliest surviving printed document?
Arts & literature, Such was life:
Australia’s earliest surviving printed document is a playbill which advertises a performance of the tragedy, Jane Shore, followed by a comic dance, The Wapping landlady and a farce, The miraculous… Read More ›
A marvellous mercantile map of Melbourne
Cities & towns, Such was life:
The most complete popular & mercantile map of Melbourne, Victoria was produced by Frederick Proeschel in the early 1850s. Proeschel describes the map as ‘giving most useful information as to… Read More ›
The Argus newspaper in colour
Social life & customs, Such was life:
On Monday 28 July 1952, the Melbourne Argus became the first newspaper in the world to print a high-speed action news picture in full colour. In what was a technological… Read More ›
Diggers’ diaries
‘Well I have been to gay Paris and all I can say is it is wonderful…Melbourne is like the smallest of bush towns compared with it, wishing that dear old… Read More ›
Melbourne Cup facts
Celebrate this race that stops a nation by learning some key Melbourne Cup facts.
The Biography Index
People & professions, Such was life:
Have you been researching an elusive Victorian ancestor, only to get stuck when you try to find out more about their life? Are you looking for long-forgotten interviews with prominent… Read More ›
Welcome
Welcome to the State Library of Victoria’s Such was life blog. Here we’ll explore both new and historic Library collections that relate to Australia’s past. We’ll showcase our favourite items,… Read More ›
