Duels in Melbourne
Social life & customs, Such was life:
Early one Thursday morning in June 1839, two young men at an empty racecourse stood 16 paces from one another armed with pistols. They were preparing to engage in Melbourne’s first duel.
Social life & customs
The chaos and order of Marion Page
Our stories, Social life & customs:
Follow the journey of a large, multi-format Manuscript collection belonging to the late Marion Page from a South Yarra storage room to our Preservation team.
The Spare Corner Club
People & professions, Social life & customs, Such was life:
It was a cool summer’s day in 1940 when around fifty members of the Spare Corner Club met in the Fitzroy Gardens for lunch…
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.
Elizabeth Batman’s doll
Social life & customs, Such was life:
Elizabeth Batman’s doll is a fascinating relic from the earliest days of Melbourne.
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.
Women changing the world, part one: Intellectual equality
Arts & literature, Our stories, Politics, Social life & customs:
Explore the history of the struggle for women’s equality – intellectual, political, and physical – in this three-part series.
What about the women? – Part 2
Our stories, People & professions, Social life & customs:
Piece together the stories of Mary Ann and Eliza Henty and their role in Victoria’s first European settlement.
What about the women? – Part 1
Our stories, People & professions, Social life & customs:
Uprooted to join your husband of no more than a couple of years to settle in an unknown place. This is the story of the wives of the Henty brothers, early settlers credited with establishing Victoria’s first European settlement.
