Inside the Collection

Architectural model of Opera House

Opera House models

January 21, 2013

Charles Pickett
It is 56 years this month since Jorn Utzon's success in the design competition for the Sydney Opera House. During January 1957 the four judges (they were all architects: Cobden Parkes, Eero Saarinen, Ingham Ashworth and Leslie Martin) looked through more than 700 entries.
Gold cash register

Counting cash with brass – cash register from 1900

January 16, 2013

Lynne McNairn
With Christmas over and the sales in full swing, it seemed like a good time to look at this beautiful old cash register. This cash register was made in about 1900 by the National Cash Register Company, in Dayton, Ohio the first company to manufacture and promote cash registers.
Silver car kettle with cord

Holiday activities – Sinclair car kettle

January 14, 2013

Margaret Simpson
With the Australian summer holidays in full swing and many families on the road it's interesting to think about the changes in road trip catering. Since the early days of motoring car picnic sets have been available.
Photograph Gerry Anderson 1996

Farewell Gerry Anderson-master of marionette magic and merchandising

January 9, 2013

Kerrie Dougherty
Readers of this blog post may not be familiar with the name Gerry Anderson, but you’ll almost certainly know his most famous television series Thunderbirds, which, after premiering in Australia in 1968, has been a staple of Saturday morning children’s television, screening almost non-stop since 1977.
Tram hearse trailer, No. 27S

Tram hearse

January 7, 2013

Margaret Simpson
With the NSW Government getting close to returning more trams (light rail) to Sydney I thought I would share with you probably the weirdest tram produced. While most trams were designed to carry the general public, some special-purpose ones were made to carry prisoners to and from gaol, stretchers on hospital trams during the influenza epidemic and breakdown trams to service the tram fleet.
Victorian scrapbook showing floral bouquets and young women

Holiday activities – scrapbooks

January 2, 2013

Margaret Simpson
When I was a child after the Christmas tree and festive paraphernalia had been packed away in January I would make a scrapbook from the Christmas cards. At first they were just pasted in “willy nilly”.