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Melbourne's Biggest Family Album Collection
Image: Digital Photograph - Four Girls in Shallow Water, St Kilda Beach, circa 1910
Source: Museum Victoria
In 2006 Museum Victoria embarked upon a community collecting project with past and present Melburnians, who searched their private albums for their favourite photographs of Melbourne. Over 1000 family photographs were collected for 'Melbourne's Biggest Family Album'. Selected photographs are featured in the 'Melbourne Story' exhibition, and the collection is also accessible through the 'Melbourne Story' exhibition website: http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whatson/current-exhibitions/melbournestory/bfa/
These wonderful images have opened up many new perspectives on Melbourne's history, and provide evocative, personal insights into life in Melbourne from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. More than just records of individual family life, these photographs are a wonderful resource for exploring the history of communities, places and events.
Featuring approximately 170 Melbourne suburbs, the photographs depict people of all ages, from a range of cultures. Melburnians are captured at home, on the streets, working, celebrating, travelling, playing and mourning. These photographs also show some of our city's hidden histories - people travelling on public transport, hanging out their washing, browsing inside shops, sleeping in their bedrooms, and washing in the bathroom.
Project Background
The Biggest Family Album concept is based around the copying of photographs rather than the donation of originals, meaning that families retain their precious photos, while archival copies are held at the museum. For this project, the copying was done in digital format using a high resolution digital camera.
The Melbourne collecting project was conducted in partnership with four public libraries, in Beaumaris, Box Hill, Broadmeadows and Footscray. Library staff and local council officers supported and promoted the project, while ABC radio, community newspapers and The Age newspaper assisted with publicity.
Over 120 contributors responded enthusiastically to the invitation to share their photographs, with most bringing several generations of family photographs with them. Contributors also often came along with a family member who could help with accurately documenting the photographs. They brought with them not just photographs, but stories, emotions and a passion about their place in history. More than a few tears were shed as personal anecdotes were remembered and recounted to museum staff.
The Biggest Family Album in Australia Collection
Melbourne's Biggest Family Album Collection was based on The Biggest Family Album in Australia Collection project, undertaken by the museum in the 1980s and 1990s, to collect copies of family photos from rural and regional Victoria. This pioneering project was immensely successful, resulting in a collection of over 9,000 photos dating from the 1890s to the 1940s. These photographs continue to be a resource for the entire community, appearing in education programs, history books, exhibitions, student projects, and community projects. http://museumvictoria.com.au/bfa/
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 10) 1071 items
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Digital Photograph - Girl on Station Pier Farewelling 'Orsova', Port Melbourne, 1954
A girl smiling, standing on wooden pier with streamers at her feet. There is a ship and a bay behind her. This photograph shows Vera Jones on Station Pier, 6 May 1954. She remembers th ...
Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Ship at No.8 Berth, Victoria Dock, West Melbourne, Victoria, 1935
Roy Leibig, the photographer, often wandered around the wharves taking photographs. His daughter remembers that he always had his camera around his neck. One of his cameras was a Leica.
Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - View of Collins Street, West of Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria ...
Digital copy of a 35 mm colour slide lent by the contributor.
Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Four Men Standing outside Bush's Confectionery Factory, Richmond, cir ...
Black and white photograph showing Mr Perlman and Mr Ribush with two unknown gentlemen standing outside Bush's Confectionary factory in Richmond, circa 1935. Mr Perlman, on the left, ...
From: Richmond, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - ANZAC Military Band, circa 1920
Black and white photograph showing a group portrait of the ANZAC military band, in about 1920, post World War I. Stanley Fletcher is second from the right, standing in the third row f ...
Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Family Photograph, Celebrating Son Joining Navy, St Kilda, 1943
Black and white photograph showing the Altson family, taken in their family home in St Kilda in March 1943. It was taken by a professional photographer and mounted to celebrate an impor ...
From: St Kilda, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Boy Driving Miniature Train for Charity, Sandringham, 1943-1944
Black and white photograph showing children riding on a miniature train, Sandringham, circa 1943. The train ride was organised for the 'Bomb Children of Britain' charity during World ...
From: Sandringham, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Owners of K & A Pappas Australian & Continental Milk Bar, Preston Wes ...
Colour photograph featuring Athanasia (Anna or Sia) and Konstantinos (Kon) Papadimitropoulos in their Papadimitropoulos Milk Bar, also known as the 'K & A Pappas Australian & Continenta ...
From: Preston, Australia Images: 2 -
Digital Photograph - Two Men & One Woman outside Bush's Confectionery Factory, Richmond, c ...
Black and white photograph showing Mr Perlman and Mr & Mrs Ribush outside the Bush's Confectionery factory in Richmond, circa 1935. Mr Perlman and Mr Ribush (first names unknown) owne ...
From: Richmond, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Photograph - Holden Brothers Circus, 'Big Top ' Circular Tent being Raised up Cent ...
A 'Big Top' circular tent is being raised up a central pole, while trucks, caravans and tents set up around it. The Holden Brothers Circus crew raising the 'One Pole Big Top' tent, ear ...
Images: 1
