Charlotte Smith

For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Melbourne's Little Lonsdale—locally known as 'Little Lon'—was notorious as a foul slum and brothel district, occupied by the itinerant and the criminal. The stereotype of 'slumdom' defined 'Little Lon' in the minds of Melbournians and became entrenched in Australian literature and popular culture. The Commonwealth Block, Melbourne tells a different story. This...

Visions of Colonial Grandeur explores Melbourne's international exhibitions through the art collection of 19th-century businessman John Twycross. John Twycross, also known as Top Hat, was a merchant and art collector who lived and worked in 'Marvellous Melbourne'. In this boom period of the 1880s, a confident Melbourne hosted two international exhibitions, and the best and latest in trade and culture...