Inside the Collection

Category: Collection stories

Detail of 'Round the World in the Lockheed Electra' envelope

Amelia Earhart’s last contact

November 29, 2017

Margaret Simpson
This ordinary looking stamped-addressed envelope in the Museum's collection features two signatures, one is of the famous American aviator, Amelia Earhart, and the other F. (Fred) J. Noonan, her navigator during their pioneering world flight in 1937.
Wall of bikes, Museums' Discovery Centre, Castle Hill

200th Anniversary of the Bicycle – Highlights from our Collection

October 18, 2017

Margaret Simpson
The year 2017 marks 200 years since the invention of the bicycle, a mode of transport that revolutionised personal travel. The Museum has an eclectic collection of bikes, some of which are currently exhibited in an impressive wall display at the Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill in north-western Sydney.
Glass negative, imperial plate, ‘School girl life saving demonstration'

Inspiration, Expiration and Methods of Release

September 21, 2017

Kathy Hackett
This elegantly choreographed image from the studio of Kerry & Co. shows young women from the Bronte Surf Life Saving Brigade modelling three methods of ‘release’ used in lifesaving c. 1908.
Ambrotype of John Pascoe, third officer on the ‘Dunbar’

Sydney’s most famous shipwreck – the ‘Dunbar’

August 21, 2017

Margaret Simpson
On 20 August 2017 it was the 160th anniversary of New South Wales' worst maritime disaster, the sinking of the 'Dunbar'. On a pitch-dark rainy night with a gale blowing a total of 121 passengers and crew of the sailing ship, 'Dunbar', lost their lives not long after midnight.
Wasp speaker box used by Radio Birdman

Radio Birdman: Deniz Tek – A Wasp man

July 19, 2017

Damian McDonald
When Deniz Tek, medical student, audiophile and guitarist met Rob Younger in the early 1970s amidst the satin flares and platform boots that then graced Sydney’s pub stages the two students could see and hear that energy, rebellion, intelligence and true social comment were sorely missing.
Photograph of Lucille Dupain

Hollywood Glamour

April 11, 2017

Kathy Hackett
This photograph by Max Dupain (22 Apr 1911 - 27 Jul 1992), signed and dated 1936, is from the archive of Madame Louise Lamoureux, who ran a Sydney fashion house specialising in embroidery and hand-beading.
Photograph of Carmen Dell'Orefice modelling Starry Halo

Carmen and Mr John

November 9, 2016

Kathy Hackett
Recently identified in the MAAS collection are twenty early career images of fashion icon Carmen Dell’Orefice modelling hats by celebrity milliner, Mr John of New York (1902-1993). Still modelling at 85, Ms Dell’Orefice is widely acknowledged for her elegance and interpretative skill.
Photograph negative, children's clothing fashion shoot Luna Park

A Sydney Icon: Fashion at Luna Park

October 5, 2016

Anne-Marie Van de Ven
  Whenever asked ‘when, where and what’ to visit in Sydney, we know the answer: the Opera House with her pure white sails lit in moonlight and of course, our iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge that sparkles beautifully every New Year’s Eve.
Metro-Twin drive-in in the Sydney suburb of Chullora in 1956

Remembering Australia’s Drive-ins

February 9, 2016

Margaret Simpson
Open-air cinemas are popping up all around Sydney as our famed summer weather rolls on. An earlier form of open-air cinema, the drive-in theatre, originally became popular in the 1950s as car ownership in Australia soared.
Photograph of Cotton dress

Julia Johnston – a sassy first generation colonial gal

January 27, 2016

Rebecca Evans
Frocks may seem rather innocuous but dress was essential in the creation of colonial Australia. In the 19th century, appropriate attire was a marker of respectability and an expression of status, wealth and beliefs.