Inside the Collection

1950s

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.
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.
Cover of a souvenir school exercise book from the 1954 Royal Visit

Back to school – with the Queen 60 years ago

February 3, 2014

Margaret Simpson
As children all over Australia went back to school this week after the long Christmas holidays, many will be coming home with stationery lists. In 1954 the exercise book shown above was the "must-have" in school supplies.
Photograph of Toy Hills Hoist "Mini-Hoist" rotary clothes line

Hill’s Mini-Hoist rotary clothes line

January 6, 2014

Margaret Simpson
I've seen this little 60-cm high Hill's Hoist clothes line in our basement storage area for years and always assumed it was a model which reps might have taken around to secure sales. Clearly, lugging a full-size clothes line around with you was out of the question and this is a perfect model of the famous clothes line which sprouted up in backyards across the nation.
Photograph of red toy pedal car

An evocative object: pedal car

June 10, 2013

Paul Wilson
When the author of this blog's first 'evocative object' post asked me to think about what object from the Museum's collection evoked strong emotions, a few childhood memories flashed through my mind – my first football with its strong smell of fresh leather and my first cricket bat, which I associate with another strong smell, linseed oil – but if I had to choose the earliest special thing from my early childhood it would have to be my pedal car.