‘til you drop: shopping – a Melbourne history

Fashionistas and shopaholics will get a buzz out of the State Library of Victoria’s exciting new exhibition delving into the history of Melbourne as a shopping mecca.

The free exhibition, running from 11 December 2009 to 31 October 2010, is complemented by a range of events including talks and tours.

Items on display range from a 19th-century cash register to ephemera such as wartime ration cards and Buckley & Nunn shopping receipts. Many classic photographs evoke Melbourne’s changing style over the last century.

Other highlights of ‘til you drop include:

• a short film that explores contemporary Melbourne’s hottest shopping spots
• images of ultra-modern 1970s suburban home décor
• iconic Wolfgang Sievers photographs of Collins Street in the 1960s
• superbly illustrated fashion catalogues from Foy & Gibson
• original design sketches of 1920s flapper fashions, for Manton’s department store
• early colour postcards of famous shopping streets such as Bourke, Collins, Smith and Chapel
• persuasive advertisements for everything from luxury cosmetics to Ovaltine

Visit the website of the State Library of Victoria www.slv.vic.gov.au/goto/tilyoudrop  for more information.