'til you drop: Shopping | A Melbourne History

This free exhibition at State Library of Victoria celebrates Melbourne’s passion for shopping, from the Paris end of Collins Street to the local corner store.

It explores Melbourne’s social history through changes in our shopping habits, from early settlement and the Marvellous Melbourne of the 1880s to today.

The exhibition links shopping with cultural and social developments such as increasing leisure time, immigration and the suburban sprawl. It takes a nostalgic look at famous shops like EW Cole’s Book Arcade, the much-loved Georges of Collins Street and the iconic Myer department store, as well as visiting the local supermarket, the suburban mega-centre and the modern convenience store. Melbourne’s multicultural heritage is reflected in images of the European deli, Vietnamese butcher and Chinese importers.

’til you drop celebrates how and why Melburnians love to shop, with a special focus on fashion, food and the home. It reveals the indulgent side of shopping – the exclusive stores, luxury goods and seductive advertisements that feed our addiction to pleasure and style. It also acknowledges the downsides of shopping: crime, consumerism and pollution.

’til you drop will appeal to a wide audience, from history and nostalgia buffs to those who live to shop.

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

Other highlights include:
-:- a short film that explores contemporary Melbourne’s hottest shopping spots – from young designers and hidden arcades to favourite stores and markets
-:- 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

The exhibition will be complemented by a program of events and activities, including free tours, talks and a Craft Hatch pre-Christmas market at the State Library.

’til you drop: shopping – a Melbourne history is a State Library of Victoria exhibition in partnership with Georges Adams Tattersall’s Foundation, Palace Cinemas and The Age, and sponsored by The Block Arcade, Sportsgirl, The City of Melbourne, Melbourne’s GPO, Melbourne Central, QV, NH Architecture, Avant Card, MIRVAC Hotels and V-Line

11 December 2009 – 31 October 2010

Web Link: 'til you drop: Shopping | A Melbourne History