Meander through Melbourne's shopping past with these images from the Library's 2010 exhibition, 'Til you drop.
Explore why Melburnians love to shop and browse the city's retailers – from elegant emporiums to multicultural markets and suburban milk bars.
Doing the Block, Gt Collins Street, ST Gill, 1880.
Fergus Hume evocatively described this scene in The mystery of a hansom cab, published in Melbourne in 1886:
'It was Saturday morning and fashionable Melbourne was "doing the Block". Collins Street is to the Southern city what Bond Street and the Row are to London…Portly merchants, forgetting Flinders Lane and incoming ships, walked beside pretty daughters; and the representatives of swelldom were stalking along in their customary apparel of curly brimmed hats, high collars and immaculate suits.'
J Mann, finest fruits in season, Queen’s St Melbourne, c 1908.
From the 1860s to the 1920s fruit stalls were a feature of Melbourne life, adding colour and vibrancy to the streets. Local orchards and market gardens were established during the early years of settlement and by the early 1900s there was an abundance of local seasonal fruit available. The display and presentation of fruit was an important aspect of the fruiterer’s sales pitch. In Melbourne, Italian fruiterers were particularly admired for their artistry.
B Bolton family grocer, Port Melbourne, Algernon Darge, c 1913.
Until the 1950s, when the idea of self-service emerged, customers were always served by shopkeepers. Staff not only knew their products back to front, but they were also attuned to the psychology of buying and selling. Shopkeepers were issued with tips and advice through confidential handbooks. Advice included taking a human interest in customers and 'adjusting your attitude accordingly', not writing with a blunt pencil, and not whistling, humming or singing in the shop. Shopkeeping was a serious and competitive business.
Smith Street, Collingwood, c 1908.
By the 1860s, Smith Street was a busy and popular suburban shopping strip, serving the working-class communities of Collingwood and Fitzroy. One of the most successful enterprises was Foy & Gibson's, a drapery shop that became the largest emporium on the street. Another magnet for shoppers was Ackman's Monster Furnishing Arcade. Smith Street was renowned for its furniture stores from the 1880s until the 1940s. George J Coles first variety store opened in Smith Street in 1914 and another household name, Moran & Cato, also had a presence on the street.
Chinese shop, Lt Bourke Street, Eric Thake, 1942.
This painting of a shopfront offers a documentary snapshot of Melbourne's Chinatown in 1942. At that time Little Bourke Street's Chinese quarter had changed very little since the 1860s, when Chinese immigrants who had flocked to the goldfields began settling in Melbourne. Many of these settlers opened stores importing Chinese goods. Eric Thake's interest in this shopfront demonstrates his keen eye for the random juxtaposition of objects and his fondness for sign writing.
The reigning cigarette: 'cameo', Troedel & Co, c 1881–1900.
Early product advertising focused on shopping basics – tea, soap and tobacco. In the mid-19th century there was a shift from the smoking of traditional pipes to pre-rolled cigarettes, which were mass-produced using advanced manufacturing methods. Smokers of pre-rolled cigarettes were initially made fun of, but the trend took off around World War I. This poster was aimed at the city dweller and differed from the bush scenes popular in early Australian advertising. The gentleman's modern suit and tie represent the emergence of the sophisticated urban office worker, a male altogether different from the pipe-smoking farmer or bush hand.
Spring and summer catalogue, no 78, Foy & Gibson, Collingwood & Melbourne, 1928.
Mail-order catalogues brought city shopping to suburban and rural locales. Nineteenth-century catalogues contained beautiful sketches of everything from saucepans to crystal ware. By the 1920s, department stores, including Foy & Gibson, were producing catalogues with glossy magazine-style covers featuring illustrations of women wearing the latest fashions in fantasy settings. Inside, black-and-white illustrations and descriptions of Foy and Gibson's considerable stock covered every household requirement from hardware to stockings.
Manton's department store, Lyle Fowler, c 1943.
The site of Manton's department store has housed several influential Melbourne businesses. One of Melbourne's first entertainment venues, the Theatre Royal, was established there in 1855. The theatre was demolished in 1934 and Manton's built a modern six-storey art deco building, which was completed in 1937. In 1955, GJ Coles & Co took over the store and it became Coles' Number-One Variety Store. Today the building is home to Target, but it is thought the original facade of Manton's is behind the exterior cladding.
'557': Afternoon frock of flowered taffeta with organdie trimming, 1929.
In 1925, WV Manton established Manton's drapery business in the city. A competitor of Myer, Manton's wide range of men's, women's and children's goods appealed to middle-class shoppers. The drawing's creator is unknown, but the detailed designs in pencil and watercolour are similar to the work of Lallah Dredge, Olga Farnsworth and Hertia Winter. They were responsible for window and interior displays, print advertisements, internal stationery and ticket writing at Manton's.
Collins Street in spring, Ivy Burton Fox, 1955–59.
Collins Street used to be the home of galleries, libraries, newspapers, publishers, and artistic, musical and literary clubs. Perhaps the most legendary address was Grosvenor Chambers, at 9 Collins Street. From 1888 until the 1950s this three-storey building housing artists' studios was a magnet for Melbourne's artistic community. Here, artists and photographers lived, painted, exhibited and entertained. Further along the street the Austral Buildings, Temple Court and Dudley House were also artistic hubs.
Couple leaving La Pastorale Frocks, 125 Collins Street, Wolfgang Sievers, 1965.
One doesn't so much walk the 'Paris end' of Collins Street as stroll it. The leafy trees, outdoor cafes and dappled light create an ambience of style and elegance that is best taken in on foot. Shopping and window shopping are long-time Collins Street rituals. Down the hill from Spring Street, the Paris end is both a physical and imagined place. Its fashionable boutiques, respectable businesses and artists' studios have long been promoted as sophisticated, splendid and redolent of Parisian chic.
French reproduction parade, 1947.
Myer brought Paris to Melbourne with the 1947 'new look' by Dior, which included nipped-in waists, long skirts and pointed shoes in pink, lilac, mushroom and burgundy. The emerging ready-to-wear market was brought to Myer through a partnership with the Australian Women's Weekly, on the advice of fashion editor Mary Horden. Local manufacturers reproduced Parisian designs and Myer promoted the idea that every Melbourne woman was now able to have the best Paris could offer at an affordable price.
The Myer Emporium August home sale catalogue, c 1950.
Myer's seasonal and homemaker sales always created a buzz and there was often a queue waiting for the store to open. The store's large range of goods required rapid turnover, so Monday Star Bargains and Friday Bargains were important promotions. Even today, the annual Christmas stocktake sale still makes the news. Then, as now, a good scramble is required to pick out something special.
Capers restaurant in Collins St, Mark Strizic, 1967.
In the 1960s a shopping trip to the city was an occasion, and restaurateurs created elegant, stylish environments where ladies could lunch. Ross Shelmerdine, the innovative and visionary restaurateur who established the Michelton Winery, commissioned architect Robin Boyd to redesign Capers restaurant in 1960. The renovation was finished in 1962 and included a courtyard cafe with umbrellas and plants.
The Block Arcade, Mark Strizic, 1967.
Melbourne's shoppers flocked to the new shopping phenomenon – the arcade. Modelled on those in Europe, arcades were clean and modern, and they protected shoppers from the weather. Their architectural design facilitated new ways to display and purchase fancy goods. The modern shopping arcade enabled the buyer to indulge in the pleasures of looking, touching and contemplating goods without any pressure to make a purchase. Browsing became an accepted and expected pastime and evolved into new leisure behaviour.
The shoppers, Napier Waller, c 1934, by permission of the trustees of the Waller Estate.
The most significant restaurant in the Myer emporium, Mural Hall, was located on the top floor of the main Bourke Street building. In 1934, Sidney Myer commissioned artist Napier Waller to design a mural celebrating famous women. Considering that a large percentage of Myer patrons are women, the mural can be viewed as a tribute to those shoppers who have spent their time at the store.
Buildings in Collins Street, built as annexes to the Colonial Mutual Life Building, Wolfgang Sievers, 1959.
Melbourne literally went through the roof with the lifting of the 132-foot height restriction in 1955. As a result, many heritage buildings were demolished to make way for high-rise office blocks, radically changing Collins Street. Photographer Wolfgang Sievers was commissioned to comprehensively document numerous buildings prior to their demolition, including the Colonial Mutual Life Building. Though once considered the 'best proportioned building in the city', it was destroyed along with many other examples of fine architecture.
Chadstone Shopping Centre, Wolfgang Sievers, 1960.
Victoria's first regional shopping centre opened in the Melbourne suburb of Chadstone in October 1960, with 7500 prospective shoppers attending in person and many more watching on television. Kenneth and Baillieu Myer spent £6 million constructing Chadstone Shopping Centre, which they saw as an extension of their Myer Emporium in Bourke Street. The ambitious project was developed on a 30-acre site in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, and at the time it was the biggest single retail merchandising development in Australia.
Chadstone Shopping Centre from the carpark, Wolfgang Sievers, 1962.
Chadstone Shopping Centre was a true one-stop shopping experience, designed to service south-eastern Melbourne's rapidly increasing suburban population. The centre included a Myer department store and other retailers, professional services, a supermarket and an auditorium for local civic activities. The multiplicity of services operating under the one roof ensured Chadstone’s success as the 'suburban housewife's dream'. The car park sprawled over 20 acres and could accommodate 2500 cars. Contemporary advertising suggested parking spaces angled at 45 degrees made shopping easier for women who found reverse parking difficult.
Chad, Jono and Mig, Twig, Beatie and Whitey walking down the street at Blackburn South shops, Larry Jenkins, 1975.
As a teenager, Larry Jenkins photographed his fellow Sharpie gang members against the suburban backdrop of Blackburn South. Their street-tough style was defined by the clothes they wore, the bands they followed and their distinctive cropped hairstyle with its bleached tail. Sharpies wore striped cardigans or 'connies', made by local knitters Conte and Sangs. Handmade shoes had chisel toes and Cuban heels and came from Feney’s or Acropolis Shoes. The Sharpies' detailed attention to their style was a response to the perceived conservatism of 1970s Melbourne suburbia.
Publicity photograph for Tessa, Mark Strizic, c 1971.
The Tessa T4 hammock design leather lounge suite oozed comfort. It was perfect for kicking back on the weekend and embracing the informality of the suburban Melbourne lounge room. Originally known as Twen, Tessa was established by Fred Lowen in 1968. Its lounge and dining room furniture is still manufactured in the Melbourne suburb of Bayswater.
Myk's Milk Bar, Graham Street, Port Melbourne, Warren Kirk, 1995.
In the 1950s, milk bars sold 73 per cent of Melbourne's confectionery, ice cream and soft drinks, and 33 per cent of its tobacco. The milk bar was more than just a mixed business; it played an important social role in the community. In the milk bar's heyday – the 1950s and 1960s – it was a place where teenagers could hang out, buy milkshakes and play pinball machines – or later, video games. By the 1970s the milk bar's role as a social venue was being superseded by shopping malls and fast-food franchises.
Poster for the organic fruit and vegetable cooperative, Collingwood, Greg Smith, 1985.
During the 19th century, British, Irish and Chinese market gardeners dominated the Melbourne market. The advent of supermarkets promised a 'new world of shopping'. Self-service, pre-packaged foods, fixed prices, trolleys and checkouts introduced a novel set of rules and conventions. But product choice was sometimes deceptive as a range of standardised brands often took over from speciality and locally produced items. Today, shoppers are returning to stores selling organic and locally grown food.
Dai Nam Food Store, Footscray, Dyranda Prevost, 1998.
Footscray Market is a magnet for immigrants, refugees and others living in the neighbourhood. Stallholders from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Pacific Islands, Malta and Greece add to the vibrancy of this truly multicultural market. Among the wonderful array of Asian ingredients, shoppers will find pig snouts, lotus flowers and an abundance of fresh seafood such as lobsters, prawns and mud crabs. Alongside the fresh produce are stalls selling art and craft, furniture, clothing and jewellery.
Victoria Market, Melbourne, © Ruth Maddison, 1983.
The Polish deli in the Dairy Produce Hall at the Queen Victoria Market is distinctive for its display of sausages, jellied meats, cured fish such as mackerel and herrings, and European preserves. The stall's staff, who speak Polish and German, reinforce the European ambience of the deli. In the post-war period many European immigrants shopped at the market, where stallholders often spoke their native tongue. Today, the authentic goods available in the Dairy Produce Hall still attract shoppers from the city and suburbs.
Bourke Street development, Frederick Romberg and Robin Boyd, 1964, courtesy Robin Boyd Foundation and Diane Masters.
The Bourke Street Mall, and Myer's elevated walkways, separated shopping from the streets and traffic, a technique borrowed from the outer-suburban centres. Utilising a concept typical of 1960s urban architecture, the Bourke Street Mall and the Myer bridges were designed to give shoppers a more pleasurable experience by providing an environment free of traffic hazards and weather.
Convenience, Selina Ou, 2001, courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria. Purchased with funds arranged by Loti Smorgon for Contemporary Australian Photography, 2005.
In the series 'Serving you better', Selina Ou photographed the employees of a convenience store, butcher, supermarket and pharmacy against a dense backdrop of products. The convenience store, with its extended trading hours, supply of 'essentials', including snack foods, cigarettes and petrol, is generally small in size and brightly lit. The world's largest convenience-store chain is 7-Eleven; its first Australian store opened in Oakleigh in 1977.
