Category Archives: nostalgia

Why do these remind me of the ICPOTA man with his newspaper cap?

Posted on November 24, 2019 by

[River art installation: Talking Our Way Home by Shaun Kirby, River Torrens, Adelaide, South Australia. (Five glass and steel origami-like boats suggesting movement, transport and the idea of journey)]. Installation artist Shaun Kirby (born London 1958- ) migrated to Adelaide, … Continue reading →

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Hutton’s Hamming It Up

Posted on July 24, 2019 by

Hutton’s Hams and Bacon (Pine-Apple Brand) During the 1860s the suburb of Preston in Melbourne’s north saw the introduction  of a bacon-curing factory. Following its opening in 1862, came a tannery in 1865. These original establishments would be followed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Edible Art, Illustrations, nostalgia, StillLife | Leave a comment

These Tins Really Take the Biscuit!

Posted on May 23, 2019 by

From Melbourne Open House -“Cabinets of Wonder” ephemera collection at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. entitled – ”The Welcome Guest”. These biscuit tins belong to the personal collection of “TG” [Occupation: Driver]. In reference to his collection, TG says: … Continue reading →

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Cereal Collectors? – Not as Corny as it Might Seem

Posted on July 4, 2018 by

Cereal boxes – from 2016 Open House “Cabinets of Wonder” ephemera collection at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. This collection is entitled ‘Breakfast is Good for You’. The collector is identified as ‘IS’ and their occupation: Cleaner. IS claims: … Continue reading →

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A Bit of Hanky Panky

Posted on June 30, 2018 by

“Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases – So Trap Them in Your Handkerchief.” A handkerchief also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square and made from thin fabric that can be carried in the … Continue reading →

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Apples of Temptation are Bonza!

Posted on March 10, 2018 by

Above are some great examples of Apple Case Art and Australiana. Labels began to appear in large numbers on wooden crates around 1920 and were only superseded in the 1960s by cardboard cartons. Although the designs were for the most part basic, and … Continue reading →

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From Backstage Girl To Lucky In Love

Posted on March 3, 2018 by

Pulp Fiction paperback publishing did not only happen in America. In the second half of the 20th Century an Australian pulp scene burned brightly with tales of jaded gunshoes, valiant servicemen and women, daring spies, violent youth gangs and bikies. The … Continue reading →

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Bathroom Blues? Let Freddie the Frog Come to the Rescue On Demand

Posted on February 14, 2018 by

Arkie by Brett Whiteley (1967) oil mixed media on canvas on board (Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria). Australian Avant-garde artist Brett Whiteley (born Sydney,  7 April 1939 – died 15 June 1992) is well represented in many Australian galleries and was … Continue reading →

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Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

Posted on October 15, 2017 by

Above is the cover design for Japanese ‘Rainbow’ Ne-Ne stationery note-paper designed ca. 1969. Japan has a plethora of smart pieces of stationery with both practical and sophisticated design elements. Japan is the design stationery capital of the world. Stationery … Continue reading →

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How To Create Some Very Angry Penguins

Posted on July 16, 2017 by

Editors of an Australian mid-century literary and artistic avant-garde magazine ‘Angry Penguins’ were devoted to the cause of Modernism which was based on the movements of Surrealism and Expressionism. From its humble beginnings in Adelaide, South Australia, through to its … Continue reading →

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This Berrie Fine Glaswegian Lass Must Not Be Extinguished

Posted on June 28, 2017 by

Above: University Cafe (2011) 24 x 19 cm from a series of drawings of Glasgow cafes. Scottish illustrator Christine Berrie is a born and bred Glaswegian, living in the town of Bishopbriggs near Glasgow. The daughter of a draftsman for … Continue reading →

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Lest We Forget Our Trench Art

Posted on April 27, 2017 by

ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day has been celebrated annually in Australia on 25 April. since 1916. ANZAC Day commemorates the combined participation of all soldiers and those associated with the military forces throughout all wars since 1914 including … Continue reading →

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There’s a Bear Out There… and What The Steiff Would I Know!

Posted on April 10, 2017 by

Above: Teddy Bear by Steiff (ca 1912) 48cm. German designer  Richard Steiff  was born on February 7, 1877 in the German city of Giengen. In 1897 at the age of 20, Steiff joined his aunt Margarete’s toy making enterprise. While … Continue reading →

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This is what’s left of the “Sons of Gwalia”

Posted on March 20, 2015 by

Still to this day in West Australia, there are goldfields remnants of the gold rush days. After the gold boom years from 1897-1923 came the bad years of decay; when the gold beneath the ground petered out and the people … Continue reading →

Posted in DarkArt, Furniture & Furnishings, nostalgia, QuestionableArt, StillLife, TheGood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

when you’ve lived like I have, you’ve done it all

Posted on February 12, 2015 by

Australian bohemian, visionary artist, dancer, and muse of the 1950s and 1960s, Vali Myers was born in Canterbury, Sydney, on 2nd August, 1930.  Her mother was a violinist and her father was a marine wireless operator.  Vali’s penchant for art … Continue reading →

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