Caroline Simpson Collection
Home and garden design, history and life
Millions of items, infinite stories
Museums of History NSW holds several of the state’s most significant and fascinating collections – from the vast State Archives Collection to the Caroline Simpson Library Collection, and individual collections relating to our museums and houses. Dive in and explore!
Home and garden design, history and life
Making history every day
Place-based collections at our historic houses and museums
Our current display explores the development of botanical illustration from the end of the 18th century to the turn of the 20th century. Initially employed to support scientific discourse, botanical illustration evolved as an art form that increasingly prioritised aesthetic style over scientific exactitude
This webinar will explore the records of theatres and public halls found in the State Archives Collection, and what they can tell you about the history of your local community
Have you ever wanted to record your family recipes and food stories? Do you like to play with words and ideas?
Join curator Michael Lech for an insightful look into the world of department store and mail order catalogues
Featuring files, plans, and our recently digitised content (NRS-21054), this webinar will explore the records of the State Dockyard, Newcastle, held in the State Archives Collection
Join us for an introduction to the world of NSW Crown plans. Learn how you can start searching for, accessing, and understanding Crown plans and related records in the State Archives Collection
The sustainable fashion movement might seem like a new trend but at Susannah Place (built in 1844) in The Rocks, the mending of clothes and other household items was a necessary part of life for the working-class residents of this inner-city community
Our collections include thousands of photographic images dating from the late 19th century to the present, highlighting diverse aspects of life in NSW
Find out moreThanks to the support and involvement of our regional communities, audiences, peers and partners, our work and remit stretch across the state
This project aims to improve access for First Nations people to important archival material about culture, kinship, stories, and languages within the State Archives Collection
This webinar explores the surviving patient records created by government mental health facilities that are held within the State Archives Collection
This webinar explores the newly indexed and digitised Small Debt Registers held in the NSW State Archives Collection, and how they can highlight the history of NSW local communities
This webinar explores records in the NSW State Archives Collection that tell the stories of soldier settlers. Learn more about the individuals who participated in the scheme, and how you can research these men and women in our collection
This webinar led by Dr Carol Liston AO, Adjunct Associate Professor in History at Western Sydney University, explores the contents of the Settlers’ Muster Book 1800
The recent donation to the Caroline Simpson Library of thousands of wallpapers in the John and Phyllis Murphy Collection means that Museums of History NSW now has the largest holding of historical wallpapers in Australia
Join industry experts at the Caroline Simpson Library as they discuss different approaches to creating interiors for house museums and film and television productions
Join Matthew Stephens, research librarian at the Caroline Simpson Library, as he uses the library’s specialist collection to explore the contexts of a selection of historic family photographs
This event focused on the colour curriculum of pioneering Sydney-based colour designer and educator Phyllis Shillito (1895–1980) of the 1940s to the 1970s
In February, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Collections Discovery Assistant Mel Flyte shared with our members expressions of love discovered in the Caroline Simpson Library
Donors joined Dr Aaron De Souza, Research Manager at Museums of History NSW, for a fascinating bespoke talk and behind-the-scenes viewing of a selection of the more than 140,000 archaeological finds from the site of Australia’s first Government House
A recent acquisition for the Caroline Simpson Library captures a rare view of the long-demolished southern range of the Hyde Park Barracks
A variant version of the ‘Red Book’ – with additional plans dated May 1958 – has recently been generously donated to Museums of History NSW by Mr Mark Matheson
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Subscribe to Collections eNewsAustralian by birth, Winnafreda Portarlington was one of the most glamorous and well-connected women in British society in the first half of the 20th century. Find out more about this fascinating woman, her social connections, and her collections
In December 2022, Phyllis Murphy AM generously donated to the Caroline Simpson Library more than 3,000 wallpaper samples. While the bulk of the donation consists of wallpaper rolls, lengths and sample books, it also includes two printing rollers
These specially produced photograph albums (some in published form and others consisting of photographs pasted into an album) comprise images of one or more domestic dwellings and depict exteriors, interiors and gardens in NSW mostly from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries
This portfolio contains 55 photo prints taken by architectural photographer Richard Stringer, dating from 1968 to 2003, documenting significant Australian domestic buildings
A curious index card unlocks information about a unique subsidised school, whose history has been preserved within the State Archives Collection
In this article, Dylan Hoskins, Project Assistant on the First Nations Community Access to Archives project, reflects on the significance of National Sorry Day through his lived experience as an Aboriginal person
An important part of Collections Care work at the Western Sydney Records Centre is to conserve records that have been requested by readers and assessed as requiring repair
In the lead-up to 26 January, the State Archives Collection provides opportunities to explore and reflect on past examples of advocacy and allyship in the fight for First Nations rights
An important part of Collections Care work at the Western Sydney Records Centre is to conserve records that have been requested by readers and assessed as requiring repair
Supervising conservator Dominique Moussou talks through her work and some of the projects underway in the MHNSW conservation lab
A project to capture 3D scans of MHNSW properties will greatly assist conservation work and create exciting new interpretation opportunities far into the future
Find out how you can access diverse experiences through a unique calendar of events