Caroline Simpson Library

Barry Little in white suit leading a group from the Society of Interior Designers of Australia on a visit to the Philippines

A Little archive that tells a big story

Ahead of his time, interior designer Barry Little had a significant influence on Australian interiors in the 1960s and 70s

Hand painted title showing the middle section of reclining figure in landscape

A global design story

Their original owner and use remain a mystery, but these striking tiles hold an intriguing connection to a significant international design story

A window to the past

The private collection of photographer Alan Spearman Evans reveals an exceptional photographic record of an average middle-class couple celebrating their life in suburban Sydney in the early to mid 20th century

Light fittings

A world of designs

Trade catalogues, published to illustrate the products for sale from a manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer, reveal the surprising wealth of choice available to Australian consumers in the 19th century

Sylvia Evans reading in her bedroom at Alwyn, Arncliffe, around 1927 / Alan Evans

Alan Spearman Evans Collection

The Alan Spearman Evans Collection comprises over 2000 photographic images of houses, house interiors, garden landscapes and industrial workplaces in NSW

A chair with curved timber arms that bend to become legs with a white abolstered seat.

An extraordinary collection

The Caroline Simpson Collection has become Australia’s leading source of information on the history of houses, interiors, furnishings, gardens and domestic life

Anglo-Indian Workbox

This workbox was a much loved personal home accessory of Anna Elizabeth Walker, the daughter of settler and explorer John Blaxland

Children's nursery

Animals in our Houses

A Parade of Animals in Nurseries, with Michael Lech