Mrs Simpson's legacy - in conversation with Edward Simpson

In 2004, the children of the late Mrs Caroline Simpson OAM gifted her remarkable collection of Australian colonial art, furniture and decorative arts to the Historic Houses Trust of NSW (now Museums of History NSW). Two decades later, it stands as one of the largest and most valuable donations ever made to a cultural institution in Australia.

Join Kim Tao, Manager of Curatorial at MHNSW, to explore some of the highlights of this unique cultural gift and discover the story of the woman behind the collection. Kim will lead a conversation with Edward Simpson – Chairman of the James Fairfax Foundation, member of the Art Gallery of NSW Foundation Board of Trustees, former chair of the Sydney Living Museums Foundation and Caroline Simpson’s son.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the stories behind the collection and its remarkable owner!

Members get more: Members enjoy presale access and 20% off tickets.

The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Caroline Simpson Library

The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
  • Cafe
  • Wheelchair accessible
Plan your visit
  • Tuesday 29 October 6pm–7.30pm

Stories from the Caroline Simpson Library

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Alexander Mackintosh Archive : 
architectural plans and specifications, 1901-ca.1921: Waterhouse & Lake : architectural plans and specifications, 1909-1924 / B.J. Waterhouse & J.W. Lake [architectural drawing]

The Alexander Mackintosh Archive: revealing records of a master builder

Forgotten for decades, the archive of building contractor Alexander Mackintosh was rediscovered in a roof space in the 1990s. It includes more than 270 architectural drawings and reveals information about the work of many of Sydney’s leading architects of the early 20th century

[Sydney from the north shore], Joseph Lycett, 1827.

Hearing the music of early New South Wales

A new website documents an exciting partnership between Museums of History NSW and the University of Sydney in an exploration of Indigenous song and European settler vocal and instrumental music in early colonial NSW

Designs for elegant cottages and small villas, calculated for the comfort and convenience of persons of moderate and of ample fortune carefully studied and thrown into perspective : to which is annexed, a general estimate of the probable expense attending the execution of each design / by E. Gyfford

The architectural pattern books of Elizabeth Macquarie

The architectural achievements of Governor Macquarie’s era are usually attributed to Macquarie’s architect Francis Greenway. Yet evidence collected during an inquiry into the state of the colony of NSW in the early 1820s includes references to the involvement of the governor’s wife, Elizabeth Macquarie, in matters architectural

Phyllis Murphy in her East Malvern apartment, Melbourne, c1950
Wallpaper

Beyond the wallpaper: the life and work of Phyllis and John Murphy

A significant donation of more than 3,000 wallpaper samples to the Caroline Simpson Library reflects just one facet of the remarkable careers of Phyllis and John Murphy, partners in life, architecture and heritage conservation