Matthew Wengert & Louise Martin-Chew The Queensland Government Printing Office was home to equipment found nowhere else in Queensland. While many printing businesses of varying scales operated in cities and towns across the state, the Printing Office did some unique work that required state-of-the-art – and high-cost – technology and machinery, as well as the […]
Matthew Wengert & Louise Martin-Chew Posters for the Intelligence & Tourism Bureau – such as those by Percy Trompf, Noel Pascoe Lambert, and William Bustard – are exemplary printed objects, as are the exquisite addresses and invitations to state functions. Lloyd Rees is now a nationally recognised artist. Early in his career he was briefly […]
Matthew Wengert & Louise Martin-Chew There were strong personalities associated with the Queensland Government Printing Office, the government printers who were, in the early days, newspaper men (and they were all men). They stood up to the government of the day, had public stoushes with politicians and bureaucrats which were reported in the newspapers, and […]
Matthew Wengert & Louise Martin-Chew This series of blogs traces the visual history of the Queensland Government Printing Office, documenting the significant graphic legacy of this institution (the designs), the narratives and publications of this place (details), and the stories of the people who worked there (devils). It is impossible to overstate the importance of […]
At Queensland State Archives (QSA), we’re passionate about sharing Queensland’s rich history. From tales of prominent figures and pivotal political moments to family histories, government decision-making, First Nations histories, fascinating titbits, and intricate discoveries, we’ve explored countless stories. But one story we’ve yet to tell is our own – the unique journey of the State […]
At first glance, they may seem like delicate, innocent flowers, with their vivid petals and intricate leaves. But don’t be deceived by their beauty… these exquisite illustrations by naturalist and artist Estelle Thomson depict some of Queensland’s most poisonous plants and marine molluscs. Nicknamed the “Little Album of Horrors” within the collection at Queensland State […]
Forever’s a long time in digital years. A broken link here, a missing drive there and history slips away. At Queensland State Archives we’re exploring how to keep Queensland history from vanishing as different hardware and software become obsolete. Can you still open that résumé you wrote in WordPerfect in 1994? That’s the problem with […]
The truth is out there. Or perhaps it was once flashing across the skies of Northern Queensland? Join us as we delve into one of the more tantalising police records held in the Queensland State Archives: “ITM373641 – Unidentified Flying Objects“. A flurry of strange sightings occurred in the skies above Northern Queensland in the […]
Becky Bligh, from Queensland State Archives’ First Nations Strategy team, reflects on Archie Moore’s award-winning exhibition, kith and kin, and its moving message of family and intergenerational storytelling. In July, Queensland State Archives hosted Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist Archie Moore and curator Ellie Buttrose in an intimate conversation about kith and kin, Archie’s globally acclaimed work soon […]
Ensconced in one of the last colonial quarters in Brisbane city, Queensland’s Parliament House offers a moment of sandstone elegance in a busy cityscape. Parliament House may look like a stately monument to democracy but look closer, and you’ll find a building every bit as improvised, ambitious and chaotic as the city around it. A […]