The RHSV's
collections continue to expand with donations from the public and
Society members. Donations have been received from early settlers,
their descendants, amateur and professional historians and many others
making it a rich and diverse collection covering social, economic,
political, legal and cultural aspects of Victoria’s history.
The collection comprises three elements: library (printed material),
manuscript and images and is used extensively by researchers, post-graduate
students, authors and commercial enterprises. We offer personal advice
and assistance to individual researchers and a research service to
business organisations and government agencies. Individual members
receive the first hour of research free of charge.
The library and manuscript collections are open to the public Monday
to Friday 10am to 4pm. Appointments must be made with the curator
to view the images collection.
Use of the collections is free to members, non-members pay a daily
research fee of $16.50.
Tours of the collections are available to community groups, schools
and affiliated societies. Bookings essential - for further information
phone 9326 9288.
RHSV Catalogue
The first
stage of a project to publish the catalogues of the RHSV online includes
records from the Images collection, the Manuscripts
collection plus the library. The RHSV Catalogue currently contains 39,500
records.
The Society’s
collection of manuscripts ranges from official government documents
to personal letters and diaries. The manuscript collection, which
exceeds 20,000 items, holds a rich archive of documents, private papers,
research articles and memorabilia donated to the Society. Letters
from the goldfields, the log-book of the Oliver Lang (Liverpool
to Melbourne 1854), the diary of Rev. Francis Hales (1874), are examples
of references which can be used.
The RHSV Catalogue updates the information contained in
Sources of Victoria's Heritage (1985) and its supplement (1999).
Family historians should ask to see the index of the Pioneer Register
- a register of persons who arrived in the Colony before 1900.
Registration forms for more than 900 entries, together with supporting
documentation and photographs have been lodged with the Society. Commenced
in 1917, many early registrations were completed by pioneers or their
children. The forms contain more than 3,000 names.
Several series of newspaper cutting books, all indexed will attract
much interest. Particularly strong in shipping, local history and
biographical information, the books supplement published material.
The RHSV’s
image collection of over 30,000 objects includes items of national
significance, such as a painting by the Aboriginal artist William
Barak, an engraving by Tom Roberts, drawings by Jane Cannan and lithographs
by Eugene von Guerard, Nicholas Chevalier and S.T. Gill. Apart from
original artworks, the Images Collection also includes postcards,
maps and parish plans, as well as items of museum ephemera.
The RHSV holds approximately 2,000 maps that range from rare manuscript
maps to parish plans tracing the history of land occupation throughout
the State.
The Society’s collection of historical photographs dates back
to the 1850s and 60s and includes daguerreotypes, albumen prints,
silver gelatin prints, glass negatives and glass slides. Major subject
areas are portraiture, street scenes - both Melbourne and many Victorian
country towns, architectural and occupational.
Reproductions of many of these images may be made to order. To submit
a research request, email us your
Images Research Query.
The RHSV
collection of printed material is one of the oldest and most important
historical collections in the State. As well as books, the collection
consists of pioneer records (including the RHSV Pioneer Register),
rare pamphlets, documents and newspaper cuttings on a variety of topics,
journals and newsletters of historical societies, organisations and
schools as well as published and typescript family histories.
Directories include Victorian Municipal Directories (incomplete);
Sands & MacDougall Directory (1857-1974) and Bradshaw's Guide.
The RHSV's image collection includes a treasure trove of photographs, artworks, maps and other visual materials.
A grant from The Ian Potter Foundation has enabled the RHSV to begin digitising a selection of items from the image collection, some of which will be made available online as Treasures of the RHSV.
