Rosslyn Chapel was founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair. The beauty of its setting, in rural Midlothian, and the mysterious symbolism of its ornate stonework have inspired, attracted and intrigued writers, artists and visitors ever since.State Heritage Scotlandmasons' marks, chapel, scotland, masons,

The Polish born artist, designer and filmmaker, Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski (1922-1944), who arrived in Melbourne in 1949 on the 'Fairsea', a ship carrying displaced persons from Europe and the Baltic States. He sought employment in architectural and design practices, and also enrolled in classes at the National Gallery School. From 1952 until 1953 Ostoja-Kotkowski had a brief, but productive, period working as a designer in the Prestige Fabric Design Studio in Melbourne. Ann Carew, 2017The textile design has aesthetic significance as an example of the early Australian work of noted emigre artist, designer and filmmaker, Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski, and it has historical significance for its association with the Prestige's Textile Design Studio, and the studio's art director, Gerhard Herbst. Small sample of pale green rayon fabric with a bold, repeating geometric pattern printed in black and white.emigre, polish, design, textile design, rmit design archives

Cash's first began manufacturing name tags, woven badges and woven labels in Australia in 1913, and since then countless Cash's labels have been sewn onto school and club jumpers. The Boy Scouts commissioned this point paper design featuring a boy, puma and snake. It is inspired by imagery from Kipling’s Jungle Book.Point paper design featuring boy, puma and snake. Corresponding clothing label attachedtextile design, design

Cash's first began manufacturing name tags, woven badges and woven labels in Australia in 1913, and since then countless Cash's labels have been sewn onto school and club jumpers. Point paper design featuring map and flag. Corresponding clothing label attachedtextile design, rmit design archives

In 1969 RMIT lecturer Gerard Herbst arranged an exhibition the work of his Industrial Design students at the NGV’s Design Centre. In ‘Design with Paper' the students explored the characteristics of a sheet of paper, an exercise based on similar ones set by Josef Albers at the Bauhaus, Germany and Black Mountain College, USA. The exhibition attracted press attention, Bulletin critic Brian Hoad noting You are told that in the tradition of Gropius and his Bauhaus experiments of the ‘twenties they are attempting to bridge the gulf between the fine arts and the technical crafts to produce one day from among their numbers a new type of creative thinker. Photograph featuring students in 'Designs Performing' exhibit. Students are from the RMIT Industrial Design course.design, rmit university, bauhaus, industrial design

Gouache on paper illustration of a woman from Pátzcuaro region, Michoacán, Mexico, by Mexican fashion illustrator Alfredo González Bouret (1926-2018). Likely created in 1953, prior to being exhibited in Mexico and Paris in 1954. From the Patzcuaro region of Michoacán state, Mexico, this woman wears a wide-brimmed 'sombrero' on top of her 'rebozo' - a long rectangular shawl made of wool or cotton with an intricate hand-knotted pattern, popular throughout Mexico. Her hair is held away from her face, likely in long plaits down her back in the traditional style of the region. Her ears and neck are decorated with long earrings and strings of beads, while her plain white blouse is tucked in to a bright red 'refajo' skirt, gathered at the waist by a textile belt with geometric designs. In her hands she holds long-stemmed lilies. While resembling other illustrations of fashion from the Patzcuaro region, this costume stands out for the bright colour of the skirt, and the lack of embroidered decoration on the blouse. Rebecca Lloyd, 2019.Mounted painting of a woman in traditional regional dress from the Patzcuaro region of Michoacán, Mexico. Gouache on paper, c.1953.Signed in green paint, bottom right, 'AG Bouret'.mexico, 1953, fashion design, painting, illustration, mexican, fashion illustration, dress

The Shine Dome is one of seven projects that the Royal Australian Institute of Architects has nominated to the World Register of Significant Twentieth Century Architecture. In 1956 six architects were invited to submit plans for the Academy of Science's new building in Canberra and the Academy's building design committee selected Grounds Romberg and Boyd's proposal designed by Roy Grounds. It features a shallow arcaded concrete dome, sheeted in copper and was one of a number of domed buildings that appeared around this time internationally, expressing the optimism of the post-war years. It perfectly reflected the Academy's ambition to champion excellence in Australian science and promote international scientific engagement. Paul Wallace, a well-known Melbourne renderer, drew this perspective of the proposed design, possibly for the competition submission, in 1956.Coloured perspective of the Academy of Science buiding in Canberra.Printed text on attached sticker, 'ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, CANBERRA / 1958 / Grounds, Romberg and Boyd, / Architects'. Printed centre on verso, 'ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CANBERRA GROUND, ROMBERG AND BOYD ARCHITECTS 340 ALBERT STE., MELBOURNE C2'.science, canberra, architecture, rmit design archives, design

Robin Boyd’s unbuilt scheme for two residential towers for Carnich Pty Ltd in East Melbourne is one of his most striking late projects – remarkable for its daring scale, its indebtedness to the megastructural polemics of Paul Rudolph and Japanese Metabolism, and its prescience – a high-rise apartment building now sits on the same site. The drawing is spectacular: trays of space are held aloft on angled concrete props that branch off trunk-like vertical slabs. With balconies and spandrels highlighted in white, the scheme’s dynamism echoes El Lissitzky’s mad Wolkenbugel (‘Skyhooks’) while also signalling a tragic last hurrah before Boyd’s 1971 death. Philip GoadIncludes sketch of two structures and surrounding flora.Inscribed upper left of recto, "ROBIN BOYD'S SKETCH FOR / COMBINED PROJECT 60-64 / CLARENDON ST. + CORNER SITE"architecture, mid-century modern, emigre, rmit design archives

This plan of Lum Road Estate includes layout of roads, gardens, building and carparks. From 1970 until August 1971 Robin Boyd and his practice Romberg & Boyd Architects worked on designs for housing on the Lum Road Estate, Wheelers Hill. Berenice Harris, Linley Vellacott and Karl Fender drew many of the sketch plans for the project homes, while Robin Boyd drew the perspectives. This colour plan of the estate was drawn by Robin Boyd, but not signed. Frederick Romberg later annotated the drawing with details of its authorship. Colour plan of Lum road estate. Includes layout of roads, gardens, buildings and flora.Inscribed lower right on recto in black ink, 'Robin Boyd original / 12/6/86 F.R' ; Inscriber upper left on recto, grey pencil, '3400'.architecture, design, rmit design archives, domestic architecture

architecture, domestic architecture

architecture

Site plan drawing of the Shepparton Aboriginal Arts Council building, now known as the Bangerang Cultural Centre. The building is located in the Parkside Gardens, formerly the Shepparton International Village, and is the first Aboriginal cultural museum developed and managed by the Aboriginal community. The building is part of the Victorian Heritage Register. Romberg designed the building in conjunction with project instigator and Bangerang Elder, John Sandy Atkinson, OAM. At the request of Romberg, Atkinson created some concept sketches for the building from which Romberg designed the finished structure.Site PlanInitialed in grey pencil, bottom right: 'F.R'architecture, museum

Eric Thake had a unique way of looking at the world, uniting a singular vision that found the extraordinary in the everyday, with a whimsical sense of humour and refined modernist aesthetic. One of his lesser-known commissions was a mural for the Victorian Manager’s office at the ETA Factory in Braybrook designed by Frederick Romberg in 1957. Photographed here by Kenneth Ross, the mural depicted a stylised map of Australia, with Indonesia above and New Zealand to the south, and showed the peanuts and other raw materials that ETA used in the production of various foodstuffs against a striking and entirely gilded wall. Kirsty Grant, 2017 Black and white photograph of a mural by Eric Thake in the manager's office at the ETA Factory, Melbourne.Typed lower center, 'ETA FACTORY 1961/ MURAL BY ERIC THAKE/ IN MANAGER'S OFFICE'eta, mural, braybrook, manufacturing, architecture, artist

The GE12 Electric Kettle was designed by Barry Hudson for General Electric and in 1978 won the Australian Design and the Prince Philip Prize awards for Australian Design. The kettle was innovative in many ways; it was an early example of an all plastic electric kettle with a single-handed opening-spout. According to design historian Ian Wong ‘The use of an integral hinge for the spout opening mechanism utilised the unique live hinge property of polypropylene, now common but at the time a novel use and very efficient to manufacture.’ The kettle was available in Carpentaria Orange, Blaze Yellow and Lime Green with a contrasting base. Barry Hudson (1935-2008) studied Mechanical Engineering at the Melbourne Technical College (MTC). In the 1970s he was Research and Development Manager at General Electric, and he also worked with the industrial design practice Rosenfeldt, Gherardin and Associates. He established Barry Hudson Industrial Design in the 1980s and began a teaching career at the former MTC, now known as RMIT University. Ann Carew, 2020 1978 the Kettle won an Australian Design Award and the Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design.Orange and brown electric kettlekettle, industrial design, rmit university, domestic appliances

Michael O’Connell (1898-1976) arrived in Melbourne in 1920 with no professional training apart from that of a soldier on the Western Front. During the 1920s however he discovered a talent for design and, returning from a visit home to England via France and Italy in 1929, focussed on textile design with his wife Ella. This fragment of a wall hanging shows clear indebtedness to the School of Paris, Matisse in particular, and other designs from the early 1930s indicate that O’Connell was familiar with the work of Raoul Dufy who had created some successful and popular fabric designs for Paul Poiret.Textile piece featuring women and geometric patterntextile design, rmit design archives, mid-century modern

A 10 piece set of calico pattern pieces for a dolman sleeved cocktail dress, unpicked after being sewn together and fitted. Notes along the hemline guide the maker in alterations that can be made, turning the cocktail dress into a full-length evening gown. With this toile, only one side of the garment has been made.ink, cotton

Emigre Frederick Sterne set up a four-year Interior Design program for the Melbourne Technical College c. 1948. It was the first program of its kind in Australia, On the cover the hand-written words ‘Interior Design’ have a sense of pride in their hand and the drawing of an interior – probably Sterne’s – emerging from the drawing board illuminated by artificial light that projects a future. Suzie Attiwell, 2017interior design, rmit university

Drawing of styling proposal for HJ Monaro coupeSigned lower right, 'ZMOOD'automotive, design

The name of this chair, Lepidoptera, refers to the insect species of moths and butterflies as LeAmon drew upon the anatomy of a butterfly to develop the concept of the chair?s structure, colour and pattern. Another key feature of the design was the use of textile remnants from automotive textile manufacturer Autofab,recalling LeAmon's redeployment of leather offcuts from the manufacture of cricket balls to make her 'Bowling Arm' series of bangles.industrial design, furniture

Abyss Studio was one of a number of fashion labels established by Sara Thorn and Bruce Slorach in the 1980s and 1990s. From 1986 to 1992 the pair also operated the Galaxy Emporium where they stocked their own designs as well as those of fellow Fashion Design Council members. Abyss was a street wear label and, like many independent designers at the time, was concerned with creating culture through clothing.T-shirt featuring 'Daisy Bone' and mouse printaustralian fashion, fashion design

graphic design

Includes site plan; floor plans and details of utilities, interior and fittings.architecture, domestic architecture

graphic design

In 1971, Alex Stitt and Bruce Weatherhead left advertising and opened The Jigsaw Factory - a design studio focussed on educational material for kids. The Richmond premises included a store, play space and craft workshop and produced books, games, posters, toys, and more. 'A Dictionary of Magic' was created by the pair while at the Jigsaw factory.Four games in a book about astrology, chiromancy, wizards and toads and other strange things, including a complete set of 78 fortune-telling 'Tarot' cards.graphic design

RMIT University's first ceremonial mace was commissioned by Professor David Beanland, Vice-Chancellor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1992, and designed by Ian Wong, a lecturer in Industrial Design. It was the result of a collaborative effort, with staff from industrial design, gold & silversmithing, sculpture, engineering, applied physics, and optical technology working on its production. Materials used include carbon fibre, optical fibres, computer chips, honeycomb aluminium, gold, titanium and crystal. This design drawing shows how the University's distinctive pixel log (that conveys a sense of being at the forefront of technology) was incorporated into the design of the top element of the mace. Michelle Novacco, 2017Sketches of designs for RMIT ceremonial maceSigned bottom right corner, 'IAN WONG / iw / 1992 'ceremonial mace, industrial design

Richard Beck established a consultancy as an industrial designer in London in the 1930s, designing posters, booklets and advertisements for London Transport, Shell-Mex, Orient Line and the London GPO. His work was illustrated in Radio Times, Evening Standard and News Chronicle. His posters used montage and surrealist techniques, as in this example, reminiscent of E McKnight Kauffer who was prominent in commercial art in interwar England. The London Journal Art and Industry reproduced a number of Beck's posters for the Orient Line and London Transport and in 1938 Modern Publicity's annual round-up featured Beck's cover design and included a profile of his work.Brochure for London Transportgraphic design, mid-century modern, design

architecture, domestic architecture

Drawing of an early 20th century French fashion designer Paul Poiret (1879-1944), a master couturier working in Paris during the first two decades of the 20th century.Lower right recto, on image, grey pencil: "LOUIS / KAHAN / 26" Lower right corner recto, grey pencil: 'poiret, paintre'fashion illustration

Louis Kahan (1905-2002) is best known in Australia for his skill as an artist. As Independent Fashion Curator, Laura Jocic has observed, ‘It is less known though that Kahan had a career in theatre and fashion in Vienna and Paris during the 1920s and 1930s that continued when he came to Australia in 1947. He signed his fashion illustration with the initials 'nac', a phonetic interpretation of his surname spelled backwards. In this illustration on newspaper we can see Kahan playing with the graphic effects of line and text, while communicating the cut and drape of late-1950s fashions.’ Kahn was born in Vienna in 1905 and first travelled to Australia in 1947. He moved to Melbourne in 1950 where he became friends with artist George Bell, writer Alan McCulloch who introduced him to Clem Christensen, editor of the literary journal Meanjin, where many of his portraits of Australian writers were published. His 1962 portrait of the author Patrick White won the Archibald Prize, bringing him national recognition. He also designed sets and costumes for the Elizabeth Theatre Trust (Opera Australia) and the Melbourne Theatre Company. In 1993 his contribution to Australian cultural life was recognised when he was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO). He died in Melbourne, at the age of 97 in 2002. Ann Carew 2018Fashion illustration on newsprint. Drawing depicts two women. Women in foreground is wearing a long green coat and hat.Woman at rear is wearing a green and white evening dress with white gloves.Signed lower right in ink, 'nac 1958'.fashion illustration, fashion design