Collections

The Reinterment of Devonshire Street Cemetery

This webinar explores the records from the NSW State Archives Collection that reveal the history of one of Sydney’s oldest burial grounds and the mammoth job of reinterring those buried there to allow for the construction of Central Railway Station

Vernon and Sobraon: Nautical Training Ships for Boys

This webinar explores the stories of the inmates of the nautical training ships the Vernon and the Sobraon

The ‘Old Register’: Illuminating Early Colonial NSW

This webinar led by Dr Carol Liston AO, Adjunct Associate Professor in History at Western Sydney University explores the ‘Old Register’ and what it can tell us about early colonial NSW.

Faculty files

This webinar explores 19th-century teacher records held in the NSW State Archives Collection, making it possible to trace teachers’ careers from young trainees through to the established teachers they became

Murphy Wallpaper Collection

The recent donation to the Caroline Simpson Library of thousands of wallpapers in the John and Phyllis Murphy Collection means that Museums of History NSW now has the largest holding of historical wallpapers in Australia

Creating Imagined Interiors

Join industry experts at the Caroline Simpson Library as they discuss different approaches to creating interiors for house museums and film and television productions

Unlocking Past Lives

Join Matthew Stephens, research librarian at the Caroline Simpson Library, as he uses the library’s specialist collection to explore the contexts of a selection of historic family photographs

Phyllis Shillito and her colour curriculum 1945–1979

This event focused on the colour curriculum of pioneering Sydney-based colour designer and educator Phyllis Shillito (1895–1980) of the 1940s to the 1970s

A spotlight on mould

Mould is one of the last things you want to find on records, but it can occur in any collection. Poor ventilation, high humidity or weather events can all contribute. Learn how you can identify mould and manage small outbreaks

Iconic treasure published online

We are thrilled to announce the online publication of the ‘Old Register’ from the State Archives Collection

Not so black and white

Digitising photos from Rouse Hill Estate

Making Home: Collections on Tour

MHNSW was proud to present Making Home: A Short History of Houses, Interiors and Gardens in NSW in 2025

The interior design profession in Sydney

Suggestions about interior design might have once come from cabinet-makers, furnishing retailers, antique dealers, or well-to-do amateurs with an eye for “good taste.” From the early twentieth century, however, the field became formalised through professional associations and the expectation that decorators be trained in design principles

The mysterious O.S.B.

One item in the Caroline Simpson Library Collection has been capturing our attention recently: a beautifully illustrated catalogue of electric light fittings, identified only by a mysterious insignia on the cover – the initials ‘O.S.B.’

Rustic adornment: design imitating nature

Rustic design style evokes nature by imitating organic forms such as tree branches, flowers and animals, and incorporates natural textures like wood and stone

Creatives selected for inaugural Caroline Simpson Library Creative Residency

Two creatives selected for the inaugural Caroline Simpson Library Creative Residency program

State Dockyard, Newcastle

This series documents the activities of the State Dockyard Newcastle between 1953 and 1983 through photographs, negatives, slides and microfilm. There are 8,500+ photos in this series

Shipshape: conserving a model of the Princess of Tasmania

Learn how our conservators addressed metal corrosion on a striking 1950s ship model in the State Archives Collection

Groundbreaking crimes from the archives

Within the sandstone walls of the Justice & Police Museum are countless stories of crime, courage and justice – some famous, many forgotten

Flat out access: unfolding the parchment pardon of Samuel Henry Horne

The conservators at the Western Sydney Records Centre treat items from across Museums of History NSW collections. A recent example is the 1832 absolute pardon of convict Samuel Henry Horne