Tuesday 29 July 2025
Melbourne Rare Book Week July 2025
Le Mort or la Mort
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
The origins and cultural context of the Danse Macabré
Speaker: Elizabeth Milford, RACS Archivist
The Dance of Death flourished in fifteenth century Europe but what were its antecedents and why was the theme so pervasive? The first Dance of Death mural was painted on a wall in the cemetery of Les Innocents in Paris, and was a catalyst for other Dances of Death, most importantly the series of woodcuts by Hans Holbein, printed in 1524 – 1525. Three centuries later, his work was still being copied, and the theme was embraced by composers such as Franz Liszt and Camille Saint – Saëns. This talk will discuss its origins, and specifically the fascination with death and decay that became ubiquitous in the late Middle Ages.
Presented by: Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Council Room, 250 – 290 Spring St, East Melbourne
I was invited to arrive early and sketch in the Historical Collection.
In Hiding
The Johnson Society of Australia
Tracing Samuel Johnson’s anonymous authorship
Speaker: John Byrne
Literature lovers know Samuel Johnson as the dictionary maker and subject of James Boswell’s biography. Most know him as a poet, an essayist, and the founder of English criticism. Much of this work is still in print, but the addicted collector seeks out Johnson’s hidden, often anonymous dedications, prefaces and editorial work, the titbits that are hard to find. John Byrne has been collecting Johnsonian material for 60 years. He will show rare material from his library and share stories about where and how he found it.
Presented by: The Johnson Society of Australia
at Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre, Multipurpose Room 1, 251 Faraday Street Carlton
How Fashion Gave Birth to Art Deco: Fashion illustration evolves into a new style of art
Speaker: Professor Emeritus Chris Browne
The Art Deco style first emerged among a group of young artists in Paris who wished to rejuvenate the depiction of French fashion. This development evolved into Art Deco in the years around the First World War. It came to a peak at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 1925. Professor Browne has assembled a collection of original French fashion magazines and images from the first half of the 20th century. He will share some of these with you, and show how the developments in fashion illustration led to the full flowering of the Art Deco style.
Presented by: City of Melbourne Libraries at East Melbourne Library
