The image, from a postcard dating to the first 10 years of the 20th century, is an evocative glimpse into a business that has long been linked to Martin Place (then Moore Street).
Martin Place had long been a bustling hive of activity, full of people going about their daily work. This bustling activity made it a perfect place for flower sellers to ply their trade, attracting passersby and many impulse sales. Yet most flower sellers did not start off in Martin Place at all, being forced off other, busier streets to make room for ever increasing traffic. Martin Place was the ideal place for flower sellers to congregate though, setting themselves up near the steps of the General Post Office and pouncing on people hurrying to mail their letters.
The earliest Martin Place flower sellers began to set up stalls in the 19th century, but it was during the 20th century that Sydney’s most iconic flower seller plied her trade. Rosie Shaw had once had high hopes of a career in opera, coming to Sydney from London in 1927 to seek fame and fortune in the land Dame Nellie Melba had called home. Rosie’s dreams never came to pass, but she grew to the status of a Sydney icon none the less. In 1931 she first set up shop on Martin Place, plying her customers not just with flowers, but with snatches of opera and tall tales of her history of a ballerina and singer. Rosie soon became very popular and increasingly influential, using her iconic status to act as one of the earliest defenders of gay men in Sydney. She sold flowers for 40 years, finally packing up her stall in 1971.
MAYOR DEFIED – A WOMAN INTRUDES A stormy scene developed at Concord Council last night in sharp contrast to the usually peaceful meetings of the municipality. The Mayor (Alderman Lee) left the chair and broke up the council meeting after having been defied by an alderman, and the police were called in to eject the offender….
Jack, age 87, and Jill, age 79, are excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way they pass a chemist shop and Jack suggests they go in. Jack addresses the man behind the counter: “We’re about to get married. Do you sell heart…
Although not heard as much these days the saying, shoot through like a Bondi tram, was very common in the early 1900s. There was a time when Sydney was one of the world’s great tram cities and Bondi Trams shot through Paddington like, well, a Bondi Tram. In its heyday, Sydney’s tram network was the…
Back in the 50’s what were the local shops we most relied upon – and indeed – were all that we needed? The grocer, the green grocer, the butcher, the cake shop, the newsagent, the chemist. For other things – clothing, shoes, books, toys and sports gear you went into town. The grocer was that…
Before the iPad and iPhone! Before CD and DVD players! Before gaming consoles and TV! Just how did people have fun in the early 20th century? You might think life would be so boring. It certainly wasn’t! People made their own entertainment, making do with whatever was on hand. The Great Depression was a very…
Coin Tester & Sorting Machine This is a brown metal container approximately 300mm high, 300mm wide and 300mm deep. There are two slots at the top, with different widths, which, one could assume, would take the one shilling and two shilling coins. There is another opening at the bottom just above the long tray which,…
