Melbourne in the 1930s.

Speaking of the races, that reminds me of a purse that I bought the last time I was in Melbourne just earlier this year in January. I was on my favourite shopping strip, Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, browsing the vintage shop Hunter & Gatherer when I came across this small purse.

Inside was a ticket to the Flemington Race Course for the 3rd of November 1936.
You can only just imagine how excited that made me. My friend at the time (and several others I've told the story to) told me that it's more likely that the store staff just put the ticket in, that it doesn't necessarily mean the purse was used by a lady back in the 1930s. I don't listen to them though.
I'd rather believe that in 1936, the purse was filled with a powder brush, some pennies and mirror, clutched tightly by a well dressed lady in a bonnet with a small feather, hopping off the tram with her friends, excited to see her first horse race...
Or something like that:-)

So I scoured the interweb for photos of the people of Melbourne in the 1930s.
I saw bonnets and sequins and intricately detailed pieces. Fashion was a lot more complicated back then. 

I really admire the effort that women would have had to go through.

 Info and credits to these photos below:

Don Nicol - National Library of Australia

Miss Bridget O'Brien - Picture Queensland ~ State Library of Queensland : digital image collection

Mrs. Marcus (Marjorie) Barlow - State Library of Victoria

Cyril Ritchard with two unidentified female performers - National Library of Australia