1910s

The 1910s are most vividly remembered through images of war: Gallipoli, Australian troops abroad and the emotions of those at home. Yet it was also a decade of change. Marvellous Melbourne films captured a city on the rise, Canberra was formally named and Luna Park opened its gates. Artists thrived: Harry Julius pioneered animation, Percy Grainger composed brilliantly strange music, and Annette Kellerman dazzled as a ‘Million-Dollar Mermaid’. The decade brimmed with contrasts – conflict and cartoons, sacrifice and spectacle – all stitched into the national memory.

Please be advised that this page contains names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.