‘The Lawn at Flemington’, #MelbourneCup, 1887, one of my fave depictions of #MarvellousMelbourne, I mean look at the crowds ! Also love the detail of the figures in the foreground, in the height of 1880s fashions with #bustles and #bonnets. The artist, visiting Austrian Carl Kahler, was said to have asked various wealthy people for permission to put them in, hoping they would buy it – but the Victorian Racing Club got in the end. I think this shows what a big deal the race was even then, one of the reasons it’s so big now – it has always been the place to be seen, dressed in your finest, not just for horsey people or the wealthy, and that actually what makes it important- fun for everyone ! (of course plenty of people 120 years ago couldn’t afford to dress up and go, but they probably had a flutter !)
Storey of Melbourne 