Corporate Body

Museum of Applied Science (1945 - 1971)

State of Victoria

From
1945
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
To
1971
Functions
Collection Management, History of Australian Engineering, History of Australian Technology and Museum
Alternative Names
  • Institute of Applied Science (Subsequent name, 1961 - 1971)

Summary

The Museum of Applied Science began in 1945, the successor of the industrial and technological Museum. In the post-WWII era greater public emphasis was given to industry and technology as the basis for a prosperous and expanding economy. The Board of Trustees was successful in securing increased staffing and funding for the Museum, although space continued to be a problem. New and expanded displays positioned the Museum as an interpreter of new knowledge, while it worked with other organisations to promote scientific values and acceptance of new materials. This period saw a rapid expansion of the collections. Among the Museum's innovations was the establishment of the Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory. In 1961 a considerable philanthropic donation from the family of industrialist H. V. McKay provided funds for a planetarium (which opened in 1965). Between 1961 and 1971 the Museum was styled the Institute of Applied Science: in 1971 it became the Science Museum of Victoria.

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Details

Directors:
Edgar Penrose 1945 - 1951
Charles Focken 1951 - 1961
R. Hindle Fowler 1962 - 1971

Timeline

 1870 - 1945 Industrial and Technological Museum
       1945 - 1971 Museum of Applied Science
             1971 - 1983 Science Museum of Victoria
                   1983 - 1998 Museum of Victoria
                         1998 - Museum Victoria

Related People

Published resources

Books

  • Penrose, E. H., Descriptive catalogue of the collection of firearms in the Museum of Applied Science (Melbourne: Trustees of the National Museum of Victoria, 1949), 161 pp. Details
  • Rasmussen, Carolyn et al., A Museum for the people: a History of Museum Victoria and its predecessor institutions, 1854-2000 (Carlton North, Victoria: Scribe Publications, 2001), 420 pp. Details

Book Sections

  • Dale. Liza, 'The McKay Collection' in A Museum for the people: a History of Museum Victoria and its predecessor institutions, 1854-2000, Rasmussen, Carolyn, ed. (Carlton North, Vic.: Scribe Publications, 2001), pp. 271-3. Details

Journal Articles

  • Focken, C. M., 'Radiocarbon dating laboratory', Australian journal of science, 23 (1960), 127-8. Details

Helen Cohn

Created: 27 June 2024

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