The top 5 most popular posts on Instagram from 2020
By Troy Keith, Collection Engagement | 23 December 2020
The top 3 liked John Oxley Library related posts on State Library's Instagram.
With the end of 2020 approaching, we are taking a look back at our social media platforms to see what were the most popular posts from the year and have a closer look at the collections and stories associated. This blog takes a look at the top 5 most liked John Oxley Library posts from State Library of Queensland's Instagram account.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world during 2020, State Library like most businesses and organisations had to close our South Bank building to onsite visitors and think about how to pivot our services digitally. During this time we realised how important our social media platforms were for sharing our collections, their stories and Queensland's history in general. Through our various platforms we can reach far more people than we can service onsite, we can reach new audiences, not only across the state but also across the world.
INSTAGRAM TOP 5
Number 5:
This post was shared on the 29 August to commemorate the anniversary of Festival Hall, Brisbane's famous live music venue officially closing in 2003. A wide variety of Australian and international artists played at Festival Hall over the period the venue was open including the likes of Sammy Davis Jr (1959); Ricky Nelson (1960); The Beatles (1964); Ray Charles (1967); The Monkees (1968); Cat Stevens (1972); T Rex (1973); Bay City Rollers (1975); Paul McCartney and Wings (1975); Ramones (1980); The Police (1981); and The Stranglers (1985). The John Oxley Library holds a range of material relating to Festival Hall and the bands that performed there.
This photo by photographer Marc Wright is of crowds lining up before a concert at Festival Hall in 2003. The John Oxley Library holds a photograph collection of Marc's from 2003-2004 covering Brisbane's Festival Hall before and after its demolition and photographs of rave and dance parties at nightclubs in Brisbane, including the Beat, Fortitude Valley. This image also featured in our online exhibition, Twenty, showcasing images from the past 20 years.
Crowds line up before a concert at Festival Hall, Brisbane. 28845 Marc Wright photographs 2003 - 2004, Image number: 28845-0001-0011a, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Number 4:
This post was used to promote a new John Oxley Library blog posted in August called Lucy's Story. Lucy’s story is a tale of turn-of-the-century Queensland, a place of remote frontiers, aspirational migrants and the mistreatment of Aboriginal people. Via a series of family photographs and papers donated to the John Oxley Library by a descendant over a period of 15 years, the blog tells the saga of the Moss family and the story of an Aboriginal girl named 'Lucy' who joined the family at Ormiston in the late 1890s. This captivating, tragic story leaves us with more questions than answers.
The photograph used for the post is from the Ronald Monroe Photographs 1890 - 1950 collection and is a portrait of Lucy Brengle and Janet Mayne Campbell by Brunswick Studio in Brisbane. The girls were dressed up for Federation celebrations.
Lucy Brengle and Janet Mayne Campbell, 1901, 6820 Ronald Monroe photographs. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Number 3:
This post was shared to celebrate the start of NAIDOC week 2020. This theme Always Was, Always Will Be, recognised that First Nations people occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. Australia's story didn’t begin with European contact whether in 1770 by Captain Cook or 1606 with the arrival of the Dutch on the western coast of Cape Yor k Peninsula. The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples.
The photograph belongs to the Bloomfield River and District Photographs Album 1880-1886 which contains photographs of the Bloomfield River and surrounding district covering tin mining, establishment of sugar cane farms and numerous images of local Aboriginal people from the late 1800s. This photograph is of group of Aboriginal people believed to be preparing for a corroboree, some of the members have body scarring (cicatrices) and body paint which identified their cultural group. You can explore the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections held by the John Oxley Library via browsing our Research & Collections page.
Large group of Aborigines at the Bloomfield River Mission, Queensland, ca. 1884, APE-61 Bloomfield River and District Photographs, negative number 103549, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Number 2:
This post was shared to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Story Bridge officially opening on 6 July 1940. The photograph, taken from Wilson Outlook Reserve in 1939, shows the Story Bridge under construction with cranes working to join the last gap between both sides of the bridge. A quote was used in the post by our 2015 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellow Julie Hornibrook, granddaughter of MR Hornibrook, whose firm constructed the bridge; "The Story Bridge is iconic to Brisbane and its identity. The Bridge, its 12,000 tonnes of steel and capacity is also about stories of the people who built it, believed in it and believed in building Brisbane." See our Story Bridge showcase for more history and collections from the John Oxley Library relating to the Story Bridge.
Construction is almost completed on the Story Bridge, Brisbane, October 1939, negative number 150513, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Number 1: The most liked John Oxley Library related post from State Library's Instagram in 2020 is...
This post was shared to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Cathy Freeman winning gold for the women's 400 metres at the Olympics in Sydney on 25 September 2000. This 2001 image, taken by photographer Suzanna Clarke featured in our online exhibition, Twenty, showcasing images from the past 20 years.
The photograph used for the post is from the collection Gift of Presence exhibition images 2001, which was a travelling exhibition organised by State Library in 2001 for the Centenary of Federation on the subject of reconciliation, containing images and personal statements of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders.
Catherine Freeman, 2001. Suzanna Clarke, image number 487-0001-0003, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
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