One thing that has struck me as I have trawled through hundreds of photographs over the past few years is the way some people look to be people of their time and others, despite the period clothing and arrangement of the hair, have thoroughly modern faces.

The members of this family certainly look to be people of the late 1860 or early 1870s.

Yet to me, this couple, the woman especially, look as if they are modern people who have dressed up to have their photo taken at Sovereign Hill.

The impression of a modern face may come from the sitters’ direct gaze.

Even when the sitter is not looking at the camera, change the hairstyle, put on today’s fashions and these women could be someone you know.

And then there are these whose faces I am certain I have seen walking in the street.

Which all goes to prove, as I often say, that those who lived in the past are in so many ways like us today. Yes, they lived in a different world and had attitudes to some things that we no longer understand but at heart they had the same hopes and longings as we have to find both love and security and a better future for their children.

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All images are courtesy of the State Library of Victoria