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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Multimedia
Interior view of the Sydney Arcade 1890

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Interior view of the Sydney Arcade 1890

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

(Mitchell Library)

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Shopping

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Architecture Commercial building Retail Victorian architecture

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Sydney Arcade

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State Library of New South Wales

Shopping

The early colony's closed economy, with limited currency and reliance on government rations, did not foster a retail culture, but it soon developed as the city moved beyond its prison status. At first dealing in necessities of life, Sydney's shops became more elaborate and diverse over time, and as elsewhere, department stores and shopping malls developed new kinds of shopping and consumption.

Architecture

Retail

Commercial building

Victorian architecture

Sydney Arcade

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Retail arcade between George and King streets, one of six constructed during the building boom of the 1880s.