#rostella

drinking buddies~~

Rosie x Stella propaganda: Well, at least up untill now they both had 0 luck with men, so why not date another classy woman instead?

I think they’re talking about u 👀

Where “Chloe” once hung

The curious passer-by in Lonsdale St may wonder why an old-fashioned pair of wrought iron gates, slung between two stone pillars, stand in splendid isolation beside the modern office buildings at No. 460.

A closer look will reveal the word “Rostella” amongst the moss and other growths near the top of each pillar.

The gates and pillars are all that remain of Rostella, a magnificent mansion that used to occupy 468 Lonsdale St. It was built and owned by Dr (later Sir) Thomas Naghten Fitzgerald, a prominent Melbourne surgeon in the latter part of the 19th century.

Fitzgerald was also the owner of Chloe, the famous portrait of a female nude by Jules Lefebre. In 1883 Fitzgerald went to Ireland for three years and offered Chloe to the National Gallery of Victoria for exhibition while he was away.

Her display in the gallery scandalised the residents of Melbourne, particularly as the gallery had begun opening on Sundays. After only three weeks Chloe was removed from display and shipped to Adelaide where she met a more tolerant reception.

Back again with Dr Fitzgerald, Chloe hung in Rostella for the next 21 years. Initially she was on a wall in the front salon but was visible from the street. Once again the good burghers of Melbourne were affronted by this display and poor Chloe was relegated to a back room.

Following Fitzgerald’s death in 1908, Chloe was purchased by Henry Young of Young & Jackson’s hotel at the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets, where she has resided ever since.

https://www.cbdnews.com.au/where-chloe-once-hung