OBJECTS OF FAME
Nellie Melba as Marguerite from Faust, c.1922 Photograph by Baron Adolf de Meyer Melba often gave signed photographs to friends and associates. This print was a gift to her friend, magazine columnist Tommy Cochran, with the inscription: ‘Au revoir dear Tommy, “à bientôt”, Nellie Melba’ (Goodbye dear Tommy, see you soon, Nellie Melba).
MORE THAN 15 MINUTES OF FAME: CURATING LEGACIES OF LIMELIGHT Ashley Barnwell | Ashworth Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne
In 2018 we are no strangers to the cult of celebrity. We have all seen public personas unravel when the unhappy details of their private lives bubble up via a social media confession, leaked phone record or scandalous sex tape. We understand the machinations of self-branding and the highly orchestrated performances whereby stars shed one guise to emerge in another. In the age of the internet, celebrities are becoming more adept than ever at shaping their own image, as they invite us into their carefully curated ‘lifestyles’ via their Instagram feeds to see behind-the-scenes snaps, #workoutchallenges or the first glimpse of a bizarrely named baby. 20
