Table Talk: A Journal for Men and Women, was a weekly magazine published from 26 June 1885 until September 1939 in Melbourne, Australia. It was established in 1885 by Maurice Brodzky (1847–1919), who obtained financial assistanceLew, Henry R. (2011). The Five Walking Sticks: The Story of Maurice Brodzky Investigative Journalist Extraordinaire. Melbourne: Port Campbell Press, p. 221 to start his own publication after resigning from The Herald.
Table Talk was a social magazine that catered for both male and female readers.Lew, Henry R. (2011). The Five Walking Sticks: The Story of Maurice Brodzky Investigative Journalist Extraordinaire. Melbourne: Port Campbell Press, p. 223 It included articles about politics, finance, literature, arts and social notes. Its gossip style attracted readers with articles about local notables and famous people from overseas, commenting on, among other things, their fashions, relationships, and social engagements. It was most popular during the 1880s Land Boom in Melbourne.
Brodsky became aware of the machinations of the land boom era figures, and Table Talk began to carry accurate reports of their activities.
In 1893, trade unionist Frederick Bromley sued Brodzky after Table Talk drew public attention to the link between himself and George Sangster, who had illegally used union funds. The jury found for Bromley, awarding him £500 damages, and Brodzky left for America. G. V. Allen took over as proprietor and publisher, to the disgust of at least one commentator.
In 1899, the format of Table Talk changed to include photographs and different font sizes.Lew, Henry R. (2011). The Five Walking Sticks: The Story of Maurice Brodzky Investigative Journalist Extraordinaire. Melbourne: Port Campbell Press, p. 224 It had a folio-size format, and initially was 16 pages, increasing to 20 pages by 1885, and was 24 pages by 1888. It was initially sold for threepence but the price had increased to sixpence by 1903.Stuart, Lurline (1979), Nineteenth century Australian periodicals; an annotated bibliography. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, p. 152,
In September 1924, Table Talk was sold for a reported £15,000. In 1926, it absorbed the illustrated magazine Punch. The last issue was dated 7 September 1939.
"Prominent Persons" "Prominent Persons" was a long-running feature on currently notable people: a biography or character study accompanied by a commissioned portrait, often caricature, by a Melbourne artist, usually Will Dyson or L. F. Reynolds. L. F. Reynolds (left blank in "Artist" column) or Will Dyson (marked WD) but also Sam G. Wells (SGW) of The Herald or Stanley Parker (SP), best known for show business caricatures. Some articles are credited to C. R. Bradish; others have no byline, so may be by the same person. Copyright on works by Dyson and Reynolds has expired in the USA, as both artists died more than 70 years ago (21 August 1939 and 21 January 1938 respectively). Sam Wells died 12 March 1972 and Parker in 1981, so their post-1929 works are not freely available.