Flower shows or Horticultural exhibitions were a popular form of entertainment and scientific pastime in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and were widely reported on and followed. Ballarat was a major centre for nurseries and prided itself as a garden city promoting many shows at all levels including grand national exhibitions. Exhibitors ranged from professional hybridists, nurserymen and florists to amateur growers. This award represents the cottage or amateur class in flower shows and was awarded circa 1907. This item has well documented provenance and remains at Hymettus with the family to whom it was awarded. It forms part of a significant and representative horticultural collection which reflects the involvement of generations of the family with horticulture in a centre known as The Garden City. It contributes to our understanding of social and family life in twentieth century Ballarat, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes of garden history, local history and social history.Written onto card, 'Three Varieties of Roses'. Miss J. Taffe.ballarat horticultural society, j taffe, roses, bentley, fraser print ballarat

Flower shows or Horticultural exhibitions were a popular form of entertainment and scientific pastime in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and were widely reported on and followed. Ballarat was a major centre for nurseries and prided itself as a garden city promoting many shows at all levels including grand national exhibitions. Exhibitors ranged from professional hybridists, nurserymen and florists to amateur growers. This award represents the cottage or amateur class in flower shows and was awarded at St Andrew's Jubilee Exhibition and Flower Show. It is one of many in the Taffe family collection won by members of the family between 1899 and 2004. The collection covers three generations of amateur growers and showers across three different centuries.This collection also highlights one of the interactions between members of different religious faith communities in Ballarat in the early twentieth century as this Roman Catholic family were exhibiting at Church of England and Presbyterian functions as well as other shows across the community. An example of the popularity and social significance of flower shows in the early twentieth century. Such items also demonstrate social cohesion and the spirit of interfaith relations before the First World War. It also highlights the importance of gardening in the early twentieth century, the excellence of the gardens at Hymettus in Ballarat and the spirit of self reliance of Australians.Class B, No 14. 57, Six varieties of pansies, Miss Taaffest andrew's, jubilee, jubilee exhibition and flower show, ballarat, pansies miss taaffe, taffe, baxter & stubbs., roman catholic, church of england, presbyterian, interfaith.

A wallpaper sample donated to the collection by Frances Alexandra (Frankie) Derham (1894–1987). Derham was an Australian artist and educator. A lecturer in art at the Melbourne Kindergarten Training College (1928-64) , she later taught at the Associated Teacher Training Institution (1949-61). Her commitment to `child art’ developed after 1935 when she accepted an invitation from Margaret Lyttle to teach at Preshil school.Frances Derham's collection of nearly ten thousand children’s drawings and paintings was acquired by the Australian National Gallery in 1976. Her interest in art for and by children is reflected in her donation to the Villa Alba Museum of an important and rare collection of early wallpapers designed for children's rooms. Section of a late nineteenth century wallpaper sample showing boys and girls playing games and boating amongst a decorative background of leaves and flowers. The colourway uses tones of greens, purples and blues on a fawn background.decorative arts & design, wall coverings – history, wallpapers – history, interior decoration – history, wallpapers -- children's, frances derham