Showing 351 items
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Melbourne Tram Museum
Ephemera - Ticket/s, Victorian Railways, Victorian Railways electric tramway and motor coach services tickets, 1956 and 1959
Set of two Victorian Railways electric tramway and motor coach services tickets with pencil notes on rear. 1 - 7d - paper, black printing red fare, number 082763d - "Sun 5 Feb 1956 Tram No. 42 went from Mid Brighton SLC here 1st towards BB rtn M Bright etc Brighton Beach". 2 - 1/- - as above - 074160A - 12.11am (approximate but could be later) from St Kilda - Elwood (Ride Free), Tram 28, last VR Tram Sunday 1 March 1959"See above.trams, tramways, vr, tickets, st kilda, st kilda brighton, last tram, elwood -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Leisure object - Cardboard Model, Ministry of Transport, Victorian Railways Board, mid 1970's?
Cardboard, punched out, folding model bus - VicRail (VR) Comeng Train 301M, gives specification details on the base of the model. Has assembly instructions. Produced by the Victorian Railways Board and Ministry of Transport mid 1970's. Has the VicRail - Teacup logo. Two copies held.trams, tramways, models, railway vehicle manufacture, railways -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Book, Light Railway Transport League (LRTA), "Ballarat and Bendigo, Victorian Tramway Preservation", 1975
Twelve page booklet, titled "Ballarat and Bendigo, Victorian Tramway Preservation" written by D. Menzies and J.H. Price, reprinted from Modern Tramway. Front cover has BTPS tram 38 on original depot fan, green banner centrally with title, and Bendigo Birney No. 28. A circular white sticker with "1.00" written on is stuck on the right hand side, centrally. Saddle stapled print in black ink on 120gsm art paper. Written material covers background history of both Ballarat and Bendigo tramways, tramcars, closure, the formation of the BTPS and the Bendigo Trust tramways and their operational history up to about mid 1975 as it mentions the first COTMA meeting. Also has 12 photos inside. On rear cover is an advertisement for the TMSV and the Light Railway Transport League (UK) (LRTL). PDF copy of full book added 16-3-2017."D. W. Lees 2/2/76" on top of page 2 and "D. W. Lees" on side of page 10 in a fine felt pen ink.trams, tramways, ballarat, bendigo, lrtl, tram preservation -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Photograph - Black & White Photograph/s, Victorian Railways, c1919
Photograph, Black and White, of the Level Crossing in Epsom Road, Flemington or Ascot Vale showing the overhead arrangement and structures either side of the road to provide power to either the trams or the trains. The small signal box is in the view as well as the interlocked gates. A NMETL saloon tram is crossing the railway lines. Photo late 1919 or 1920. Has the words "VR Tramway Crossing at Epsom Rd showing insulators in tram line and special crossing fitting." The level crossing was electrified on 18-8-1919 and abolished mid 1925 when the underpass was built. See Weekly Notice Extracts 1894-1994, published 1996.In ink on the rear: "Melbourne - North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Co. Ltd - No. 4 in Epsom Road on level crossing to Showrooms and Flemington Racecourse. About 1919-1920." Has KSK stamp and Number LWR-4 and CEE 12 in to right hand corner.trams, tramways, level crossings, nmetl, epsom rd, showgrounds, ascot vale, tram 4 -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Pamphlet, Minister of Transport, "Transport Safeguards", "New Guarantees for Public Transport Passengers effective mid 1999", "A New Partnership - Reforming Victoria's trains and trams: what it means for public transport employees", 1998 - 1999
Set of three items related to the decision to franchise the public transport in Melbourne during late 1998. Items are related to Reg Item 2830. a report titled "A system into a Service" by the Victorian Government late 1998. .1 - photocopy of a newspaper article in The Age 30/10/1998 titled "Transport Safeguards" written by Lyall Johnson giving details of the Passenger Charter, guarantees, quotes Robin Cooper, Minister for Transport. Has a cartoon by Tandberg. .2 - Pamphlet - 4 fold DL titled "New Guarantees for Public Transport Passengers effective mid 1999" detailing the Passenger charter. .3 - Pamphlet - 3 fold DL titled "A New Partnership - Reforming Victoria's trains and trams: what it means for public transport employees", outlining the corporate structure, franchising and private ownership, guarantees for employees and passengers. Not dated.trams, tramways, public transport, franchising, ptc, privatisation, passengers, minister for transport, cartoons, passenger services -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Postcard, Biscay Greetings, W2 601, passing under the 150th Victorian Anniversary arch on Princes Bridge, 1984/85
Colour postcard divided back, serrated edges - Biscay Greetings, series of featuring W2 601, passing under the 150th Victorian Anniversary arch on Princes Bridge during 1984 or 1985. Has the Arts Centre in the background. Tram has the destination of Glen Iris, Route 6. Back has space for name and address, stamp and a message and details of the postcard. Produced by Biscay Greetings, possibly mid to late 1980's. Card No. BG200. Two copies held.trams, tramways, princes bridge, 150th anniversary victoria, w2 class, ceremonies, route 6, tram 601 -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Map, Victorian Railways (VR), "Melbourne and Suburbs", 1956
Map printed by the Victorian Railways in 1955 gives places of interest, some facts about Melbourne, and amusements, with the map showing rail, tram, and railway bus routes, suburbs, golf links, sporting grounds, and municipalities. The Bourke St tram route to East Preston is shown but not the Nicholson St East Brunswick line which opened during mid 1956. Provides a detailed list of suburbs, miles from the GPO, and how reached from where. Notes it was published in Jan. 1956 by the VR Public Relations and Betterment Board.Demonstrates a Victorian Railways printed map of MelbourneMap - 8 fold printed in colourmaps, melbourne, tramways, bus routes, railways -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Ephemera - Ticket/s, Metlink, Set of three Metcard tickets, 2004 - 2005
Set of three Metcard tickets, used during 2005. Has the Metcard logo on it, along with other Metcard, Metlink information. On the rear of each ticket has the use details. .1 - Sunday Saver Full Fare - Zone 1, $2.50, issued 15/4/2005 and used on the same date. .2 - Printed Metcard, but no use details, advertising the October 2005 Arts Festival - not used. .3 - ditto advertising the "Transported Back" exhibition at the Public Records Office, finishing 28/1/2005. .4 - "The Summer Read" advertising a competition sponsored by the State Library of Victoria - undated, has the logos of the State Library and Victorian Government (the place to be) - mid 2000's? On the rear of the ticket has been written "Inval ID" by a machine and how to order Metcards note. See image i3. Item added 17-12-2015.trams, tramways, tickets, metlink, metcard -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Photograph, Cable trams and Parliament House, 1900s
The photograph shows two cable tram sets in Nicholson St and Spring St alongside the Victorian Parliament House with multiple large flags flying. Alf Twentyman has noted "Clifton Hill 168, Nicholson St 55?."Yields information about cable trams outside Parliament house - possibly mid 1900s.Photograph, black and white, Kodak paper, with notes on rear.in pencil on the rear - very faded - "Clifton Hill168, Nicholson St 55?."trams, tramways, cable tram, alf twentyman, parliament house, nicholson st, spring st, tram 168 -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Pamphlet, Yarra Trams, "Melbourne Art Trams", "Trams Moving Pictures", 2012 - 2014
Melbourne Art Trams On the rear is a photo of the SW5 731 Lindsay Dumbrell Transporting Art Tram. Brook Andrew Jon Campbell Bindi Cole Rose Nolan David Wadelton Joining forces Luke Cornish Frey Pitt.1 - pamphlet, folded sheet to give a DL size, blue background titled "Melbourne Art Trams" - Oct. 2013 to April 2014, vote for your favourite tram in the People's choice awards! - part of the Melbourne festival. Notes the Transporting Art trams. Inside the pamphlet are images of the artwork on 8 different trams including the artist names and title of the work if any. Has Yarra Trams, PTV, Arts Victoria and Victorian Govt. logos. .2 - pamphlet, DL size on white paper, featuring W2 602, advertising the Old Treasury Building exhibition titled "Trams Moving Pictures" - 17/12/2012 to mid August 2013. Details the exhibition, has contact details logos.trams, tramways, yarra trams, transporting art, decorated trams, exhibitions -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Document - Event Materials, Victorian Tramways Social Cricket Association, "Souvenir Menu", May. 1963
Souvenir Menu for the Victorian Tramway Social Cricket Association Delegates dinner at the Masonic Club, Flinders St, Melbourne 23-5-1963, printed on folded manila coloured card. Gives details of the President, Arthur Tyler, Secretary Glen Heritage and the Trophy Winner's for the year. On the inside is a cartoon of the various cricket terms illustrated in a mid 1960's manner - "Know your cricket terms". Two copies held.trams, tramways, cricket, sports, menu, social club -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Photograph, Conductress - "Milly" Boundy, mid 1940s
Set of two photos: 1 - "Milly" Dorothy Boundy standing in the drop centre of a W2 class tramcar. Alongside can be seen a sailor in uniform and the driver looking from his compartment. Appears to be a summer scene during the mid 1940s as she is not wearing a jacket and possibly holding a ticket punch in her right hand. 2 - standing alongside a Victorian Railways bus or coach - Mount Buller service?Has a close association with wartime conductress "Milly" BoundySet of two black and white photographsOn rear of one photo has "Cath?"tramways, conductresses, w2 class, buses, vr buses, tramcars, interior -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Print - Lithograph, Portland Centenary Celebrations, 1934
Promoting the 1934 centennary celebrations, Portland, 1934.Colour lithographic print showing a man and a woman in stylised mid-nineteenth century dress, portrayed in an early 20th century style, overlooking Portland Harbour. Text states "Visit Portland/ The first Victorian Settlement/ during the Centenary Celebrations/ from 15th to 23rd November 1934. Framed under non-reflective glass in brown and gold wooden frame.Front: (no inscriptions) Back: (no inscriptions)lithograph, centenary, 1934, portland, portland bay -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Gordon Ford's Garden, 'Fulling', Pitt Street, Eltham, 10 November 2006
'Fulling', the half-hectare property at Pitt Street, Eltham was the home of landscape designer Gordon Ford and his wife Gwen. Ford bought the property in 1948, originally part of an orchard. The garden encapsulates the major trends of Australian garden design in the second half of the 20th century. The garden design is based on mass (plants) and void (paths and pools), textures and forms. It epitomises the Eltham style because of its relaxed informality and attraction to native wildlife. The mud brick house and designed and built by Ford commenced in 1948. Several extensions were added up to 1970 and were built by Graham Rose (Source: information panel for exhibition, n.d.) Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p147 A narrow timber gate opens onto a garden that has had a huge impact on natural garden development in Australia since the 1950s.1 Fulling, the half-hectare property at Pitt St, Eltham, was the home of the landscape designer, Gordon Ford, who died in 1999. The garden ‘encapsulates the major trends of Australian garden design in the second half of the 20th century...and epitomises the Eltham style of garden’.2 It in turn, was influenced by several Victorian major landscape designers of the mid 20th century – Ellis Stones, Peter Glass and Edna Walling. The gate opens onto a sandy gravel path, one of several, which wind around dramatic pools and what appear to be natural bush, but on close inspection are carefully integrated native, indigenous and exotic plantings. Retaining walls and steps of rock through the garden link different terrace levels. Lichen-covered boulders serve as steps across a pool, leading to the triple level mud-brick house. Ford bought the property, which was originally part of an orchard, in 1948. As the son of a Presbyterian minister, Ford received a good education, which included learning Latin. This was advantageous when he worked in plant sales for the Forestry Commission, before the Second World War. In the late 1940s, however, Ford turned to building and landscape gardening. He worked on the Busst house, an early mud-brick building designed by Alistair Knox and at the same time, Ford was employed by Ellis Stones. Knox described Ford as, ‘one of the funniest men of the district. ...Rocky’s (Ellis Stones) Depression stories and Gordon’s memory and quick tongue made the jobs the most enjoyable of all those hysterical times that made Eltham the centre of the eternal laugh, between the years of 1945 and 1950’.3 Ford’s house, like so many after the war, was built progressively, as more space was needed and formerly scarce materials became available. It began with an army-shed of timber-lined walls, now used as the kitchen. Ford then built what is now the lounge room, and the house grew ‘like topsy and on a shoestring,’ says his widow Gwen. A lot of second-hand materials such as window frames were used, a style made famous particularly with their extensive use at Montsalvat, the Eltham Artists’ Colony. The house was constructed as a joint venture with friends, including artist Clifton Pugh, who built Ford’s bedroom for £10. The polished floorboards and solomite (compressed straw) ceilings, interspersed with heavy beams, exude warmth. The result is a home of snug spaces, with soft light and garden vistas. Several other mud-brick buildings were constructed as needed, including a studio and units for bed-and-breakfast clients. The garden, which has been part of the Open Garden Scheme since the mid 1980s, is based on a balance of mass (plants) and void (paths and pools), textures and forms. It epitomises the Eltham style because of its relaxed informal ethos and attracts native animals. Wattlebirds, scrub wrens, pardalotes, currawongs, owls and even kangaroos, have been seen at Fulling. Gwen, a former English teacher who has worked on the garden since around 1970, urged and helped Ford write his book, The Natural Australian Garden.4 Several of Ford’s favourite trees are in the garden, including the native Casuarina or She-Oak. In spring, the garden is dusted with the purple Orthrosanthus multiflorus or blue native irises and rings with the calls of birds attracted to plants like the callistemons, correas and grevilleas.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, eltham, fulling, gordon ford garden, pitt street, eltham mud brick buildings, mud brick house -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Newspaper - JENNY FOLEY COLLECTION: FLOWING
The Laanecoorie Weir on the Loddon River supplies both irrigation and domestic water. It was the second Victorian irrigation scheme after the Goulbourn. It was constructed 1889-1892 with the outlet valves installed in 1891.Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2003. Flowing: this photograph was taken at the Laanecoorie Weir in the mid 1980s. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Photograph - Black and White - Loading cable car trailer 88 at Flinders St yard
Set of three black and white photographs of cable trailer 88 being loaded onto a wagon at the Spencer St / Flinders St railway yard by the railway yard travelling gantry crane. Trailer lettered M&MTB. Has a man riding the top of the car before being loaded into a I type open wagon. Photo mid to late 1920s? See Reg Item 3713 for a more detailed analysis of the first photograph. Part of the Victorian Railways Heritage series. Yields information about the sale of cable tram trailers.Set of three Photographs - Black and White - Loading cable car 88 at the Flinders St yard adjacent to Spencer St railway station.In ink of rear of prints "Photo Victorian Railways"tramways, trams, flinders st, cable trams, sale of trams, railways -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Book, Percy Leason, 1889-1959 : centenary exhibition / [organised by Castlemaine Art Gallery & Historical Museum for tour to Victorian Regional Art Galleries], 1989
Percy Leason (1889-1959) was born in Kaniva Victoria, Leason is best remembered as a cartoonist. His wiregrass cartoons in the Melbourne magazine “Table Talk” were based on a mythical country town. The inspiration was Kaniva but the happenings could be associated with many towns. Eltham residents thought they could identify with many cartoons. Leason was also an accomplished painter and an anthropologist. Leason was associated with the Montsalvat Artists’ Colony and in the mid 1930’s built “Landscape” in nearby Lavender Park Road. At the end of 1937 Leason travelled to America where he remained for the rest of his life. Paperback; 1 v. (unpaged) : ill. ; 22 cm.percy leason, artists -
Australian Gliding Museum
Machine - ES56 Nymph Sailplane
ES 56 Nymph Following the successful introduction of the ES 52 Kookaburra two-seater in mid-1954, Edmund Schneider Ltd designed a higher performance single seat sailplane of similar construction and with similar handling qualities. It was designated the ES 56 and became known as the ES56 “Nymph”. The ES56 Nymph was a success in that it delivered the anticipated performance and was found to have satisfactory flying characteristics. However, only the prototype (“Nymph -I”) and three production examples (“Nymph-II”) were built. Schneiders made some changes to the design before building the production version. The wing chord at the tip on the prototype measured 650 mm. This was reduced to 500 mm for subsequent builds. The explanation is that provision was made in the original design for the possible lengthening of the tapered wing to 13 metres. However, apparently it was decided to retain the 11.900 metre span which allowed the tip chord to be reduced slightly. Other changes included the installation of scissor type air brakes in the wing instead of simple hinged flap spoilers and the addition of a landing wheel behind the skid on the fuselage. On one of the Nymph-II a dorsal was added on top of the fuselage forward of the vertical fin when repairs were made rectifying damage incurred as a result of an accident at Benalla on 31 March 1963. Even before these ES56 gliders were finished, Edmund Schneider Ltd decided to offer a less expensive single seat design to cater in particular for newly solo pilots, the ES57 Kingfisher. With the Kingfisher, Schneiders reverted to a traditional airfoil (Gott 549) for the wing instead of the laminar flow section that was chosen for the Nymph in the pursuit of performance. As such, the Kingfisher was more appropriately characterised as a single seat version of the Kookaburra in comparison to the Nymph. Schneiders continued for a time to offer the ES56 Nymph as a high-performance sailplane. However, its place in the market was soon overtaken by imported designs with superior performance, such as the Schleicher KA6, which Schneiders also imported and built under license. Nymph-I was test flown in December 1955 and entered by Harry Schneider into the gliding championships held at Waikerie from 5th to 16th of that month. Harry finished 12th in the individual placing out of a field of approximately 24. The capabilities of the Nymph were further demonstrated by Harry Schneider in January 1956 with a Gold C flight of 193 miles from Gawler in South Australia to Walpeup in Victoria. Nymph-I was acquired by the Port Pirie Gliding Club in South Australia. It has been saved and restored and is a regular feature at vintage glider rallies in Victoria and New South Wales. See Museum Newsletter No 35 Winter Edition 2017 pages 3 -6, for that story. The Nymph-II production models were delivered by Edmund Schneider Ltd in October 1956 to the Gliding Club of Victoria, the Victorian Motorless Flight Group and the Royal Australian Navy Gliding Association. The VMFG flew its Nymph in the First National Gliding Championships at Tocumwal, NSW, in December 1956 and all three were flown at the Second National Gliding Championships at Benalla in 29th December 1958 to 8th January 1959, delivering competitive performances based on handicap. Nymph-I Serial Number 17 Original owner – Port Pirie Gliding Club, S.A. Registered VH-GHG on 20 August 1957 Re-registered VH-GHA on 11 October 2016 Currently Raywood, Victoria Believed airworthy Nymph-II Serial Number 20 Original owner – R.A.N. Gliding Association Registered VH-GDX on 20 May 1957 Currently Locksley, Victoria. In storage Nymph-II Serial Number 21 Original owner – Gliding Club of Victoria Registered VH-GHU on 27 August 1957 Currently Bendick Murrell, N.S.W. In storage Nymph-II Serial Number 22 Original owner – Victorian Motorless Flight Group Registered VH-GFE on 5 March 1957 Currently Bacchus Marsh, Victoria Under restoration for display. The Museum’s exhibit is the ES56, serial number 22, registered as VH-GFE. The glider was flown by the VMFG in Victoria until approximately September 1968. GFA records show that it was transferred to Queensland in 1968, and it passed through several owners until the mid-1970s. Information received indicates that it was flown by the Leichardt Soaring Club at Mount Isa in the (late?) 1960s. The history from then is not presently known except to say that it has been kept in dry storage for many years. It is not known when the glider was last flown. What is Significant? The Schneider ES 56 Nymph single seat sailplane, serial number 22, designed and built in 1955-1956, by Edmund Schneider Ltd in Adelaide. It was delivered to its original owner, the Victorian Motorless Flight Group, in October 1956, and registered as VH-GFE on 5 March 1957. How it is Significant? The ES56 Nymph is of historical, aesthetic, scientific and research, and social significance to the Australian gliding community. Why it is Significant? The ES56 is of historical significance as it was designed and built by Edmund and Harry Schneider. The Schneiders immigrated to Australia after the end of the second world war bringing with them considerable expertise in relation to glider design and construction. Over the following decades they maintained a close association with the Gliding Federation of Australia and the gliding clubs and through their glider production made a major contribution to the sport. The ES56 is part of that story. The ES56 in its design and construction exhibits the glider construction technology of the time, which principally consisted of lightweight wooden framework skinned with ply and doped fabric. It exbibits design innovation, notably the use of a laminar flow wing profile in pursuit of better glide performance. Also, considerable attention was given to simplifying the structure in order to keeping cost and the weight low. The ES56 played a useful role at gliding clubs where it was operated, especially the late 1950s and early 1960s and is remembered well by pilots who flew her. The glider is in the course of restoration and provides an insight into the skills and workmanship that were involved in design, building and maintenance of these wooden aircraft. It is of aesthetic and scientific and research significance. Glider airframe of a traditional wood and fabric covered constructionNoneglider, sailplane, edmund schneider, harry schneider, es56, nymph, es57, kingfisher, victorian motorless flight group, gliding club of victoria, ran gliding association, port pirie gliding club, leichardt soaring club. -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Presentation plaque from the "Woodpeckers"
In the post-war era from 1947 to the mid-1980s, the Forests Commission sponsored Australia's only military sawmilling unit, the 91 Forestry Squadron. It was a special reserve unit of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). Established and commanded by Commission forester and WW2 veteran, Major Ben Benallack, the "Woodpeckers" as they were known comprised a small pool of specialised soldiers capable of rapid mobilisation in the event of need. Several other Victorian departments such as the State Electricity Commission (SEC) did the same thing who supported a construction squadron based at Newborough in the Latrobe Valley. The scheme created a very active and capable part-time military group that completed many worthy projects across the State. In addition to their military training, the Woodpeckers operated bush sawmills, built timber bridges along the Murray River, the Snake Island Jetty, forest roads and performed various demolition tasks.Presentation plaque from the "Woodpeckers" Mounted on polished wooden burl forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clothing - Nightgown, Eliza Towns, circa 1890's
This nightgown is one of several linen and clothing items that were made and belonged to Mrs. Eliza Towns and donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village. Eliza was born Eliza Gould in 1857 in South Melbourne (Emerald Hill) and in 1879 married Charles Towns. In the early 1880's they moved to Nhill in western Victoria and remained there for the rest of their married life. Charles was a jeweller and later became an accountant and for many years was involved with the Shire Council, the local show committee (A & P Society), the Hospital Committee and the Board of the local newspaper (the Nhill Free Press). They had three children and lived a life that would be regarded as comfortably "middle class". Eliza probably had a treadle sewing machine and would have made many of her own clothes as well as clothes for her children - adding her own handmade embroidered or crocheted decorative trim. This nightgown is machine sewn by Eliza Towns and she has added a detailed design of pintucks and broderie anglaise lace to the front yoke and cuffs as a decorative element. The 1800's bought a shift in attitude towards modesty as the Victorian era progressed and by the mid to late 1800's it had become more acceptable ladies to wear simple, modest nightgowns. They tended to have a very loose fit and were usually made of linen, cotton or flannel, which had the advantage of providing warmth and also being easy to wash - a necessity for a garment worn next to the skin. Although the basic design of the nightgown was fairly simple, the wearer was free to add various types of trim e.g. lace, crochet, pintucks, embroidery etc.This item is an example of the needlework skills of women in the late 19th century - combining machine stitching with hand embroidery to personalise and embellish a practical item of clothing. It is also significant as an example of a practical solution to the difficulties that women of this era faced with regard to the washing of clothes and household linens.Lady's long, white, cotton nightgown with a V shaped bodice decorated with bands of nine pintucks alternating with strips of broderie anglaise lined with pink ribbon. The opening front placket and neckline are bordered with a simpler broderie anglaise lace. The long sleeves are gathered into cuffs with a matching V shape, pintuck and broderie anglaise design. The front placket fastens with three cream buttons although one is missing. The back of the nightgown has gathered fabric on a plain, narrow V shape yoke. A narrow gusset has been added to the both sides at the bottom of the nightgown.Noneflagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, victorian era clothing, victorian era nightgown, nightgown, nightdress, eliza towns, nhill, wimmera, textiles, clothing, machine sewing, hand sewing, pintucks, broderie anglaise, sewing -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clothing - Chemise, Eliza Towns, Late Victorian era
This chemise is one of several linen and clothing items that were made and belonged to Mrs. Eliza Towns and donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village. Eliza was born Eliza Gould in 1857 in South Melbourne (Emerald Hill) and in 1879 married Charles Towns. In the early 1880's they moved to Nhill in western Victoria and remained there for the rest of their married life. Charles was a jeweller and later became an accountant and for many years was involved with the Shire Council, the local show committee (A & P Society), the Hospital Committee and the Board of the local newspaper (the Nhill Free Press). They had three children and lived a life that would be regarded as comfortably "middle class". Eliza probably had a treadle sewing machine and would have made many of her own clothes as well as clothes for her children - adding her own handmade embroidered or crocheted decorative trim. This chemise is machine sewn by Eliza Towns and she has added pintucks and broderie anglaise lace as a decorative element. A chemise was usually a sleeveless garment made of linen or cotton (so they could be easily washed) and its shape was much like a modern day nightgown. The name comes from the French word for "shirt" or "shift". Women wore chemises next to the skin (under the corset) to keep stains and odors away from the less washable corset and gown.This item is an example of the needlework skills of women in the mid to late 19th century - combining machine stitching with hand embroidery to personlise and embellish an item of clothing. It is also significant as an example of a practical solution to the difficulties of needing to regularly hand wash a bulky outer garment or gown in the Victorian era.A white cotton, short sleeved, knee length chemise. The fabric at the front is gathered on a yoke which is decorated with bands of five pintucks alternating with broderie anglaise lace and embroidered strips lined with pink ribbon. A different broderie anglaise design decorates the sleeve edges, neckline and center broderie anglaise strip. The back of the chemise is gathered on to the neckline. There are two bands of pintucks on each sleeve. The fabric around each armhole has been strengthened with another layer of cotton and a length of cotton has been added (from the left shoulder to the hem) to increase the width of chemise.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, south west victoria, victorian era, victorian era undergarments, chemise, victorian era chemise, undergarments, pintucks, victorian chemise, eliza towns, nhill, wimmera, home sewing, machine sewn, hand made