Showing 68 items matching corsets
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Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clothing - Combination Undergarment, Eliza Towns, Late 19th century
This item of underclothing, called a "combination" 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. Combination undergarments combined the chemise and drawers into one garment. The combination is divided, or bifurcated, from the waist to the crutch for easier urinating. This one-piece type of underwear was worn by females from the 1860s and into the early 1900s. The 19th Century garments had front button closures like this one, and those made in the 1900s more often had back closures. Combination underwear was popular because the all-in-one design had far fewer gathers and bulk, making the other clothing look much smoother. Their primary use was to protect clothing from perspiration and because they were made with cotton or linen, were easy to wash. Although they were worn under the corset, next to the skin (and therefore not meant to be seen), they were often decorated with lace and embroidery. Although these combinations are made with a plain cotton fabric, Eliza Towns has incorporated pin tucks, hand embroidery and crocheted lace to embellish her garment. The collection of women’s late-19th-century undergarments is an example of clothing that women would include in their wardrobes. The garments add to the study of the evolution of women's fashions and practicality for the early Australian settlers. The careful needlework in these handmade garments and hand-worked lace trims reflect the maker’s dedication to making even serviceable garments beautiful to look at and wear.Women’s white cotton and lace all-In-one combination undergarment. The handmade underwear is a combined chemise and bloomers. It has three buttons in the front and a handmade drawstring cord around the square neckline. It is trimmed with crocheted lace (with a floral design) on the neckline, sleeves and pants. It had pintucks and feather stitching on the bodice and the left and right sides are divided from the waist to the crutch. The back of the garment is plain with a gathered section at the lower back.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, victorian era, combination undergarment, all-in-one underwear, combination, ‘combinations’, one-piece underwear, one-piece undergarment, chemise and bloomers, combination chemise and bloomers, divided, bifurcated, split, chemise and drawers, women’s underwear, ladies’ underwear, undergarment, women’s clothing, women’s fashion, lingerie, 19th-century undergarment, handmade clothing, handmade lace, crocheted lace, towns family, nhill, eliza towns -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Weapon - Harpoon, Early to mid 19th Century
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing, whaling, sealing and other marine hunting to catch large fish or marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal and securing it with barb or toggling claws, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the projectile to catch the animal. The earliest known harpoons, have been recorded as having been made and used 90,000 years ago. In the early whaling industry the two flue harpoon was the primary weapon used around the world. This two fluke harpoon tended to penetrate no deeper than the soft outer layer of a whales blubber. Thus it was often possible for the whale to escape by struggling or swimming away forcefully enough to pull the shallowly embedded barbs out backwards. This flaw was corrected in the early nineteenth century with the creation of the one fluke harpoon. By removing one of the flukes, the head of the harpoon was narrowed, making it easier for it to penetrate deep enough to hold fast. In the Arctic, the indigenous people used the more advanced toggling harpoon design and by the mid-19th century, the toggling harpoon was adapted by Lewis Temple, using iron. The Temple toggle was widely used, and quickly came to dominate the whaling industry around the world.A hand forged harpoon demonstrating the blacksmiths art for fashioning an item used during the early 19th century in the significant industry of whaling. Used during a time when the world depended on the natural resources derived from whales, oil for lighting, lubrication, margarine, candles, soaps and cosmetics as well as the use of the whales bones for various other items such as corsets, umbrellas,fertiliser and animal feed. The item is significant as it was probably made between 1820-1850 after which a single fluke and toggle harpoon began to be use extensively in the whaling industry. Also coming in to general use was a black powder gun to fire the harpoon rather than the early type that had to be manually thrown by a mariner from a row boat of which the subject item is an example.Hand forged double fluke steel whaling harpoon with an arrowhead tip atop a square shank that tapers to a narrow round shaft with a split metal cone to accommodate a wooden harpoon pole.Noneharpoon, whaling, whaling harpoon, fishing industry, whales, flukes, lewis temple, marine technology, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road -
Ballarat Base Hospital Trained Nurses League
Surgical Corset
surgical corset -
Ballarat Base Hospital Trained Nurses League
Surgical Corset
surgical, corset -
Ballarat Base Hospital Trained Nurses League
Surgical Corset
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Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Clothing - Corset, 1958
Corselet was worn on wedding day in 1958 by Dorothy WilliamsWhite embossed nylon Merry Widow Corselet. Hooks & eyes down the back. Four detachable suspenders. Small blue rosebud at centre of bra.Merry Widow a Warner original. Merry Widow by Warner's Le Gantcostume, female underwear -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Clothing - Corset, c1960s
Worn b y Gloria Woodland as a foundation garment for special evening gown - she found it a very impractical garment taking up to a half an hour each time at the toilet. Only worn once...Flesh coloured elastic & lace body length garment. Lace bra cup - lace panel down front - elastic shoulder strap, silk nylon crutch with eight adjustable hooks and eyes to close under the crutch - also four loops to hold suspenders.Hickory Style 4512 - size 16Bcostume, female underwear -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clothing - Bodice, 1900's
This bodice is stiffened by what is commonly referred to as natural whalebone, but is actually baleen, which was in use from the 18th century through to the Edwardian era. It was hand sewn in Warrnambool in the 1900's.The bodice is significant for demonstrating the use of historical whalebone, or technically baleen, for its stays. This practice was used from the 18th century through to the Edwardian era.The bodice is made of gold cotton over the whalebone stays at the waistline. It is trimmed in brown fabric and has twenty-two buttons down the front from top to bottom. The sleeves are Leg-o'-mutton style. The bodice has pin tucks down the front. It was hand sewn in Warrnambool in 1900's.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, bodice, ladies clothes, whalebone stays, baleen stays, women's clothing, corsetry, corset boning, female adult, hand sewn