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Federation University Historical Collection
Artwork - Sketch Books, Neville Bunning, 1902-1990, 1900s
Neville Mirvane Bunning was born in Rockhampton, Queensland in 1902. He was home taught until 1916 and then was a boarder at Geelong Grammar School, Victoria until 1921. He then returned to Queensland and worked on the family property. During this time he built ceramic kilns and taught himself the required skills for ceramiic production. During the Depression he went to Sydney and set up an artist's studio. In 1934 he went to England and studied, wrote and did commission work. Achieving local success and had work acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum. Neville returned to Australia and became a lecturer at East Sydney Technical School until the outbreak of the Second World War. He joined the RAAF. After the War he joined the staff of the Art School of the Ballarat School of Mines and Industries until his retirement in 1964. Neville Bunning formed the Ballarat Artist's Society, a group which sponsored art and invite guests to speak to students and the public of Ballarat. He wrote a weekly column in "The Courier", the local newspaper where he encouraged people to be more aware of the trends in art. His works were included in the 1988 Australian Bicentennial Exhibition. His sympathetic understanding of Aboriginal culture is recorded in a letter written in 1937 to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Neville Bunning continued painting during his retirement. His last major exhibition was held at the Golden Age Gallery in Ballarat in 1983. The sketch books cover a range of topics using pen, ink and watercolour.28 A3 sketch books, spiral boundneville bunning, queensland, geelong grammar school, ceramics, kilns, depression, sydney, england, commission work, victoria and albert museum, east sydney technical school, art school, ballarat school of mines and industries, ballarat artist's society, second world war, raaf, australian bicentennial exhibition, golden age gallery ballarat, painting -
Australian Gliding Museum
Machine - Glider – Sailplane, 1963
The Skylark 4, the final in the Slingsby Skylark series, dates from 1961. The design heralded a trend towards the use of plastics in the construction of gliders. Slingsby incorporated GRP (glass reinforced plastic) panels to achieve a streamlined fuselage nose and cockpit area while retaining the more traditional wood techniques for the rest of the aircraft. Another notable feature was the smooth wing surface that was obtained using a Gaboon ply skin across the ribs. Best glide performance of 1:33 was found to be comparable with the early full GRP glider designs. The Museum’s example (VH-GTB – C/N 1382) was built in 1963 and originally owned by Chuck Bentson of the UK. It was brought to Australia in 1967 by Jeremy Picket-Heaps and flown at various places including Benalla, Cooma and Gundaroo. In 1970 the glider was transferred to the New England Soaring Club. Many flights were made from Armidale and Bellata in Northern New South Wales. On one occasion, the glider was kept aloft for 8 hours 45 minutes and on another the pilot took it around a 500 kilometre triangle in nearly 8 hours. In 1980 it was sold to Ralph (“Feathers”) Crompton and was flown extensively in South Australia until 1988. The final owner before the glider was given to the Museum in 2004 was Ross Dutton of Melbourne. The last recorded flight occurred in 1992. The glider at that point had logged over 2000 hours flying time from about 2000 launches. The airframe is currently being restored to flying condition. Technically this aircraft represents the state of the art at the stage that sailplane design was changing from traditional wood construction to composites (GRP) The Slingsby Skylark 4 is high wing single seat sailplane of mainly wooden construction with plywood and fabric covering. However, the cockpit and forward part of the fuselage consists of glass reinforced plastic which was innovative at the time that the type was designed. The cockpit provides for a semi reclining position for the pilot protected with a full Perspex canopy. The wings are made up of a centre section with constant chord and tapered wing tips. The aircraft has a conventional arrangement for the tail stabiliser / control surfaces. The sailplane bears construction number 1382 and is registered in Australia as VH-GTBaustralian gliding, glider, sailplane, skylark, slingsby, bentson, picket-heaps, crompton, new england soaring club, dutton -
Parks Victoria - Point Hicks Lightstation
Bookcase (2)
The two identical bookcases probably date to the 1960s-70s period and retain their original light wood finish. They contain two adjustable shelves as well as the base shelf and stand on four legs braced by a stretcher extending across the front and around the sides. The bracing and the angled slightly curved front legs, which do not align with corners of the cabinet, produce the appearance of a box resting on a separate frame. These modern style bookshelves are examples of the low-cost furnishings that the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service (CLS) introduced to Australian lightstations in the post-war years. Most notably, it commissioned a number of light, compact and functional items in bulk from émigré designer, Steven Kalmar (1909-1989), who played a significant role in popularising modernist design concepts in Australia and drew his ideas from Scandinavian and American design trends. Born in Hungary, he trained as an architect and his contemporary affordable furnishings were especially suitable for the open-plan houses being built in Australia’s new post-war suburbs. It is not known whether the bookcases bear the Kalmar label, but the design, particularly the legs and bar bracing, is a signature style of his Sydney-based firm, Kalmar Interiors. The CLS supplied the same bookshelves to a number of other lightstations, including Cape Nelson (3 examples), Cape Otway and Gabo Island (2 examples), as well as other types of furnishings such as tables and nests of coffee tables, cabinets, drawers, bedside tables. The Point Hicks bookcases original function was more likely office-related rather than domestic. The bookcases have first level contributory significance for their provenance and historic value as examples of the modernist furnishings that the Sydney-based firm, Kalmar Interiors supplied to the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service in the post-war years.Two bookcases in the Scandinavian style. Each have 3 internal shelves and four legs, light coloured wood. -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Textile - Hamilton-Smith Collection Victorian-era Crazy Quilt Sampler
The Hamilton-Smith collection was donated by the children of Grace Mary Hamilton-Smith nee Ellwood (1911-2004) and John Hamilton-Smith (1909-1984) who settled in Wodonga in the 1940s. The Ellwood family had lived in north-east Victoria since the late 1800s. Grace’s mother, Rosina Ellwood nee Smale, was the first teacher at Baranduda in 1888, and a foundation member of the C.W.A. Rosina and her husband Mark retired to Wodonga in 1934. Grace and John married at St. David’s Church, Albury in 1941. John was a grazier, and actively involved in Agricultural Societies. The collection contains significant items which reflect the local history of Wodonga, including handmade needlework, books, photographs, a wedding dress, maps, and material relating to the world wars. This quilt sampler was made before 1900 by Rosina Ellwood. Crazy quilts were fashionable in the late Victorian era. The rise of the trend is attributed to the display of Japanese art and ceramics at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition (U.S.A.) that featured asymmetrical designs. Inspired, quilters began sewing pieces of fabric of different sizes and textures together into abstract, asymmetrical patterns. The craze spread from America around the world. Embroidery, ribbon and silk embellishments, and hand stitched applique birds and flowers were popular additions. One magazine estimated that a detailed crazy quilt could take over 1,500 hours to complete. Crazy quilts remained in fashion in metropolitan cities until about 1910, though the style endured for longer in rural areas. This item is unique, handmade and has a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of domestic and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history, social history and women’s history.A colourful patchwork quilt sampler using mixed fabric types including velvet, cotton, brocade and satin, backed on cardboard.hamilton-smith collection, hamilton-smith, stiching, needlework, sewing, handmade, domestic, quilt, quilts, crazy quilt, crazy quilts, women's history -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Furniture - Chair, 1855-1900
Heywood & Wakefield Furniture Co: The Heywood-Wakefield Company is an American furniture manufacturer established in 1897 that went on to become a major presence in the US. Its older products are considered collectibles and have been featured on television antique programs. The Heywood brothers established themselves in 1826, as furniture makers and the Wakefield Company began in 1855 as a separate company. Both firms produced wicker and rattan furniture, and as these products became increasingly popular towards the end of the century, they became serious rivals. In 1897 the companies merged as Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company (this name was changed to Heywood-Wakefield Company in 1921), purchasing Washburn-Heywood Chair Company in 1916, Oregon Chair Company in 1920, and Lloyd Manufacturing Company in 1921. While its wooden furniture plant in Gardner, Massachusetts closed in 1979, a branch in Menominee, Michigan continued to manufacture metal outdoor seats, auditorium seats, and school furniture. The Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex in Gardner was added to the National Historic Register in 1983. The South Beach Furniture Company acquired the rights to the name in 1994 and reproduces its wooden furniture. Both founding companies produced wicker and rattan furniture in the late 19th century. The wicker styles drew on the Aesthetic Movement and Japanese influences simpler designs arose in the wake of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The merged entity stayed abreast of wicker furniture trends by hiring designers such as Paul Frankl and Donald Deskey during the 1920s. Its furniture was exhibited at the 1933 Century of Progress exhibition and the 1964 New York World's Fair. During the 1930s and 1940s, Heywood-Wakefield began producing furniture using sleek designs based on French Art Deco.The chair has social significance at a local level, because it illustrates the level of material support the Warrnambool community gave to Flagstaff Hill when the village and Museum was established. The wicker nursing chair is a fine example of late 19th century light weight domestic furniture that today are very collectible items and quite rare and valuable.Nurse wicker chair, wood, cane and rattan with round rushed seat. The one left arm being that to support the infant during feeding. 1870s-1890s. Believed to have been made by Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company, USA. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, 19th century furniture, rolled serpentine wicker work, cane armchair, classic wicker furniture, victorian style furniture, domestic furniture late 19th century, heywood-wakefield company, feeding chair, nursing chair, mother's chair, nursery furniture -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Eltham Fire Station, Main Road, Eltham Heritage Tour, 24 May 1992, 24/05/1992
ELTHAM HERITAGE TOUR The Society excursion on 24th May 1992 was arranged by David Bick, leader of the team carrying out the Shire's heritage study. David selected a number of sites or buildings identified in the study, some of them lesser known components of the Shire's heritage. The tour commenced at the Eltham Shire Office at 10.00 am. Travel was by private car and mini-bus with stops at about twelve locations for commentary by David.It included a short walk in Hurstbridge and lunch at Kinglake. Highlights of the tour included: - 10 am Leave from Shire Offices - 3 Important Trees - A Physical Link to Eltham's First Settlers - Toorak Mansion Gates - A Surviving Farm House - An Intact Circa 1900 Main Street - First Settlers - Gold Miners, and Timber-getters - An Early Hotel - A Pioneering Homestead - Changing Eltham Shire - 20th Century - 4 pm Afternoon Tea and Finish Tour Extract from ELTHAM CULTURAL HERITAGE TOUR (Newsletter No. 85, July 1992, by Bettina Woodburn) "Commencing with a quick walk to see the magnificent bell at the Eltham Fire Station, we then 'drove along Arthur Street. Here were examples of what constitutes the building environment of Eltham. Massed among the wattles and eucalypts were golden cypress and pines; No. 50 was an exotic 'old English' manor-house; No. 93 had bluestone gateposts, from Fenton Road Toorak (as with Montsalvat, using re-cycled building material was very much the trend); past the natural Reserve dedicated to the artist Walter Withers, a plaque on a huge boulder; and on both sides houses in the various modes - timber with wrought iron decor, brick-some more recent than others, decades of 'suburbia'."Record of the Society's history and activities and highlighting various aspects of the Heritage Study undertaken by David Bick used to create the future heritage overlay for the Shire of Eltham and later Nillumbik Shire.Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 4 stripsKodak Gold 100 5095eltham, main road, shire of eltham historical society, activities, heritage tour, cfa -
Parks Victoria - Gabo Island Lightstation
Tables
Commonwealth government issue. This nest of tables are currently in use by the lighthouse staff.The set of three tables of descending size are designed in the same distinctive style as the bookcases and share the same wood type and finish (GILS 0012.2). Information on the underside of the tables indicates they were purchased by the Commonwealth through the Department of Transport for the CLS. The design bears the stylistic marks of the easily recognisable furnishings produced by the Kalmar firm, Sydney. Steven Kalmar (1909-1989), who migrated to Australia in 1939 and opened his own interiors business in 1949, played a significant role in popularising modernist design concepts in Australia drawing his ideas from Scandinavian and American trends. Born in Hungary, he trained as an architect and his contemporary affordable furnishings were especially suitable for the open-plan houses built in Australia’s new post-war suburbs. He closed the retail side of this in 1957 and concentrated on commissions, some for large-scale orders. One of these bulk orders came from the Commonwealth Government sometime between 1957 and the early 1970s, with several examples of light, compact and functional domestic furnishings supplied to lightstations in Victoria. Because the order was placed by the CLS, it is possible that Kalmar furnishings were also provided to lightstations in other states. Additional examples at Gabo Island include three bedside tables (GILS 0042.2 & 0076.10), chest of drawers (GILS 0077) and two bookcases (GILS 0012.2), with the backs of at least two of the furnishings bearing the Kalmar label. Kalmar furnishings in the other Victorian lightstations investigated by this study include bookcases at Cape Otway, Cape Nelson (3 examples) and Point Hicks (2 examples); two bedside tables at Cape Otway, and a long coffee table at Wilsons Promontory. The set of tables has first level contributory significance for their clear provenance, completeness and association with Steven Kalmar whose functional designs introduced modern, low cost furnishings to a number of Australia’s lightstations.Nest of three Scandinavian style tables, solid wood. Curved U shaped legs, one bar at base of table.Underside of GILS007.3:"C of A / D.O.T 1444248" (Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Transport.) •All tables have "16" on underside. -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Postcard - Postcard Folder, Warrnambool region, George Rose, Rose Stereographic Company, Rose Series Picturesque Views of Warrnambool Australia, 1880-1942
This postcard folder is one of a set of three that were donated together. This one contains lithographs of photographs taken locally by Georg Rose between 1880 and 1942. He reproduced them at his company's premises, the Rose Stereographic Company at Armadale, Victoria. The postcard folder was purchased as a Warrnambool souvenir by the donor's parents from 1945 to 1950. The photographs include the 'new' concrete bridge, built in 1922 to replace the original bridge, built in 1872. The boathouses belonging to Proudfoots and Flett/Fanny Nelson are also pictured on the Hopkins River mouth. The twelve photographs included locations connected to other items in our Collection. The photographs are titled: - b. The Avenue and War Memorial. Warrnambool. Vic. c. The Blow-hole. Thunder Point. Warrnambool. Vic. d. Botanical Gardens. Warrnambool. Vic. e. Eagle Rock. Warrnambool. Vic. f. The New Concrete Bridge and Breakwater. Warrnambool. Vic. g. Liebig Street. Warrnambool. Vic. h. Looking to Thunder Point. Warrnambool. Vic. i. The Beach. Warrnambool. Vic. j. Hopkins Falls. Warrnambool. Vic. k. Shelly Beach. Warrnambool. Vic. l. The Mouth of the Hopkins River. Warrnambool. Vic. m. Panorama of Warrnambool. Vic. [Kepler Street towards Presbyterian Church on Spence St] George Rose, 1861-1942: - famous for his Late 19th and early 20th century photography. He was born in Clunes, Victoria, and was in his 20th year when he founded Rose Stereograph Company in 1880. He took the opportunity of a popular trend of the times to produce stereographs, pairs of almost duplicate photographs that appeared to be in 3D when viewed in a handheld stereo viewer. By the 1920s these lost their popularity, so he used his photographic skills to produce cards and postcards of scenes and people. The photographs in this postcard folder were taken between 1880 and 1942 by the renowned Victorian photographer George Rose. The locations match photographs and postcards in our collection that were taken at different times. A comparison between them shows the changes over time in the land and bay, the buildings and other structures, transportation and even the fashions of the times, building the story of our local history.This copy folder is one of a set of three. This folder has a green-grey textured rectangular card cover with a sketch of a rose on the front. The cover also contains the name of the postcard series, the location of the series' focus, the producer's details, and lines for adding an address. The folded cover contains a long, concertinaed page with six titled photographs on each side, totalling twelve. The folder contains scenes from Warrnambool and nearby popular areas, including Lady Bay, the Port of Warrnambool, the Warrnambool Breakwater, the Viaduct, the Merri River Footbridge, the Hopkins River Mouth, with Proudfoot’s and the Fanny Nelson/Flett boathouses. The cover has a sketch of a rose and inscriptions. The lithograph photographs were taken between 1880 and 1942 by well-known Victorian photographer George Rose, Rose Stereograph Company of Armadale, Victoria.Image: [Rose with rosebud and leaves] Printed: "Rose Series / Picturesque Views of / WARRNAMBOOL / AUSTRALIA" "PUBLISHED BY / ROSE STEREOGRAPH CO / ARMADALE. VIC." Printed lines (3) for an address. Printed rectangle [ ] for attaching a stamp.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, warramble, postcard, postcard folder, warrnambool scenes, picturesque views of warrnambool, lady bay, port of warrnambool, breakwater, warrnambool breakwater, viaduct, merri river footbridge, merri river suspension bridge, suspension footbridge, merri river mouth, hopkins river mouth, proudfoot's, fanny nelson, nelson's boatsheds, nelson's boathouse, boathouse, hopkins river boathouses, flett's boathouse, flett, george rose, image of a rose, rose series, rose stereograph co, rose stereographic company, lighograph, armadale victoria, lady bay beach, beach scene, lower light, concrete footbridge, 1922 footbridge, viaduct road, rose postcard, new concrete bridge, 1945, 1890, 1922, small footbridge, 1872 footbridge, 1872, merri river estuary, stingray bay, postcards, green-grey postcard folder -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Lantern Slide, c1900
Taken in the year 1900, this glass slide captures an image of St. Joseph's Church, a Roman Catholic Church that is still present today at 9 Church Street, Beechworth. This was one of many churches that was established in Beechworth during the second half of the nineteenth-century. This trend began with a focus on Anglican faith; however, in the early 1850s, Father Patrick Smyth, a priest from Maynooth, Ireland, advocated for the establishment of a Roman Catholic Church in the town. Roman Catholicism quickly grew to be the second largest religious group in the area; this was primarily due to the work of Father William Tierney, a priest from Dublin who arrived in Beechworth in 1859. Tierney personally fostered the growth of many Catholic schools and churches in Beechworth, as he viewed it to be a significant area for the prosperity of the religion. St. Josephs Church was officially established in 1866, with the Bishop of Melbourne, Dr Goold, laying the foundational stone of the building. The estimated cost of the building in its entirety was approximately twenty-thousand pounds. Further additions to the building - including a second aisle, tower and spire - were proposed for the church, but were ultimately never built. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide captures social and historical significance as it represents the development of Beechworth as a prosperous and thriving town; a development that occurred during the second half of the nineteenth-century. It also shows the development of religious institutions in the area, specifically the growth of Catholicism. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, churches beechworth, st. joseph's church, catholicism beechworth, roman catholic churches beechworth, father patrick smyth, father william tierney -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Postcard - Postcard Folder - scenes, George Rose, Rose Stereographic Company, Rose Series Picturesque Views of Warrnambool Australia [Warrnambool], 1880-1942
This postcard folder contains lithographs of photographs taken locally by Georg Rose between 1880 and 1942. He reproduced them at his company's premises, the Rose Stereographic Company at Armadale, Victoria. The postcard folder was purchased as a Warrnambool souvenir by the donor's parents around 1945 to 1950. Interestingly, the city on the cover is printed as "Warrambool", which is a location in New South Wales, but the postcards within all have the locations and text of Warrnambool. The photographs include the 'new' concrete bridge, built in 1922 to replace the original bridge, built in 1872. The boathouses belonging to Proudfoots and to Flett/Fanny Nelson are also pictured on the Hopkins River mouth. The twelve photographs included locations connected to other items in our Collection. The photographs are titled: - b. The Avenue and War Memorial. Warrnambool. Vic. c. The Blow-hole. Thunder Point. Warrnambool. Vic. d. Botanical Gardens. Warrnambool. Vic. e. Eagle Rock. Warrnambool. Vic. f. The New Concrete Bridge and Breakwater. Warrnambool. Vic. g. Liebig Street. Warrnambool. Vic. h. Looking to Thunder Point. Warrnambool. Vic. i. The Beach. Warrnambool. Vic. j. Hopkins Falls. Warrnambool. Vic. k. Shelly Beach. Warrnambool. Vic. l. The Mouth of the Hopkins River. Warrnambool. Vic. m. Panorama of Warrnambool. Vic. [Kepler Street towards Presbyterian Church on Spence St] George Rose, 1861-1942: - famous for his Late 19th and early 20th century photography. He was born in Clunes, Victoria, and was in his 20th year when he founded Rose Stereograph Company in 1880. He took the opportunity of a popular trend of the times to produce stereographs, pairs of almost duplicate photographs which appeared to be in 3D when viewed in a handheld stereo viewer. By the 1920s these lost their popularity, so he used his photographic skills to produce cards and postcards of scenes and people. The photographs in this postcard folder were taken between 1880 and 1942 by the renowned Victorian photographer George Rose. The locations match photographs and postcards in our collection that were taken at different times. A comparison between them shows the changes over time in the land and bay, the buildings and other structures, transportation and even the fashions of the times, building the story of our local history.This copy of a postcard folder has a blue-grey textured rectangular card cover with a sketch of a rose on the front along with the name of the postcard series. the location of the series' focus, the producer's details and lines for adding an address. The folded cover contains a long, concertinaed page with six titled photographs on each side, totalling twelve in all. Interestingly, the cover has the location name of "Warrambool", a place in NSW, instead of Warrnambool, the location of all of the photographs inside. The folder contains scenes from Warrnambool and nearby popular areas including Lady Bay, Port of Warrnambool, Warrnambool Breakwater, Viaduct, Merri River Footbridge, the Hopkins River Mouth, with Proudfoot’s and the Fanny Nelson/Flett boathouses. The cover has a sketch of a rose and inscriptions. The photographs for the lithographs were taken prior between 1880 and 1942 by well-known Victorian photographer, George Rose, Rose Stereograph Company of Armadale, Victoria.Image: [Rose with rosebud and leaves] Printed: "Rose Series / Picturesque Views of / WARRAMBOOL / AUSTRALIA" [correct spelling is WARRNAMBOOL] "PUBLISHED BY / ROSE STEREOGRAPH CO / ARMADALE. VIC." Printed lines (3) for an address. Printed rectangle [ ] for attaching a stamp.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, warramble, postcard, postcard folder, warrnambool scenes, picturesque views of warrnambool, picturesque views of warramble, lady bay, port of warrnambool, breakwater, warrnambool breakwater, viaduct, merri river footbridge, merri river suspension bridge, suspension footbridge, merri river mouth, hopkins river mouth, proudfoot's, fanny nelson, nelson's boatsheds, nelson's boathouse, boathouse, hopkins river boathouses, flett's boathouse, flett, george rose, image of a rose, rose series, rose stereograph co, rose stereographic company, lighograph, armadale victoria, lady bay beach, beach scene, lower light, concrete footbridge, 1922 footbridge, viaduct road, rose postcard, new concrete bridge, 1945, 1890, 1922, small footbridge, 1872 footbridge, 1872, merri river estuary, stingray bay, postcards -
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 -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Document - Newspaper clipping, "The lap of luxury; Blending into Eltham environ", Property Age, The Age, Wednesday 24 June 1998, p5, June 1998
Both of the architects involved in the 2.4-hectare Kinloch Gardens parkland development in Arthur Street, Eltham, are now living on the estate. The project was conceived by Eltham architect Ian Jelbart, whose family has owned the land for more than 100 years, and fellow architect Graeme Gunn, who in the 1960s was one of the creators of the Merchants Builders concept that set new trends in Melbourne housing. The $5 million project is based around two of the original buildings, on what was once a 100-hectare farm owned by the Jelbart family. Ian Jelbart always intended to continue living in the original homestead building, and now Graeme Gunn has moved into the big residence that once was the barn. Kinloch Gardens is designed to combine the more manageable land sizes increasingly demanded by buyers with ample "internal space, flexible floorplans, privacy and individuality of designs. Individual houses are placed on small separate allotments around an area of private parkland. The aim is to ensure total privacy, offer virtually unlimited views and parkland vistas, and remain aesthetically compatible with the local environment. Homes in four basic designs over either two or three levels are being sold off the plan, with prices ranging from the high $200,000s to the high $300,000s. Two have already been sold. Indication of land-only values The prices being asked for some vacant blocks offered for private sale provides an enlightening comparison of the relative "land only" values for homes sites in various areas. A 751 sq metre block on a new residential estate in Bentleigh/Carnegie is offered at $235,000, equivalent to $312/square metre; while in Merrett Drive, Williamstown, a 561 sq metre allotment offered for $169,000 carries a rate of $301/sq metre. In Barnsbury Road, Balwyn, the $450,000 price tag on a 584 sq metre allotment equates to $770 sq metre; and in York Street, Richmond, a 198 sq metre postage stamp is priced at $230,000 or $1162/sq metre. - Rex BookerDigital file only; created from scan undertaken by EDHS of item on loanarthur street, eltham, graeme gunn, houses, ian jelbart, jelbart property, kinloch gardens, rob maclellan, robert marshall, woodridge estate -
National Wool Museum
Clothing - Overcoat, Dominex, c.1970
This overcoat was designed and tailored by Dominex, a company that sold clothing in high end department stores such as Myer and David Jones in the 1940s through to the 2000s. As pictured in the accompanying advertising, Dominex looked to produce clothes for women to “casually, confidently wear … the exquisite styling and superb tailoring of… Dominex Coats”. This sentiment was carried by the company for more than 60 years. Amanda Morgan, a director of the Dominex fashion label in an interview from 2003 said “Not everybody wants sass, or sex, or high fashion for that matter. Au contraire. Our customers will be stylish, sophisticated and womanly, but we don’t do shoestring straps or asymmetrical lines." Dominex was a label specialising in exceptional quality "traditional" dressing for corporate wear. Their clothes looked to provide women with a return to the tried and true values of elegant, unpretentious, classic dressing. "Our look is European-influenced," Morgan explained further. "Inspired by Armani, Valentino, Chanel and Escada. Suits have been specially dyed in France to ensure the perfect shade of ice blue, lemon, grey, or slate. Fabrics are natural, silk and linen. Shapes are stylish, with an almost 1930s feel; classic pants, silk shirts, structured overcoats with elegant-length” Returning to this overcoat, it has a label on the inside which reads “Pure Wool Material by Godfrey Hirst of Geelong”. Nowadays Godfrey Hirst produce flooring products and are the largest manufacturer and exporter of residential and commercial carpets in Australasia. They have expanded into hard flooring and left their fashion days behind. This overcoat serves as a useful example of a different time for the company; before they made the change to concentrating exclusively on flooring, when they produced fabrics to be tailored for the height of Australian fashion. This overcoat was purchased and worn by Joan Waller, aunty of the donor, Kim Rosenow. Kim said her aunty was from Ballarat but frequently shopped in Melbourne to keep up with the latest trends. Her aunty Joan fitted the target demographic of Dominex well, as she needed to look sophisticated and elegant at social events and work. Kim donated the overcoat to the National Wool Museum in 2021. Green singled breasted overcoat with a narrow overlap and one column of buttons for fastening. The overcoat features notched lapels of a medium width and two large buttons of a green & dark green marble. The overcoat has two semi-visible jetted pockets at the hips. Internally, the overcoat features a black silk lining for comfort. It also features a stitched patch on the left side of the opening which reads “Pure Wool Material by Godfrey Hirst of Geelong”. At the collar, another patch reads “Dominex REGD”. At the cuffs, the overcoat finishes in a type of gauntlet cuff which stretches back over 200mm. The decorative finish utilises no buttons and has thick piping to accentuate this design feature. The overcoat finishes with a simple invisible hem at the bottom.Wording, gold. Patch stitched at collar: “DomineX / REGD.” Wording, black. Patch stitched at left off opening: “PURE WOOL MATERIAL BY / Godfrey Hirst / OF GEELONG”dominex, fashion, women's corporate wear, godfrey hirst, overcoat, wool clothing -
Vision Australia
Image, National Information Library Service Vision, 200
The duplication of services between state based blindness and low vision agencies was not viable in the long term, with telecommunications and technology improving rapidly in the late 20th century. In 1999, a decision was made to merge the library and alternative production services of the RVIB and RBS, as a precursor to a possible larger merger in the future. Thus the National Information Library Service (NILS) was created. As part of establishing a new culture between staff who had retained their positions, a vision, mission and values statement was created under the new service name.1 digital imageNational Information Library Service Mission statement: NILS provides a recognised and specialised gateway through which people who are blind, vision impaired or who have a print disability access dynamic information and recreational reading. Vision: to enable unhindered access to knowledge, information and recreational reading for people who are blind, vision impaired or who have a print disability. Key strategic themes: Know our clients current and future needs and expectations. Explore opportunities for collaboration with other agencies, government and enterprises to source, organise and make available materials and resources of an acceptable quality. Optimise digital technology for the production and delivery of materials in an equitable, cost effective and timely way, identify opportunities for innovation by anticipating social and technological trends in the wider community. Enhance our internal capability. Establish and develop a positive and healthy NILS culture. Values: our values inform our policy, work practices, recruitment and service delivery ethic. Integrity - we are open and honest with all our stakeholders. Excellence - we strive to be superior in all we do. Innovation - we learn continuously in order to lead the way. Responsiveness - we actively listen to all our stakeholders. Equity - we focus on inclusiveness and participation for all our clients and staff. A joint venture between the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind and the Royal Blind Society of New South Wales. royal blind society of new south wales, royal victorian institute for the blind, national information library service -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Headwear - Wool Felt & Jersey Hat, Ann Austin of Melbourne, 1960s
Ann Austin of Melbourne was the name of a Melbourne millinery house. Thelma Prentice was one of the partners in the house, and the chief designer/milliner. Very little information about the millinery house and the milliner are available online but there is an interesting article, published in the Brisbane Courier Mail on 8 October 1949 which describes the influence of French style on fashion and design in Australia. The article by Lucy Gough recounts the views of Thelma Prentice who had just returned from the Paris fashion shows. "Australian millinery toes line with Paris From LUCY GOUGH LONDON, October 7 (Special) Australian hats can compare very favourably with those designed in Paris, and are considerably cheaper, says Miss Thelma Prentice, partner in a well-known Melbourne millinery firm, who has just completed six months' visit to England and the Continent. An ordinary hat, Miss Prentice said, would cost at least £15 from any of the top Paris houses. Australia could achieve the same effect for a lot less money. Miss Prentice went to all the Important dress shows as well as the millinery houses in Paris, because she believes that millinery is an accessory to fashion and to obtain the best idea of new trends hats must be shown with frocks to get a complete follow-through and tie-up between the two. At their packed shows, with standing room only, Path and Dior were selling hats they designed, faster than many well known Paris millinery houses, Fath's favourite line was the becoming 'wing treatment,' which he achieved by a profile flattering side swing of material jutting out almost 10 inches from the face. This was completely different to the side drape already seen in Australia. Dior, as a direct contrast, was specialising in skull hats, which almost followed the hair line, to show very little hair at the back of the head. His cocktail hats were heavily sequinned and beaded. Every model was designed exclusively for short hair, and Miss Prentice, whose own hair is beautifully short cut by a Paris hairdresser, said that French mannequins' hair was so abbreviated at the back it was almost a semi-shingle. Hats generally she found were plain, with sharply angled self trimming, and black one of the most popular colours." The hat was donated by Kathleen Gervasoni, a resident of Kew, and during the 1970s a Mayoress of the former City of Kew. The Kew Historical Society’s fashion and design collection is comprised of costumes, hats, shoes and personal accessories. Many of these items were purchased or handmade in Victoria; some locally in Kew. The extensive hat collection comprises items dating from the 1860s to the 1970s. While most of the hats in the collection were created by milliners for women, there are a number of early and important men’s hats in the collection. The headwear collection is particularly significant in that it includes the work of notable Australian and international milliners.High crowned hat made of burgundy felt with decorative pink jersey turban folds attached to the side by clusters of pink beads. The hat was designed by Thelma Prentice of the ' Austin of Melbourne' millinery house. Label, inside centre crown, woven in black on white polyester: *ann austin / OF MELBOURNEmilliners, hats, ann austin of melbourne, thelma prentice, australian fashion - 1960s, kathleen gervasoni -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Audio - Audio Compact Cassette Tape, Audio Recording; 2003-09-10 Speaker Panel: Builders of the Eltham Tradition, 2003
September Meeting (Newsletter No. 152, Sep. 2003) This meeting is one in an occasional series where we get together a panel of speakers to talk about a particular aspect of Eltham's history, its character or its people. As has been the case for past speaker panels, we have organised a buff et dinner to precede the meeting and details of this are given below. Eltham has a well-known tradition of building with mud brick, second hand materials and other innovative or uncommon materials. Although this trend dates mainly from the 1930 's there are examples from the pioneer days of Eltham. Part of the Brocksopp house at Eltham South is an 1850' s mud brick construction by George Souter. But the alternative building tradition in Eltham really began at Montsalvat in the 1930's. Justus Jorgensen's building complex of earth construction, stone and items from wreckers' yards inspired a number of builders and owner builders, particularly in adopting mud brick or adobe as their building medium. The tradition continues today with our area remaining home to a relatively high proportion of builders using these alternative materials. The panel we have selected to talk on this subject are either builders in the Eltham tradition or have had close contact with builders of the past. The panel will be introduced by Russell Yeoman who will talk briefly about George Stebbing, an early Eltham builder responsible for many of our remaining historic buildings, but known for traditional buildings of his time rather than the later buildings which give Eltham its particular character. The panel members are as follows:- • John Pizzey, architect. John will speak on the work of Alistair Knox designer and builder in mud brick and the person who has most contributed to the environmental building traditions of Eltham. • Peter Jarvis who will talk about his own work as a builder in mud brick and his views on traditional and modern construction methods. • Leigh Wykes, a present day builder of stone houses, will talk about his own work in the district and its relevance to Eltham traditions. • Diana Bassett-Smith will talk about her experience with owner-builders constructing their earth houses in Eltham in the 1950's. Pise and mud brick presented a cheap building material provided that you could do it yourself or persuade your friends to help. Prior to the meeting there will be a buffet dinner of casseroles and other courses prepared by some of our members. We will be starting at 6.00pm with dinner scheduled for 6.30. Harry Gilham will be providing drinks, including wines from his personally made collection. Cost of the dinner will be $10 which can be paid on the night. However, for catering purposes we need to know numbersCompact audio cassette Sony EF 90 Type I / IEC I Cassette labelled "Eltham Builders Historical" Converted to MP3 file; 100MB, 1:18:57 alistair knox, audio cassette, audio recording, building construction, diana bassett-smith, eltham, john pizzey, leigh wykes, peter jarvis, society meeting -
Tramway Heritage Centre
Photograph Album (part of), Ray Pearson's Photo Album - Trams of Victorian Railways, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong
Page 3 of Ray Pearson's Photo Album. Brown card page with two metallic look postcards (landscape format) placed on page using clear plastic photo corners. Both postcard images depict trams in Ballarat. The bottom postcard has come loose of two of it's photo corners (top and bottom on the right) and is not secure on the page. A hand written inscription is written in pencil behind the bottom photograph.Hand written inscription in pencil behind postcard at base of page: W.4. Printed text to left of image on bottom postcard: BALLARAT TRAMS / 1887 to 1971 / A series of four postcards. / NO. 3 LATER ELECTRIC TRAM SYSTEM / In 1934 the State Electricity / Commission took over the Bal- / larat trams from the Electric / Supply Company of Victoria. / During 1935-37 the whole sys- / tem was reconditioned by the / Commission. / For the Coronation of King / George VI, No. 28 was decor- / ated for the occasion. It ran / for three days – 12th, 13th / and 14th May, 1937, and was / painted red and cream. / During the Coronation cele- / brations of Queen Elizabeth II, / the trams carried two flags / mounted vertically fore and aft / on the roof. / Some huge loads were / carried during the second / World War period and owing / to man power shortages, con- / doctresses were employed / from September, 1942 to July, 1946. At one time, the total / reached 23. Printed text to back of bottom postcard: BALLARAT TRAMS / 1887 to 1971 / A series of four postcards. / In the early fifties, loading / on the trams was heavy. When / the lag in housing was over- / taken, however, breadwinners / started to leave the trams and / travel to work in cars. Increas- / ing affluence in the sixties ac- / centuated the trend. Soon the / trams were running with mount- / ing annual losses. Most of the / passengers travelling in these / times were concession holders: / students, pensioners, deserted / wives and T.P.I.'s A fine printed vertical line runs down the centre of the blank writing space to the left of the body text. Above is written: POSTCARD postcard, coronation, ray pearson, vintage trams, ballarat tramway, tram postcard, female conductors, suttons, ballarat tram -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Furniture - Chair, 1897-1921
These cane chairs are one of many 19th century items of furniture, linen and crockery donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by, Vera and Aurelin Giles. The items are associated with Warrnambool and the Giles Family history. Items donated by the family have come to be known as the “Giles Collection”. Many items in the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage were donated by Vera and Aurelin Giles and mostly came from the home of Vera’s parents-in-law, Henry Giles and his wife Mary Jane (nee Freckleton) who married in 1880 and whose photos are on display in the parlour. Henry was born at Tower Hill in 1858, and was a labourer on the construction of the Warrnambool Breakwater before leaving in 1895 for around seven years to build bridges in NSW. Mary Jane was born in 1860 at Cooramook and she attended Mailor’s Flat State School and where she eventually was to become a student teacher. After which she became a governess at “Injemiara” where her grandfather, Francis Freckleton, had once owned land. Henry and Mary’s family consisted of six, some of the children were born at Mailor’s Flat and later some children at Wangoom. They lived with their parents at Wangoom and Purnim west, and this is where Henry died in 1933 and Mary Jane in 1940. Heywood & Wakefield Furniture Co: The Heywood-Wakefield Company is an American furniture manufacturer established in 1897. It went on to become a major presence in the US. Its older products are considered collectibles and have been featured on television antique programs. The Heywood brothers established themselves in 1826, as furniture makers and the Wakefield Company began in 1855 as a separate company. Both firms produced wicker and rattan furniture, and as these products became increasingly popular towards the end of the century, they became serious rivals. In 1897 the companies merged as Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company (this name was changed to Heywood-Wakefield Company in 1921), purchasing Washburn-Heywood Chair Company in 1916, Oregon Chair Company in 1920, and Lloyd Manufacturing Company in 1921. While its wooden furniture plant in Gardner, Massachusetts closed in 1979, a branch in Menominee, Michigan continued to manufacture metal outdoor seats, auditorium seats, and school furniture. The Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex in Gardner was added to the National Historic Register in 1983. The South Beach Furniture Company acquired the rights to the name in 1994 and reproduces its wooden furniture. Both founding companies produced wicker and rattan furniture in the late 19th century. The wicker styles drew on the Aesthetic Movement and Japanese influences simpler designs arose in the wake of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The merged entity stayed abreast of wicker furniture trends by hiring designers such as Paul Frankl and Donald Deskey during the 1920s. Its furniture was exhibited at the 1933 Century of Progress exhibition and the 1964 New York World's Fair. During the 1930s and 1940s, Heywood-Wakefield began producing furniture using sleek designs based on French Art Deco.The Giles family collection has social significance at a local level, because it illustrates the level of material support the Warrnambool community gave to Flagstaff Hill when the village and Museum was established. The wicker furniture is a fine example of late 19th and early 20th century light weight domestic furniture that are today very collectible items and quite rare and valuable.Pair of wicker armchairs, painted dark brown. The open wicker weave pattern extends from the seat up to the armrests and completely over the backrest, plus across the front of the chair below the seat. The seat is very firmly woven and fitted into a timber frame. A reinforcing pattern of wicker work covers the top edges of the armrests and backrest in one piece and folds around to the underside, referred to as ‘rolled serpentine arms and back’. The hollow ends of the armrests are filled with a circular knob of wicker work. The back legs are also completed with decorative wicker knobs. One chair base (3788.01) has been strengthened with metal bracing. The other chair (3788.02) has the remnants of an orange manufacture’s tag fixed to the base. The chairs were made 1897-1921 by Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company, USA. These chairs are part of the Giles Collection.Printed in black on an orange tag “MANUFA - Heywood B – GARDNE”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, giles collection, giles family, henry and mary jane giles, tower hill, cooramook, warrnambool breakwater, mailor’s flat, wangoom, 19th century furniture, wicker armchairs, rolled serpentine wicker work, cane armchair, classic wicker furniture, victorian style furniture, domestic furniture late 19th century, heywood-wakefield company -
Ringwood and District Historical Society
Pamphlet, Two catalogues from Ringwood Timber & Trading circa 1960s
Two catalogues of goods to sell, from Ringwood Timber & TradingEditorial of 15201b includes a short history of the company. In 1937, Mr S Coopersmith and son, Frank (the present Managing Director) started a fruit case manufacturing business in North Melbourne under the name of The Cooper Case Co. The business flourished, and in 1940, recognising the possibilities in and around Ringwood, an old bush sawmill and an area of land on the Maroondah Highway, were secured. Subsequent purchases have since increased this area to approximately 15 acres. It was decided to widen the activities and scope of the business and two new firms were formed. Cooper Sawmilling Co., which operated a modern sawmill, and Ringwood Timber & Trading Co., which handled the output of the sawmill and introduced builders' and general hardware lines to meet the demands of this rapidly expanding area. As Ringwood grew, so too did the organisation which was created to serve it. The principals studied timber and hardware merchandising trends overseas, and after considerable investigation the new building on Maroondah Highway was completed in 1956. Today, acclaimed as one of the most modern mills and hardware stores in the Southern Hemisphere, combining up to date machinery and handling equipment together with unique drive-in facilities and a self-selection centre. Ringwood Timber & Trading Co. are proud to offer a service unparallelled to home builders. In conformity with modern commercial practice the various firms have since been incorporated under the Victorian Companies Act and the latest accounting methods and office equipment have been installed to provide an efficient and virile administration to control the entire manufacturing and trading activities. We have a staff of over 220 personnel, each trained in their particular field to provide you, our valued client, with expert advice, quality merchandise and second-to-none service to enable you to fulfil every need in and around your home. -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Jennifer Williams, Gwen and Jack Scott, 24th February 2000
Jack Scott was born in Beechworth on the 24th January 1919 into a third generation Beechworth family who had migrated from Scotland, Cornwall and Ireland during the 1860s. Also present during the oral history recording is Jack’s wife, Gwen Scott. In 1878 Jack’s grandfather established the carrier business - R. Scott Carriers. Jack’s grandfather secured a contract with the Zwar Brothers' Beechworth Tannery to transport all goods between the tannery and train station via horse and cart. Jack’s father and uncle carried on the family business, before Jack and his brother eventually joined after the Second World War. The company expanded from a single horse and cart short route to multiple trucks operating interstate routes. Prior to joining the family carrier business, Jack on leaving school started work at the tannery and served in the air force during the Second World War. When asked about the working conditions at the tannery, Jack recalls while they did have union representatives, it was not particularly effectual. The union representatives were often placated by sharing multiple whiskies with the Zwar brothers when in their offices to discuss workers’ issues. Gwen’s father also worked for the tannery for a period of time, and she enjoyed the annual picnics the tannery provided for employee families. Both Jack and Gwen’s connections to the tannery reinforces the tannery’s role as a major employer and presence in the Beechworth community. Prior to marrying Jack, Gwen worked in a range of roles including at the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged, managing the family home when her parents both worked during the Second World War, and apprenticed with her sister as a hairdresser. Jack and Gwen provide some insight into maternal health issues in brief discussions of hospital birthing trends and awareness of contraception and family planning. Both Jack and Gwen recalled attending the open-air cinema at ‘The Rock’ in their childhoods. Gwen remembers that the ‘elites’ would sit on chairs at the front, and Gwen’s family sat on a rug at the back, while Jack would jump the fence and get in for nothing. Jack and Gwen discuss attitudes towards both Chinese Australians and Italian migrants in Beechworth. They did not notice any racism and from their perspective felt they were accepted in the town. Jack did note that Italian employees lost their jobs at the tannery during the Second World War, but believed they all stayed within the area and found stonemason and concrete work in the interim. Jack socialised with members of the Italian community and joyfully recalled attending their homes for music nights with lots of drinking and instruments being played. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Gwen and Jack Scott’s account of their lives in Beechworth is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. Gwen and Jack in reflecting on their everyday experiences of operating a family business, availability of work, leisure opportunities, interaction with migrants, and access to maternal health care provide essential economic, social, and healthcare insights. Gwen and Jack Scott’s oral history recording is part of a larger collection of oral histories recorded by Jennifer Williams in 2000, collectively they provide invaluable insights into Beechworth during the 20th century, much of the information in these oral histories would be lost if not documented and missed in the interpretation of tangible objects. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Gwen and Mr Jack Scott jack scott, gwen scott, r. scott carriers, scott brothers, zwar brother's beechworth tannery, zwar tannery, beechworth tannery, ovens and murray hospital for the aged, benevolent asylum, open-air cinema, the rock cinema, italians beechworth, hospital births 1920s, wang tech, wangaratta tech, nell scott, jennifer williams, oral history, listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century beechworth, tannery union -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Wooden Bread Board, Not known
In the high tech, fast paced society that we live in, it’s easy to take some things for granted. Case in point: the wood cutting board on which you’ll probably be preparing the evening’s dinner. Have you ever taken the time to think about the history of the cutting board? Where did it come from, and what did ancient civilizations use to cut their meats, fruits and vegetables? Wood throughout the ages Since the dawn of time, wood has been one of the most available materials used by mankind to build tools and lodgings, so it’s not really surprising to know that wood has been used in the preparation of food since the prehistoric ages. Of course, back then, cavemen probably used an unpolished slab of tree trunk to cut the kill of the day on and they probably didn’t think twice about saving it once the meal was over. Chances are they probably threw it in the fire with the rest of the wood needed to kindle it. Advances in technology Throughout the centuries, mankind evolved and started creating machines from steam, electricity and metal. When the circular saw was invented, nicer, cleaner slabs of wood were cut and used as cutting boards. Since soft wood was the most available type of wood at the time, it was the material of choice for to be used for cutting boards. Boards were made smaller since the slab of wood could now be cut to any desired size. Since they were made smaller, they were also used to eat off of and some people referred to them as trenchers. Trenchers were originally pieces of stale hard bread that were used as substitute plates. Wood trenchers quickly became the replacements of the eatable dinnerware. The butcher block: the cutting board’s larger cousin In the industrial ages, many industries rapidly developed, and the butchery industry followed this trend as well. Before the invention of the cutting board, butchers used tree rounds to carve their meat on. The rounds were often too soft and they rapidly became unsanitary. Hard maple wood butcher blocks were the preferred choice of the industry. They were made to be extremely thick and durable, so durable in fact, that a butcher could use the same block for almost his entire career. Cutting boards around the world As cutting boards began to be more and more used in kitchens around North America, the rest of the world crafted such boards from different materials. The East used thick bamboo as their material of choice. Despite its frail appearance, bamboo is quite strong and made durable cutting boards and butcher blocks. Europe used maple in the crafting of their cutting boards while Persia used flat pieces of polished wood in their kitchens. The world then saw cutting boards that were being made from other materials like plastic and they came in all shapes and sizes, but they always served the same purpose, to provide a household with a safe, clean surface on which to prepare meals for their friends and family members. https://www.woodcuttingboards.com/news/quick-history-of-the-cutting-board-47.aspxThe use of the wooden chopping board over time. Wooden Rectangular Bread board . Worn (concave in centre). Raw wood.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, chopping board, cooking -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Bread Board
In the high tech, fast paced society that we live in, it’s easy to take some things for granted. Case in point: the wood cutting board on which you’ll probably be preparing the evening’s dinner. Have you ever taken the time to think about the history of the cutting board? Where did it come from, and what did ancient civilizations use to cut their meats, fruits and vegetables? Wood throughout the ages Since the dawn of time, wood has been one of the most available materials used by mankind to build tools and lodgings, so it’s not really surprising to know that wood has been used in the preparation of food since the prehistoric ages. Of course, back then, cavemen probably used an unpolished slab of tree trunk to cut the kill of the day on and they probably didn’t think twice about saving it once the meal was over. Chances are they probably threw it in the fire with the rest of the wood needed to kindle it. Advances in technology Throughout the centuries, mankind evolved and started creating machines from steam, electricity and metal. When the circular saw was invented, nicer, cleaner slabs of wood were cut and used as cutting boards. Since soft wood was the most available type of wood at the time, it was the material of choice for to be used for cutting boards. Boards were made smaller since the slab of wood could now be cut to any desired size. Since they were made smaller, they were also used to eat off of and some people referred to them as trenchers. Trenchers were originally pieces of stale hard bread that were used as substitute plates. Wood trenchers quickly became the replacements of the eatable dinnerware. The butcher block: the cutting board’s larger cousin In the industrial ages, many industries rapidly developed, and the butchery industry followed this trend as well. Before the invention of the cutting board, butchers used tree rounds to carve their meat on. The rounds were often too soft and they rapidly became unsanitary. Hard maple wood butcher blocks were the preferred choice of the industry. They were made to be extremely thick and durable, so durable in fact, that a butcher could use the same block for almost his entire career. Cutting boards around the world As cutting boards began to be more and more used in kitchens around North America, the rest of the world crafted such boards from different materials. The East used thick bamboo as their material of choice. Despite its frail appearance, bamboo is quite strong and made durable cutting boards and butcher blocks. Europe used maple in the crafting of their cutting boards while Persia used flat pieces of polished wood in their kitchens. The world then saw cutting boards that were being made from other materials like plastic and they came in all shapes and sizes, but they always served the same purpose, to provide a household with a safe, clean surface on which to prepare meals for their friends and family members. https://www.woodcuttingboards.com/news/quick-history-of-the-cutting-board-47.aspxThe bread board is an example of kitchen equipment used during Victorian times and similar to those used today.Bread board. Wooden, octagonal, plain sanded light wood. Has decoration around edge and indented circular line to delineate round cutting board section.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, bread board, cutting board, pastry board, kitchen utensil, kitchen equipment, baking equipment, food preparation -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Bread Board
In the high tech, fast paced society that we live in, it’s easy to take some things for granted. Case in point: the wood cutting board on which you’ll probably be preparing the evening’s dinner. Have you ever taken the time to think about the history of the cutting board? Where did it come from, and what did ancient civilizations use to cut their meats, fruits and vegetables? Wood throughout the ages Since the dawn of time, wood has been one of the most available materials used by mankind to build tools and lodgings, so it’s not really surprising to know that wood has been used in the preparation of food since the prehistoric ages. Of course, back then, cavemen probably used an unpolished slab of tree trunk to cut the kill of the day on and they probably didn’t think twice about saving it once the meal was over. Chances are they probably threw it in the fire with the rest of the wood needed to kindle it. Advances in technology Throughout the centuries, mankind evolved and started creating machines from steam, electricity and metal. When the circular saw was invented, nicer, cleaner slabs of wood were cut and used as cutting boards. Since soft wood was the most available type of wood at the time, it was the material of choice for to be used for cutting boards. Boards were made smaller since the slab of wood could now be cut to any desired size. Since they were made smaller, they were also used to eat off of and some people referred to them as trenchers. Trenchers were originally pieces of stale hard bread that were used as substitute plates. Wood trenchers quickly became the replacements of the eatable dinnerware. The butcher block: the cutting board’s larger cousin In the industrial ages, many industries rapidly developed, and the butchery industry followed this trend as well. Before the invention of the cutting board, butchers used tree rounds to carve their meat on. The rounds were often too soft and they rapidly became unsanitary. Hard maple wood butcher blocks were the preferred choice of the industry. They were made to be extremely thick and durable, so durable in fact, that a butcher could use the same block for almost his entire career. Cutting boards around the world As cutting boards began to be more and more used in kitchens around North America, the rest of the world crafted such boards from different materials. The East used thick bamboo as their material of choice. Despite its frail appearance, bamboo is quite strong and made durable cutting boards and butcher blocks. Europe used maple in the crafting of their cutting boards while Persia used flat pieces of polished wood in their kitchens. The world then saw cutting boards that were being made from other materials like plastic and they came in all shapes and sizes, but they always served the same purpose, to provide a household with a safe, clean surface on which to prepare meals for their friends and family members. https://www.woodcuttingboards.com/news/quick-history-of-the-cutting-board-47.aspxThe bread board is an example of kitchen equipment used during Victorian times and similar to those used today.Bread board wooden round with carved inner circle and carving an outer rim in old English lettering "Bread"None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, chopping board, cooking, kitchen equipment -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Goanna, c. early 1950s
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Mosaic, c. 1962
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Tiger Stripe, c. 1939
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Crete, 1948
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Plum Blossom, 1948
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Jungle, 1945
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Harlequin, c. late 1950s
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.