The maker of this cruet set is unknown. It is a high quality household item and would have been a common item in households of the more affluent homes in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Cruet sets are not used much these days but have usually been replaced by salt and pepper shakers without a stand. This cruet set has no known local provenance but is retained as an example of a household item of the past. It will be useful for display This cruet set consists of a stand, a container for mustard and two containers for salt and pepper. The stand is silver-plated and has a rectangular base with pointed edges and three slots for the containers, one rectangular and the other two square in shape. The handle is riveted to the base with two screws which are now rusty. The base of the stand also has six studs. The silver plating is tarnished in places. The salt and pepper containers are made of cut glass in rectangular shapes and have silver-plated circular-shaped lids. The top of one of the lids has broken loose from the lid. The mustard container is made of cut glass and is rectangular in shape. The silver plating on the lids is wearing away. history of warrnambool, 19th century household items, cruet set

These hair tongs were used to curl or wave hair. They have the name’ Marcel’ on them. In 1872 Francois Marcel Grateau invented a hairstyle called the ‘Marcel Wave’ where women’s hair styles had mostly deep waves rather than curls. The tongs that were held manually and heated and used at home to produce deep waves or curls become a commonplace item in a woman’s home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1930s electric hair tongs were introduced but the non-electric ones continued to be used until the 1950s. These hair tongs belonged to a woman from England and would have been used in the 1930s or 40s. They are a good example of the type of household article used by women 70 or 80 years ago and will be useful for display.This is a scissors-like article with wooden handles and metal blades for waving or curling hair. One blade is heavily curved and the other is a solid round shape. The ends of the blades are tapered. The blades were heated over a stove and used manually to enclose part of a woman’s hair to produce waves or curls. The handles were originally polished black and are somewhat rubbed and the blades and other metal parts are a little rusty. ‘Marcel’ ‘12’ hair curling tongs, warrnambool

This salt cellar is typical of those used extensively in households in Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries at a time when salt was used on a liberal basis to flavour and preserve the food served. While a similar item may be used today in the main it has been superseded by smaller salt and pepper shakers.This item has no known local significance and is retained for display purposes. This is an oval-shaped clear glass container with a ridged incised base and lower sides. The upper side area has a pattern of dome-shaped pieces of glass. The container has an open top with no lid.vintage domestic items, glass salt cellars

This salt cellar is typical of the ones used extensively for cooking or for table use at mealtime in households of the 19th and 20th centuries (popular up to about the 1970s). These were the times when salt was used more so than today in households to preserve and to add to the flavour of food. Today an item such as this may still be in a domestic kitchen cupboard but the salt would be used more sparingly.This item is retained as an example of a domestic item used extensively in the past.This is a clear glass salt cellar with a round moulded bowl with fluted edges. The bowl is on a glass stand, also with fluted edges.vintage domestic items, glass salt cellar

This lamp base would have had a glass chimney clipped to the burner. It is a portable kerosene lamp used in the 19th century and the early 20th century for household lighting before the advent of electricity.This item is retained for display purposes as an example of household lighting a hundred years ago.This is a clear glass lamp base with a metal burner attached to the top. The bottom of the base is hollow. The glass on the stem and bulb is patterned. A BLIXTENvintage household lighting, kerosene lamps

This miniature cash tin was produced by Fry's Chocolate Company of England as a promotional giveaway and probably held some chocolate samples. It would then have been used in a household for keeping trinkets or other small items. The Fry's Chocolate Company was established in Bristol, England in the mid 18th century by Joseph Fry and in the mid 19th century it produced the first mass-produced chocolate bar (1866 - Chocolate Cream, 1913 Turkish Delight). The company merged with the Cadbury company in 1919 and the Tasmanian Cadbury factory which opened in 1921 was known as Cadbury-Fry-Pascall. Fry's chocolate bars were very popular in Australia. This item is retained as a memento of Fry's Chocolate Company, the products of which featured in Australian life for many decades. This is a rectangular metal tin painted black and light brown. It has a hinged lid and a metal handle held with clips inserted into slits on the top of the lid. There is printing on the lid and a label on the base.Cash Fry's Chocolatechocolate bars, fry's chocolate, miniature cash tin

This lamp would have been attached to a coach, or even an early automobile, for lighting purposes. It could also have been used for outdoor purposes in a household or business setting. Lamps such as this were used in the 19th century and early 20th century and preceded or accompanied the use of oil lamps and were later superseded by electric and gas lighting.This item is of historical interest and is retained for display purposes.This is a rectangular-shaped lamp made of metal. It is painted black and has clear glass with bevelled edges on two sides and a small round red-coloured glass on another side. The lighting mechanism inside the glass appears to have held a candle. The body of the lamp is mounted on a solid round metal pipe. There is a metal handle at the top for attaching the lamp to a wall or stand.vintage lighting, coach lamps

This ink well is of the type used in the 19th and 20th centuries as a container for ink. Because of its smallness it is presumed it was used in a household or small business. Pens and ink wells were used in writing up to about 1950 when fountain pens became more common and the ink was stored more in bottles or cartridges. The advent of the ballpoint pen eliminated the need for ink. This is a green-tinted glass container with a rectangular body and a smaller rectangular neck with an open top. The top of the container near the neck is ridged. The opening is chipped and partly broken off. ‘3’vintage household items, warrnambool

This tea caddy, an attractive item, was given to Margaret Fletcher (date of presentation unknown). A tea caddy in the 19th century was a valued object as tea was expensive and was bought in small quantities. The two side containers are for green and black tea and the middle one was for blending the tea mixtures. The caddy was lockable so that domestic workers etc could not have easy access to a valuable commodity. The local provenance of this object and the identity of Margaret Fletcher have not yet been established. She may be related to John Fletcher, the Warrnambool cordial maker or James Fletcher, the Warrnambool lawyer. This tea caddy is of great interest as an attractive artefact from the 19th century and as an example of a household item no longer in use. It is also of interest because it was given to Margaret Fletcher, possibly a local Warrnambool person. This is a polished wood container made in a casket style. The wood is believed to be Coramandel. The casket has curved sides and is on a base with four legs. The lid has a brass hinge and a gold lock with the key and the lock mechanism missing. Inside are three compartments, two with hinged lids with leather tops and zinc linings. The middle compartment has a glass container set in a wooden compartment. The inscription is on a brass plate inside the casket. ‘Presented to Margaret Fletcher as a Mark of Respect’. margaret fletcher, history of warrnambool

This razor is made by Joseph Rodgers of Sheffield, England. This business existed from 1682 to 1975. It would have been a common-place item in households in Australia in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century up to the widespread use of shavers containing razor blades and the advent of electric shavers. This razor has no known local provenance but is retained as an example of the type of razor in use in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will be useful for display. .1 This is a razor, much rusted but still very sharp, which fits into a bean-shaped cover which is made of bone. The blade has the maker’s name on it. The cover has two screws. .2 The container is made of thickened cardboard in two parts and has an inner covering, also made of cloth and cardboard. The top part of the container may not the original one for this razor. The bottom end of the container is missing. The outer container is much scuffed. ‘Extra Ground Hollow’ “Joseph Rodgers Clun St. Sheffield’ social history, history of warrnambool, razor

This is a porridge set which probably dates from the early years of the 20th century. Porridge bowls and cups were particularly popular in Scotland at that time and would have been used in households in Australia throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. These items have no known local provenance but are of interest as an example of the household china that was in use 100 years ago and was still being used for many decades after that time. They are attractive items and will be useful for display. These two items are a large cup and saucer made of china and used for porridge. The cup has colour floral and leaf scroll decorations inside the top rim, a piece of verse extolling the farmer and surrounded by black and white patterns, including farming implements, on one side of the cup and coloured farming implements in circles with the same verses in larger circles with a colour wheat sheaf in the centre on the other side of the cup. The saucer, more in the shape of a soup bowl, has the same colour floral and leaf decorations around the rim and the same farming patterns and verses in the centre. The handle has a black and white floral decoration The maker’s mark and name are on the bottom of the cup and saucer. ‘In God is Our Trust’ ‘The Farmers Arms’ history of warrnambool, porridge bowls

Walking sticks with carved snakes such as this one were very popular household items in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were often given as presents to older men. They were novelty pieces of carving requiring considerable skill and patience and walking sticks were usually hand-made in those days. This walking stick has no known local provenance but it is a fine example of a hand-made household item of 100 to 150 years ago This is a piece of brown wood with the shaft of the stick carved to a smooth round shape tapering down towards the end and with a snake shape carved over the shaft from the same piece of wood. The head of the snake juts out from the shaft top and the snake has scaly patterns worked on its surface. The stick has a larger round knob at the top and a metal covering at the bottom. When the stick is held upright and twirled around it gives the impression of a snake coiling and moving up the stick. household items, walking sticks

This walking stick or club is of a heavy quality and could be classified as an Irish shillelagh, although it lacks the heavy curved knob at the top that characterizes the shillelagh. It does not seem typical of the walking sticks used in Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries although it appears to date from those times. It may have come from an overseas country.This walking stick has no known local provenance but it is an interesting item and is kept as a curio from the past.This is a piece of black wood (blackthorn?) shaped from a gnarled and knotted piece of wood to make a rough, curved shape. The shaft is rounded at the top and tapering to a smaller round shape at the bottom. The top has a brass-coloured metal band.walking sticks, household items, warrnambool

Commercial tin openers first appeared in the mid 19th century and this model dates from the early 20th century. An improved version when a second serrated wheel was added came into operation about the mid 1920s. Tins (now cans) of food with sealed tops became popular in the 20th century and all households needed a tin opener. Today the can opener is still used but increasingly the can lids have an inbuilt clip that is pulled out to open the can. This tin opener has no known local provenance but it is retained as an early model of a tin opener from the past. It will be useful for display. This is a cast iron tin opener with a cutting blade attached to a piece of metal with a screw. The metal handle curves out from the metal piece holding the blade. The opener is a little rusty in parts. The name ‘Guard ’ is on both sides of the handle in raised metal letters.‘Guard’ household items, history of warrnambool

This butter cooler was used in households to prevent butter from melting in the warmer weather. Ice would have been used in the butter container. The top of the container is domed, indicating the shape of the butter at that time (late 19th century). This butter cooler would have been a costly item and would have graced the dining table of a family that had considerable means. It would have been used on a dining table even after the invention of refrigeration in the 1880s as the eating rooms would have had little or no cooling mechanisms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This butter cooler has no known local provenance but it is a very attractive item and is retained as a good example of a household item no longer in use. It will be very useful for display.This is a silver butter cooler with a circular base with an ornamented edge. The base has a stem holding two highly ornamented arms branching out from the sides. These arms hold an oval container which has a chased silver base and an overhanging chased silver top. Inside the container is the space to hold ice or cold water. On top of the inside of the container sits a small round lid which holds the butter and the ice. The lid has several small holes for the ice water to drain underneath. The base of this lid is impressed with moulded fruit and leaves. The oval container has an over-arching handle attached. This is highly ornamented in fretwork. The sides of the container have two projecting pieces for holding the butter cooler and two other smaller projecting pieces with chains attached for hanging the object. One of these pieces has an oval holder for turning the hinged top of the container to close the container. This top has a chased silver patterning on its top. When the lid is closed the container adapts to a globe or egg shape.‘Made and Guaranteed by Meriden B. Company 5085 U.S.A. household items, history of warrnambool, silver butter cooler

The handle of this hammer looks to be home-made and to have been used as a household tool. Most homes still today include a small hammer as a household item. The provenance of this hammer is unclear but it possible that it is the hammer found at ‘Guthrie’, a house in Merri Street, Warrnambool that was demolished. ‘Guthrie’ was the home of the Dickson family, prominent in Warrnambool business circles. James Dickson, with his friend John Cramond, established a store in Warrnambool in the mid 19th century and this department store, known as Cramond and Dickson, was a prominent business in Warrnambool until its closure in 1973. James Dickson’s son and his family lived at ‘Guthrie’ and the hammer may have belonged to the Dicksons or another family connected to that property. This hammer has a metal head and a wooden handle. The top of the handle has a metal screw inserted and small slivers of the wood are missing. The end of the metal section is much worn.household tools, history of warrnambool

The handle of this hammer looks to be home-made and to have been used as a household tool. Most homes still today include a small hammer as a household item. The provenance of this hammer is unclear but it possible that it is the hammer found at ‘Guthrie’, a house in Merri Street, Warrnambool that was demolished. ‘Guthrie’ was the home of the Dickson family, prominent in Warrnambool business circles. James Dickson, with his friend John Cramond, established a store in Warrnambool in the mid 19th century and this department store, known as Cramond and Dickson, was a prominent business in Warrnambool until its closure in 1973. James Dickson’s son and his family lived at ‘Guthrie’ and the hammer may have belonged to the Dicksons or another family connected to that property. This hammer has a metal head and a wooden handle. The top of the handle has a metal screw inserted and small slivers of the wood are missing. The end of the metal section is much worn.household tools, history of warrnambool, hammer

These stoneware jugs and bowl had been perennially popular in homes for many years and are still in homes today.These jugs are kept as mementos of household items popular in the past. One jug (VC001906.3) appears to have come from Scotland in the mid 19th century and may have belonged to a member of a McGregor family.These are four brown earthenware jugs and one small brown bowl. .1 This jug has filter holes near the top of the rim and a mottled pattern on the lower part of the body of the jug with an ornamental pattern separating this mottled section from the smooth upper half. .2 This jug has a light brown lower section (both body and handle) and a darker reddish-brown upper section .3 This jug is dark brown with lighter shadings at the top section. The lip is chipped. .4 This jug has a mottled brown lower section and a smooth brown upper section. .5 the small bowl has a stipled lower section and plain upper.‘3 PT’ ‘1PT” household items, history of warrnambool, stoneware jugs, pottery jugs

An item such as this would have been used by a woman to put on her boots and lace them up. Button up boots were used extensively in the 19th and early 20th centuries and this item would have been common in households at that time.This item has no known local provenance but is retained as an interesting memento of the past.This is a metal shoe horn at one end of the item with a curved button hook at the other end. The item is much worn and stained.women's accessories, shoe horn, button hook, warrnambool history

The cloth cover is heavily patterned and slightly embossed with gold lettering. It is partly detached from the spine. On the spine is gold lettering and an image of a saint. The pages contain text, over ninety reproductions of engravings and the calligraphy initials are printed at the start of each chapter. non-fictionThis is a family biblereligious education, family bible, illustrated family bible, bible 19th century, warrnambool

The book has back and front covers in brown leather which features heavily raised embossing . The raised sections contain Biblical and other religious images and intricate patterns. The spine has gold lettering. The front cover is slightly scuffed and is detached from the spine. It has been bound with string and paste. The pages, some of which are torn, contain text and black and white and colour plates. It is not only a Bible as it includes the history of other religions.non-fictionBible and History of religions family bible, family bible 1900, warrnambool

This container of 11 boxes of safety matches would have been a common item in a household during the first half of the 20th century and would have been used for the safe lighting of lamps, candles, room heating (fires), bath heaters, cigarettes, pipes etc. Safety matches came into use in the first half of the 19th century and the safety aspects have been improved after that time. Safety matches are still used today - for instance, when camping or in times of power failure. These matches are of interest as an example of household items in common use in the past. These are eleven boxes of safety matches (one box missing) wrapped in a buff-coloured paper cover with a label in red, blue and white colours with printing and an image of a dark-haired woman set against a white flame. Each box contains about 60 matches with a label similar to the one on the outside packaging. The matches are wooden with pink tips. The boxes have a rough surface on the side acting as a striking mechanism. The back of each box has a message containing some thoughts from thinkers and philosophers from the past.Ever-Brite Safety Matchesvintage lighting, safety matches, everbrite matches

These dishes were part of a crockery set used in the George Rolfe household at Lyndoch, Warrnambool. George Rolfe (1836-1919) was a Melbourne tea merchant who acquired land at the mouth of the Hopkins River in Warrnambool from the 1880s on as a holiday home. He developed the property over the years, adding a windmill and reservoir, bone and chaff sheds, a stable, jetty and boathouse and an extensive garden. In 1891 he married Mrs Annie Lake and it was his stepdaughter, Florence Lake who built the house, Lyndoch in the 1920s. This building today forms part of an Aged Care Facility. This item is part of the larger Rolfe dinner set as described on Victorian Collections at VC001421 and VC001422These dishes are of importance as they belonged to the George Rolfe family of Lyndoch, Warrnambool. They demonstrate the quality of the household goods used by more affluent families in the second half of the 19th century. These are four china serving dishes or plates which are part of a set of crockery used in the Rolfe Lyndoch household in Warrnambool. The dishes have a circular base with a circular dish resting on the base. The dishes have or had two handles with these handles and the edges of the dishes being gold trimmed. Around the rim of the dishes is a pattern of loops and dots etc of teal and gold. One dish (.1) has no handles, one dish (.4) has one handle only and two dishes are cracked (.3 & .4) . Two dishes are stained, one severely (.2 & .4) ‘Minton’ george rolfe, florence lake

A bathroom set would have been a common item in most households in the 19th century and up the mid 20th century. Not many of the bathroom sets, however, would have been as fine and as attractive as this one as this one would have belonged to a family with some wealth. Bathroom sets went out of common use once houses were sewered or had septic tanks and toilets and bathrooms were constructed inside the main house building. This set is of interest as an example of a common household item in houses 100 years ago or more. It will be useful for display.This is a five-piece china bathroom/ toilet set. The five pieces that comprise the set have a white background with a floral pattern in sage green monochrome with roses, carnations, sweet pea and dianthus. In the pattern are also tendrils and foliage. The jug is an elongated oval shape with a decorated handle. The interior of the lip is chipped. The circular bowl has an indented ridge at the top with interior and exterior decoration. The bowl is partly discoloured and there is some crazing. The toothbrush holder has a vase-like shape with an indented rim with fluting on the top. The chamber pot is circular with a decorated handle and one crack. The soap holder is circular and has three parts – the circular decorated base, the inset piece with a fluted edge and one large and six small holes for draining, and the decorated lid which is also fluted around the edge. The markings at the base of each item have a crown symbol as well as the lettering. Staffordshire England Camelia’ social history, bathroom set, china bathroom set

Pen and ink sets were common household and business items in the 19th century and up to the mid 20th century (prior to the introduction of ballpoint pens). They would have been placed on a writing desk or table. The items here are attractive ones and would have been a relatively expensive purchase.These items are connected to the Toleman family from Warrnambool and may have been used by the donor’s father who was an accountant. These are four items:- .1 An oblong glass dish, partly rounded at the ends and with a criss-cross pattern on the base. Inside the dish, towards the ends, are two ridges for holding four pens or pencils. .2 An oblong polished black stone tray with a curved front and a ridge for holding a pen. On the oblong section are two square metal bases with four side clips on each to hold the inkwells. These metal pieces are attached to the black tray with metal screws. .3 & .4 Two glass (crystal?) cubes with a hollow inside for holding ink. The tops of the cubes are metal with circular openings. The lids are metal with metal hinges and polished black stone topshistory of warrnambool, writing implements and associated items, household items from the past

There is no known history attached to this item. Lamps such as this one were common household items in the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century until electrical lighting became common in most households. This item has no known local provenance but it is useful for display as an item that was common in households in the past. This item has a cast iron base in a pyramidal shape with the four sides having identical scrolls and star shapes. A piece of brass attaches the base to a violet-coloured bowl. The bowl contains a white wick. The brass wick holder has an external knob for regulating the light intensity. There is more brass between the bowl and the mantle which is made of plain glass. On the base of the lamp: ‘Rd. No. 207869’ history of warrnambool, social history, ruby glass kerosene lamp

There is no known history connected to this item. A spirit lamp was an essential household item in the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century until electric lighting became a common feature of most homes. This lamp has no particular significance and is suitable for display as an example of family life in the past.This is a spirit lamp with a milk glass base in two sections (two pedestals in rings). The bowl is made of green glass emulating the shape of the base. There is a brass section connecting the bowl to the wick holder with the wick exposed. There is a small knob or handle external to the bowl for controlling the wick’s use. The clear glass lamp mantle is slim-line bulbous shaped. history of warrnambool, social history, spirit lamp

This lamp has no known history. Lamps such as this one were for indoor use and were essential items in households in the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century until electric lighting became common in most households. This item has no known local provenance and will be useful for display as an example of a common household item of the past.This is a lamp with a glass base which is fluted and mostly coloured green. The bowl is clear glass with a concave raised pattern on the base of the bowl. The bowl contains a discoloured white wick. The lighting mechanism is brass with an external knob for controlling the use of the wick. The lamp mantle is bulbous-shaped. social history, history of warrnambool, kerosene lamp