The Fashion, Textiles & Design Collection includes a number of examples of household or domestic textiles dating from the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. Some had a purely functional role while others were essentially decorative. These textiles were mass-produced or handmade, and sometimes including elements of both. Many were constructed of, or include elements of, lacework, tatting, embroidery or crochet. Donated throughout the Society’s history by members or residents of Kew, the provenance of many items is now unknown, however they remain in the Collection to illustrate the social history of the Australian home.White crocheted doily incorporating the motto of the Australian Natives Association and a pictorial representation of an emblem that would become the Commonwealth Coat of Arms.doilies - patriotic, doilies - symbolic, soft furnishings, australian natives association, advance australia

The Fashion & Design collections of Kew Historical Society include a number of art or household textiles manufactured or created in the United Kingdom as well as in Australia. As other cultures opened to Australian travellers in the 20th century, members began collecting and donating textiles produced in a number of other countries.Embroidered doily in the shape of Australia commemorating the ‘Royal Visit 1954’. The multicoloured embroidered images used on the include koalas and eucalyptus flowers on a cream fringed ground. doilies - patriotic, doilies - symbolic, soft furnishings, royal visits

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of textiles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the textiles, were used as items of clothing, others as items of household decoration, or simply as travel souvenirs. These textiles were created both domestically and internationally. Predictably with the growth of an ethnically and culturally more diverse community in Kew after the Second World War, textiles, clothing and objects in the collection inevitably reflected this diversity.White crocheted doily that commemorates the twenty-fifth jubilee year of the reign of George V (1910-35)1910 - 1935 / GEORGE V / JUBILEEdoilies - patriotic, commemorative souvenirs, ephemera, george v