Married Charles Aldous 9 Jun 1880. In this picture Sarah does not appear with a wedding ring. Inscribed on reverse with errors [actual] B. 9 Nov. 1855 [9 Nov. 1854] M. 9 Jun. 1880 [Charles Aldous] D. 25 Jan. 1925 aged 71 [ 3 Aug. 1925] ALDOUS.—On the 3rd August, at her residence, 14 Mitchell street, Northcote, Sarah, dearly be- loved wife of Charles, mother of Florrie (Mrs. Beere), Annie (Mrs. Mooney), Percy (deceased, late A.I.F.), Ada (Mrs. Wilson), Alice (de- ceased), Ethel (Mrs. Brien), aged 70 years 9 months. A patient sufferer at rest. Family Notices (1925, August 4). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 1. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2150744 Davies & Co (William Davies) operated from: 7 Bourke Street East 1867-1869 55 Bourke Street East 1874-1877 55 Bourke Street East as Central Photogrphic Studio (E. Sands Mgr) 1878-1884 73 Bourke Street East 1877 91 Bourke Street East 1864-1868 94 Bourke Street East 1864-1877 98 Bourke Street East 1860-1861 19 Collins Street East 1865-1868 5 Collins Street West 1866-1870 CARTE-DE-VISITE (cdv) 1857-1890 Cartes-de-visite (cdv's) are the most common form of photograph from the nineteenth century, generally measuring two and a half inches by four and an eighth inches (6.3 x 10.5 cm) when mounted, sepia toned, mounted on a card which was generally printed with the photographer's name and address on the back or beneath the portrait. - Frost, Lenore; Dating Family Photos 1850-1920; Valiant Press Pty. Ltd., Berwick, Victoria 1991marg ball collection, 1860-1877, 1870, davies photographer melbourne, pagoda sleeves, sarah aldous (nee shillinglaw 1854-1925), shillinglaw family photo album 2

This dress was made for and belonged to Mrs Elizabeth McLachlan (nee Duncan, 1820-1904), wife of Reverend John Hamilton McLachlan (1813-1908), who was the first Minister of St Cuthbert's Presbyterian Church in Brighton. Elizabeth and John were married at the Free Church of Ayr at Lindsaystonn in the Parish of Kirkmickach, Ayrshire, Scotland on 15 October 1849. At this time his occupation was listed as "Minister of Presbyterian Church" and hers as "Governess". They left for Australia on the 1 November 1849 and arrived in Australia 6 months later. Apparently John's hair turned snow white during the journey due to his seasickness! The McLachlans first went to Geelong upon their arrival in 1850, then to the Western District, then Brighton, then Talbot at the height of the gold mining era. The couple had seven children: John Campbell Duncan McLachlan (b. Geelong, October 1850), Mary McLachlan (b. Geelong, November 1851), Agnes McLachlan (b. Hopkins River near Wickliff, May 1853), twins Elizabeth and Walter McLachlan (b. June 1854), Elizabeth McLachlan (b. Hesham, June 1855), Margaret McLachlan (b. Brighton, 1857). Elizabeth died in 1904. She and John are both buried in Amherst Cemetery. The dress was donated by one of her granddaughters. This circa 1849 silk blue grey window pane check dress features a high round neck and pleats on either shoulder extending over the natural shoulder line. The dress shows evidence of nine ornamental buttons down the centre front with only four blue silk buttons currently still attached. The dress fastens with thirteen concealed hook and eye closures to the waist. The Pagoda sleeves inset into the bodice in a small high armhole flaring out and finishing just below the elbow. A pale blue silk ribbon with a diagonal drawn stitch design decorates the front of the sleeve in a simple geometric design. The Pagoda sleeve is lined in a matching pale blue silk. The full skirt is pleated into the waistband and finishes just above the floor at the front. At the back the bodice features a squared off design to the princess panels shaping the dress into the body. The skirt is heavily pleated at the centre back into the waistline and finishes slightly longer at the back than the front. The skirt features two very small pockets on either side of the dress, just inside the hips. reverend john hamilton mclachlan, st cuthberts presbyterian church brighton, elizabeth mclachlan, amherst cemetery, 1840s fashion, brighton

Joseph Butterworth COOMBS (1842-1901), was an accountant who founded a successful mercantile trading company. At the time of his marriage to Caroline Mary MICHEL in 1869, Coombs had already purchased ten acres of Studley Park. The acreage included land on the west of Fenwick Street that extended along lower Stawell Street to the corner of Yarra Street, all of it connected directly to the Yarra environs. A right of way to Studley Park Road was on the title, though Coombs went on to purchase more land, some of which faced Studley Park Road. In addition to owning the Studley Park acreage, Coombs later acquired 1,201 acres of land abutting the Acheron River. While retaining the Kew property he became a Taggerty Councillor and was Shire President for a time. J.B. Coombs died at Acheron Station in 1901 (aged 59 years). A few months after, tenders were called to repair the Kew dwelling, the Fenwick Street property now appearing in records with the name ‘Hope Mansell’. Caroline Coombs remained at Hope Mansell until she died in 1924, survived by three sons and five daughters. Not long after her death, advertisements appeared for the sale of the Studley Park land. The sale seems to have been a mechanism for distribution of the Estate, as the following year the original ten acre holding was transferred to members of the family. The eldest daughter Mabel married William Younger who, with his brother Alexander, developed Younger and Mackie Courts, both south of Studley Park Road. [Research: Kerry Fairbank]In 1961, the granddaughter of Joseph and Caroline Coombs, Mabel Isola (Younger) Grattan, donated ten 19th century dresses and parasols to the Kew Historical Society. The costumes, now known as the 'Coombs Collection', were the earliest recorded items of clothing to enter the Society's collection. Each of the items in the Coombs Collection, of which this item forms a part, is historically, aesthetically and socially significant. As a collection, the costumes includes outstanding examples of morning wear, day dresses, wedding dresses, and clothing accessories, providing evidence of outstanding dressmaker skills in Victoria during the mid to late Victorian period. Two-piece white silk wedding dress comprised of a short tailored bodice and a bell shaped skirt. The most prominent feature of the bodice is the wide pagoda sleeves, with false undersleeves of muslin. The edge of the sleeves includes small posies of orange blossom. Separate panels of lace, dropping from the waist are the only form of decoration on the skirt. The round high neckline was later converted to v-line in the 19th century. MEASUREMENTS (CM): BODICE: Shoulders 37 x waist 56 x front 33 x back 40 SKIRT: Waist 56 x Front 114 x Back 131coombs collection, women's clothing, australian fashion, fashion & design collection, costumes, wedding dresses

A dress believed to have belonged to a family member of Mrs. Jessie Somerville Singer (nee Watson), 1849-1935. As the dress dates from circa 1850, it could have belonged to someone from one generation previous, possibly her mother Elizabeth Watson. Jessie Somerville Singer was the second wife of Mr. Edward Singer (1829 – 1904) of 'Somerville', New Street, Brighton Beach. Edward's first wife, Maria, died in 1861; their son William died approximately 12 months later. In the 1861 census of North Bradley England, Edward was recorded as a carpenter journeyman. After these tragedies Edward, then aged 30, left England to start a new life in Australia. He emigrated as an unassisted passenger on the steamship 'Great Britain', departing from Liverpool and arriving in Melbourne in April 1863. Edward worked as a joiner and overseer for a timber merchant in Franklin Street, Melbourne. In December 1869 he bought a property at 1115 Hoddle Street, East Melbourne, between Hotham and George Streets. At some stage he also acquired 1117 Hoddle Street. He also owned another property in Rushall Crescent, North Fitzroy. On 10 July 1873 Edward married Jessie Somerville Watson, the daughter of William Watson and Elizabeth Martin. They lived at Hoddle Street for some years, later moving to Rushall Crescent, North Fitzroy before in the 1880s settling in what was then the semi-rural suburb of Brighton. Edward is recorded as working there as a joiner. The house 'Somerville' was built by the Singers in circa 1880 at 100 (now 78) New Street, Brighton. The family moved there upon Edward's early retirement and lived there until 1941. 'Somerville' was sold, the house demolished and the land subdivided in the 1930s. Edward and Jessie appear to have lived comfortably. Edward died on 30 July 1909. Jessie died on 11 November 1935. Many members of the Singer family have lived in and around Brighton since Edward and Jessie first made their home there. The donor, Mrs Dorothy Constance Cook, was Jessie's granddaughter.A silver and brown striped silk taffeta dress comprising separate bodice (.1) and skirt (.2). The dress features a high round neckline fastening down the centre front with concealed hook and eye closures with ten (two missing) decorative brown silk velvet buttons. The front and back feature a briown silk velvet ribbon that forms a v shape from the shoulder to the centre front just below the bust and centre back below the shoulder blades. From the ribbon falls a brown and silver silk fringe approx seven cms deep. The bodice is shaped and boned into the waist and finishes in a deep v over the stomach. At the back the bodice is shaped to the body finishing in a smaller curved v over the small of the back. The sleeve attaches to the bodice at the true shoulder and falls in a pagoda sleeve to the mid forearm. The sleeve is also trimmed with brown silk velvet ribbon near the base of the sleeve. The full skirt is pleated at the waist, falling to the floor, longer at the back to accommodate the crinoline.somerville, new street brighton, jessie somerville singer, edward singer, elizabeth martin, brighton, 1850s

The donor and family of this gown were long-term Brighton residents, and the gowns were held by them as family heirlooms prior to donation to Brighton Historical Society. Originally owned by Elizabeth Emma Adams and Cecilia Elizabeth Adams, it is believed that the dress was brought to Australia by either a half brother, James Smith Adams, or a younger sister, Sophia Charlotte Louisa Adams (later known as Mother Rose Columba Adams). Elizabeth and Cecilia were the daughters of James Smith Adams (a squire, 1780-1860) and Elizabeth Emma McTaggart (1793-1843) of Tower House, Woodchester in Gloucester, a property which Elizabeth later inherited. Originally a monastery, Tower House had been converted into a stately home after the Reformation. According to information originally provided by the donor, both this dress and the dress T0004.3 were made for Elizabeth and Cecilia, to be worn at the young Queen Victoria’s first 'drawing room ball' following the end of court mourning in 1838 for her uncle William IV who died in 1837. In 1838 Cecilia would have been twelve years old and Elizabeth would have been ten years old. It is possible that the dress T0004.3 was worn by one of the girls to this event as it is of appropriate dimensions for a child of that age, although its design is very formal and adult. However, it is unlikely that either of the girls wore this dress at the ball due to the size and styling of the dress. It is likely that the dress belonged to one of the girls, but was worn at a later date. Elizabeth was born on 30 June 1828 at Tower House and died on 1 May 1909. She created a scandal when she eloped with her first husband, Thomas Charles Gardiner at the age of 18. The validity of the marriage was later formally investigate and, while it was confirmed as valid, a second church wedding was subsequently held. Thomas died in 1878. Elizabeth subsequently remarried Reverend R. E. Blackwell, but was widowed again by 1889. Cecilia was born on 17 December 1826 and died in 1902 a spinster recluse in England. At the inquest into Cecelia's death in 1904 it was revealed that she had clearly come from a family of means as her home was filled to the brim with highly valuable goods, many in boxes. She was buried in the family vault at Woodchester. Elizabeth and Cecilia's sister Sophia converted to Roman Catholicism in 1851 and became a nun, taking the religious name 'Rose Columba'. In 1883 Mother Rose Columba led a group of eight to Australia, answering a call for Dominican sisters to nurse the sick in Adelaide. Upon arrival, she founded St. Dominic's Priory and the Church of Perpetual Adoration in North Adelaide, using her inheritance to build the chapel. Elizabeth's second son, George Henry Somerset, who inherited the Adams family estate dropped the 'i' in Gardiner and added the maiden name of his grandmother. Therefore, the family name has now become Gardner McTaggart. These Adams family entries have been updated with information provided by Dr Herbert Gardner McTaggart, great-grandson of George Henry Somerset in April 2016. Mr McTaggart contacted the society after finding our entries online.A hand sewn white purple, pink, green, blue and yellow floral silk chiffon dress from circa 1870. The dress consists of two pieces worn together as a dress. This dress has received a great deal of mending and alteration and so it is difficult to be sure of what constitutes its original state. The following description is of its current state. The bodice has a high neck with a simple shallow band collar, an olive braid and a press stud closure. The bodice fastens down the centre front with ten hook and eyes closures and two sets of ribbon ties . The bodice has three darts providing shaping into the waistline. The bodice finishes at the waist and gently tapers towards the front creating a 'V' line. Down the centre front from the neck to the waist concealing the bodice opening is a pressed pleated ruffle of the dress fabric and a line of olive braid. The dress features pagoda sleeves finished at the hem with pressed pleated ruffle of the dress fabric, a line of olive braid and a silk fringe of 4 cm pale pink and white. The skirt part of the bodice section attaches to the front of the dress with two hooks and eyes on the left hand side of the waist. The fabric drops down to approximately the knees at the front, curving up and splitting on either side over the hip. The edge of this piece is also trimmed with a pressed pleated ruffle of the dress fabric and a line of olive braid. Just below the hip on either side is a large bow of pink, cream, purple and green taffeta. The bodice at the back is shaped with four panels into the waistline. Where it joins the bodice skirt the skirt is pleated, creating fullness. The skirt of the dress ensemble secures at the waist on the left hand side. At the front it has two pleats (that may have been repositioned during repair), and is fully gathered at the back. At the front the dress falls to the floor whilst at the back it is longer to accommodate the bustle and possibly a small train.cecilia elizabeth adams, elizabeth emma adams, 1870s fashion, tower house, woodchester, james smith adams, elizabeth emma mctaggart, mary rose columba adams, sophia charlotte louisa adams

This dress was donated as having belonged to Annie Elizabeth McLean, who worked as a maid to the daughters of Samuel Renwick of Caulfield. Annie was born in Argyllshire, Scotland in 1853. This dress appears to have been originally made circa 1855 and then modified circa 1872. As Annie would only have been two years old in 1855, this indicates that the dress would most probably have been originally made for someone else and later acquired by Annie. Annie Elizabeth McLean arrived in the Colony of Victoria from Argyllshire, Scotland with her aunts and cousins in 1867, aged thirteen and a half. She had been educated in Scotland and eventually became a personal maid and then companion to the Renwick girl, daughters of Samuel Renwick of Caulfield, Victoria. The Renwicks' home, 'The Garrell' on Glen Eira Road, was one of Caulfield's earliest residences, having been built around 1854. Samuel was a business partner of William Kerr Thomson, a well-known Brighton resident and the original occupant of the North Road mansion 'Kamesburgh'. During her time with the Renwick family, Annie travelled with them to England, then to Scotland, then back to Victoria. She left the family upon the marriage of the youngest Renwick daughter, then went to the household of Sir William and Lady McCullough until she left to be married to Alfred John Ashfold in 1878.This c1872 grey and white silk pin stripe dress features a high round neckline with eleven decorative blue silk buttons and secured by a concealed line of fifteen hook and eyelet closure. The bodice (.1) has decorative blue and green braid over the shoulder and bust and across the base of the bodice. The dress features three darts shaping the dress to the body. The sleeve is cut high but relatively full and tapers to the elbow then flares again in Pagoda like style but ends at the wrist or hand. The skirt (.2) opens over the left hip and features a pocket over the right hip. The skirt at the front finishes at the ankle or just above the ground. At the back the bodice features panels shaping the dress into the body and pleated and flared from the waist. At the small of the back is a decorative bow with pinked edges and decorative braid. The skirt at the back is uncommon in shape most likely as the result of modification. It appears to have had panels removed reducing its original fullness. It has a tape inside the back of the skirt that would draw the skirt in creating a bustle like shape . It would appear that the dress had been modified in order to create a more fashionable silhouette most probably in circa 1872. There are three separate pieces of fabric. One is made up into a semi-circular over-skirt trimmed with blue braid and fringing (.3). Two pieces are unpicked skirt gores, one still has its cotton lining attached (.4 and .5).annie elizabeth mclean, samuel renwick, the garrell, caulfield

Engageantes - washable half sleeve that could be tied to the arm inside a bell-shaped , or a 'pagoda' sleeve. They ended at the wrist in closed cuffs or open frill. Engageantes were worn from mid- to the late 19th Century.One pair cream lace undersleeves 33cm long. Frilled around wrist with two hook & eye fastenings. Lace insertion, plus nine narrow lace bands to top of sleeve. As worn in 1880'scostume, female