Dry foods for domestic use were packaged in cloth bags from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century. As the bags contain the name Parsons' it could be presumed that they were oat bags as the Parsons Company packaged a variety of groceries for the Australian market including oats. The bags provide an example of calico bags used to store dry goods. Being presented as a ‘Farm Animal Series’ gives them added value as a collectable item and may have been an advertising ploy used by the company.A set of two calico bags from the Parsons' company - most likely bought as oat bags. The two are: No 1. (Clydesdale) and No 3. (Suffolk) from the Parsons' Farm Animal Series. Each bag has a multicoloured ink picture and written information about the horse described on the bag.8650.1 PARSONS' FARM ANIMAL SERIES No. 1, CLYDESDALE, The Clydesdale originated in the valley of the Clyde, Scotland. The main characteristics of the Clydesdale are ability to acclimatise in all parts of the world and perform all types of draught work. Clydesdale breeders lay emphasis upon bone, quality, weight, and action. The feet must be proportionate to the size of the horse, the hoof-head should have a full crown, with heels wide and quarters strong. 8650.2 PARSONS' FARM ANIMAL SERIES No. 3, SUFFOLK, The Suffolk, often known as the Suffolk Punch, originated in the County of Suffolk, England and is noted for its hardiness. From 15 to 16 hands in height, the Suffolk in general is smaller than the Clydesdale. The head is rather coarse, with the neck short. The body long, deep and wide with a round full appearance. The croup is straight, the legs short and free from feather. The invariable colour is chestnut, varying from light to dark.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, calico, domestic object, textile, food storage, parsons' farm animal series, oats, clydesdale, suffolk

These domestic kitchen bags were donated to the National Wool Museum by Lila Gore. Lila donated Children’s Clothing (RGE 8324) to the museum in 2022 and at her time of donating, inquired as to whether the museum would also be interested in these bags she had been collecting. Lila said there was no reason as to why she was saving the bags, other than she liked the art works and thought they were too good to end up in landfill. She had thought perhaps she would make something out of the bags, or perhaps give the bags to a friend to make something. When Lila was donating the Children’s Clothing to the museum, she thought that the National Wool Museum would be the perfect home for the bags. Domestic kitchen bags such as these date from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. They were used at home, usually by women, containing household items which would not spoil, such as flour, sugar, animal feed, seeds, and other commodities. In modern times a trip to the supermarket is a daily chore, in the past however, these trips happened far less often, with big sacks such as these a large reason why. In the rural US and Canada, Feed sack dresses and Flour sack dresses, were an iconic part of rural life from the 1920s through the Great Depression, World War II, and post-World War II years. Australia also reused these sacks, typically for making wagga style blankets, but re-use for clothing was not unusual.Calico oat bag with colour image and black text. Image shows a full length brown horse with bridle.Front: PARSONS FARM ANIMAL SERIES No.3 \ SUFFOLK \ The Suffolk, often known as the Suffolk Punch, originated in the County of Suffolk, England \ and is noted for its hardiness. From 15 to 16 hands in height. The Suffolk in general is smaller than \ the Clydesdale. The head is rather coarse, with the neck short. The body long deep and wide with \ a round full appearance. The croup is straight and legs short and free from leather. The invariable \ colour is chestnut, varying from light to dark.wagga, flour, oats, bag, calico, lila, gore, depression, war, kitchen