Smoker's cap c 1889. Made by Jane Tyark (Mulder), grandmother of Isobel McNamara for her stepfather John Doran to keep his head warm as "he had little hair".Smoker's cap - black velvet, embroidered, padded & lined in pink satin.Nilsmoker's cap, velvet, embroidery, jane tyark, john doran, heather mcnamara

The context in which the hat was made and worn assists in establishing its potential historic significance. 'Bailliere's Victorian Gazetteer and Road Guide containing the most recent and accurate information as to every place in the Colony' (1870), describes the village of Vaughan as being located on the road from Daylesford to Castlemaine. In 1870 the Vaughan was deemed to be entirely a gold mining area, gold having been discovered in the district in 1853. Intriguingly the entry in the Gazetteer claims that the electoral division of Vaughan began at the junction of the Middleton Creek and the Loddon River, so perhaps the cap might have belonged to a member of a significant local family. In 1870, Vaughan had a population of about 1000 persons and included almost 300 dwellings. Articles from newspapers, published on Trove refer frequently to a Mr Middleton as a litigant in court cases before the Vaughan Court in the 1860s. By the 1870s, the Mt Alexander Mail, in an article on ‘Mining: The Pioneer Wheel’ describes the success of Mr Middleton and his Middleton’s Reef Gold Quartz Mining Company, which had built the largest water wheel in the Colony. The wheel was 20’ in diameter and 2’ wide. Quartz mining as practiced by companies such as Middleton’s had become necessary after the exhaustion of alluvial quartz mining deposits in the 1860s. So we can probably establish a link between the cap and a significant mining identity in the period in which the article was made. The historical significance of the cap is only one part of the story. Caps such as the Middleton example can also be items of aesthetic significance as they were typically, examples of women’s work, using published patterns in magazines such as the Ladies Home Magazine. While women might follow or adapt a published pattern, their choice of materials reflected what was available locally. The fine hand stitching on this example is evidence of high quality domestic needlework. The maker crafted the cap from five triangular pieces of cotton cloth, each piece lined with a faded yellow net. The net provides some stiffening for the cap and has a functional purpose in that it anchors the hand-stitched, looped design of yellow silk ribbon that decorates the surface of the cap. Gentleman’s smoking (lounging) cap believed to have been made in c.1860-69. The conical hat is made of a dark green cotton fabric embroidered with narrow ribbon of a paler green silk. The unlined rimless hat is made of four pieces of fabric. There is no evidence of the hat at one stage featuring a tassle. The original donation record noted that the cap had been made for, and was worn by, a Mr Middleton, of Vaughan in Central Victoria. Nilhats, smokers hats, men's clothing

Smokers cap, burgundy velvet embroidered with flowers and leaves on top and sides in shades of blue, green and gold, interior of quilted burgundy satin.costume, male, cap

Smokers cap, Navy blue velvet embroidered on top and sides with white flowers and green leaves, button and green and white tassle , interior of white cotton with red circles.costume, male, cap

Object: Smokers cap, Navy blue velvet embroidered with white flowers with gold centres and brown leaves on top and sides, button and tassle on top in shades of gold and green, interior of brown quilted satin.costume, male, cap

The exact creation of this Cigar Cutter is unknown, however the vintage nature and style of this cutter indicate that it was made in the early to mid 20th century. This cutter closely resembles the V-cut style of cigar cutter. These cutters are the most common type of cigar cutters and have been historically widely used. They cut a 'wedge' into the cigar cap rather than removing the whole cap like guillotine cutters do. This type of cut allows the smoker to get a deep cut into the V shaped cigar. Social history objects held in the Burke Museum help to tell the stories of Beechworth's past by showing the town's social, artistic and cultural community. This cutter shows significance through it's vintage artistic style and it's ability to show the social habits within Beechworth's history. A small bronze metallic cigar cutter with cigar insert on one side of the object and handle on the other side. A01152beechworth museum, cigar cutter, bronze, burke museum, social history

Smoking Caps are caps worn by men while smoking to stop the hair from smelling of smoke. They also kept the head warm. They were popular in the period 1840-1880, usually worn by gentlemen in the privacy of their home. This beautiful velvet smoking cap was worn by James Stirling who was the first settler to occupy land in the Marlo township. James stirling arrived in Victoria from Scotland in 1842.He took over Corringle Station (Ewing's Marsh). His son James stirling later established theMarlo Hotel. (Read more in Mary Gilbert’s book)Smoking accessories like this cap were popular through the mid-to-late nineteenth century to prevent the smoker's hair from absorbing the smell of tobacco smoke and were often worn with smoking jackets. The design, with its elaborate embroidery shows an aspect of Victorian material culture and reflects the nineteenth-century love of 'Oriental' style. . A domed shaped smoking cap of blue velvet .It is lined with silk. The tops and sides are embroidered with tan coloured leaves. head-coverings stirling-james smoking-cap