This fine linen pillow slip was made in Austria about 1880. The insertion of French Valenciennes lace is of about the same date, being 5.0 cms wide and having a round ground. The border frill is also of French Valenciennes lace being a little earlier around 1850, it is 16 cms wide and has a square ground. The pillow slip was made especially for the mother of a first grandchild.Pillow slip with Valenciennes lace insertion and border

Fine lace used as costume trimmingBobbin lace edging. Sample

Very fine linen thread. Fine lace used for costume trimmingBobbin lace edging. Sample

Use: Fine lace used as costume trimming.Bobbin lace edging. Sample

Use: Domestic. Household trimmingBobbin lace edging

Use: Domestic. FashionBobbin lace collar

Use: Domestic: Household trimmingBobbin lace edging

Brown hard covered book was an account of the different styles of lace, their history, characteristics and Manufacture. Library cards from the Ballarat Technical Art School are still in place in the back of the book.ballarat technical art school library, library catalogue cards and date stamps, lace, cutwork, punto in aria, italian bobbin lace, venetian needlepoint, burano lace, milanese lace, cretan lace, flanders lace, belgian lace, mechlin lace, antwerp lace, valenciennes lace, dutch lace, alencon lace, argentan lace, lille lace, arras lace, chantilly lace, english needlepoint, english bobbin lace, irish laces, blondes, library cards, library date stamp, bookplate

An item forming part of a collection of costumes, photographs and documents relating to the Weir family who lived in a mansion, originally named Illapa, at 84 Princess Street, Kew, from c.1917 to 1950. This historically significant collection includes items relating to both George Weir (1866-1937), his wife Edith Mary Weir (1867-1948) and their children. George Weir attained national prominence in the mining industry, becoming General Manager of the North Broken Hill Silver Mining Company in 1903 (later renamed North Broken Hill Mining Company 1905-12, and North Broken Hill Ltd 1912-1988), and subsequently President of the Mine Owners Association. He was to remain General Manager of North Broken Hill Ltd until his retirement in 1926. This garment is part of a collection of women’s clothing, owned and worn by Edith Mary Weir (nee Betteridge) - born in Clare, South Australia 1867, died Kew 1948 - and also by her daughter. The garments date from the 1880s to the 1930s. The collection includes day dresses, evening dresses, evening coats, capes, and undergarments. As the wife and daughter of a mine manager, the collection includes representative examples of clothing worn by upper middle class Australian women in domestic circumstances, and at social and civic events. A number of the costumes from the 1920s to the 1930s are of a particularly fine quality, being both rare, representative and intact examples of Australian fashion of the period. The garments in the Weir Collection were donated to the Kew Historical Society by a granddaughter of Edith Weir in 2017.Long black single piece crepe de chine and valenciennes lace dinner dress. The dress has a high squared neckline. The sleeves are elbow length. The most significant aspect of the design are the layers of machine-made valenciennes lace that extend from the waist.edith mary weir (nee betteridge), illapa -- 84 princess street -- kew (vic.), women's clothing, weir collection, dresses, fashion -- 1920s

On 1 June 1901, the Australian Town and Country Journal reported that: "A few couples found time to marry during, or just after, the Royal visit. A pretty double wedding took place at Ivy Grange, Kew, the residence of the bride's father, on May 15, when Mr. Samuel Howell, eldest son of the late Richard Howell, of Chocolyn, Camperdown, became the husband of Miss Olive Wilhelmina Beath, fourth daughter of Mr. David Beath, and Mr. William Elder, second son of Mr. Nairne G. Elder, of Rokewood, espoused Miss Endora Anne Beath, fifth daughter of Mr. David Beath. The brides were dressed alike in white satin duchesse, with gathered satin and chiffon, transparent yokes and sleeves of chiffon, embroidered tulle veils, with coronet of orange blossom. The happy couples vary wisely chose different districts for their honeymoon trips, Mr. and Mrs. Howell visiting Lorne, while Mr. and Mrs. W Elder went off to the Blue Mountains, N.S.W. The two brides were attended by six bridesmaids, all dressed alike in gowns of white Indian lawn, with tucks and insertions of Valenciennes lace, sashes of white satin and instead of hats wore on their hair pretty wreaths of Parma violets, and carried shower bouquets of Parma violets tied with heliotrope ribbons." (Source: Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1907), Saturday 1 June 1901, page 43)This work forms part of the collection assembled by the historian Dorothy Rogers, that was donated to the Kew Historical Society by her son John Rogers in 2015. The manuscripts, photographs, maps, and documents were sourced by her from both family and local collections or produced as references for her print publications. Many were directly used by Rogers in writing ‘Lovely Old Homes of Kew’ (1961) and 'A History of Kew' (1973), or the numerous articles on local history that she produced for suburban newspapers. Most of the photographs in the collection include detailed annotations in her hand. The Rogers Collection provides a comprehensive insight into the working habits of a historian in the 1960s and 1970s. Together it forms the largest privately-donated collection within the archives of the Kew Historical Society.Photograph and article from Punch (May 23 1901) of a double wedding at Ivy Grange of Olive Wilhelmina Beath and Endora Anne Beath. ivy grange, beath family

Founded in Ballarat, Victoria in 1888 by Eleanor Lucas, by the mid-20th century, the Lucas Clothing Factory employed hundreds of local workers (popularly known as the "Lucas Girls"). The company was a pioneer in Australian textiles, producing the country's very first knitted nylon tricot and manufacturing luxury Vanity Fair lingerie under license for the domestic market. As Lucas shifted from utility wear and intimate apparel into upscale daytime and evening wear during the 1940s and 1950s, they launched specialised fashion lines. The Jill Heriote line was created as their signature high-end ready-to-wear and cocktail range. The line became widely celebrated for its elite tailoring, structure, and use of both premium local and imported fabrics Designers working under this line, such as Eve Ogilvie, translated sophisticated European aesthetic trends directly to the Australian market.This garment represents a pinnacle of mid-century regional Australian fashion manufacturing. Operating from Ballarat, Victoria, E. Lucas & Co. utilised elite local designers to compete directly with imported European couture houses. The gown showcases the firm’s pioneering expertise in fine, permanent textile pleating, applied here to luxury pure silk rather than everyday synthetics.This bias-cut silk and lace cocktail dress sold under the label 'Jill Heriote' for the House of Lucas, Ballarat, features a narrow waist and a dramatically flared skirt. The overdress is constructed from intricate, black imitation Valenciennes machine-made lace. It layers over a cream silk taffeta underdress that shows through the openwork and extends structurally past the hemline. The bodice is designed with shoulder straps leading into a sweetheart neckline. Its form-fitting structure showcases panels of finely pleated black silk, creating texture across the bust. Below, the full skirt alternates between sheer black lace segments and contrasting horizontal bands of smooth black silk.Label" 'LUCAS / Jill Heriote / in pure silk fabric'jill heriote, house of lucas -- ballarat (vic.), fashion -- 1950s, cocktail dresses, manufacturing -- ballarat

Home made or hobby lacePocket flap. Machine made tapes with needle made fillings. A narrow piece of machine Valenciennes has been added to the top edge.

This wedding photograph is an illustration of the intermarriage of notable Victorian (and Kew) families. The parents of the groom were the Hon. James Balfour MP., and his wife, Frances Charlotte (Henty) [the eldest daughter of James Henty] who married at Hawthorn in 1859. The Balfour lived at 'Windella' in Studley Park Road. Henry Rairey (Harry) Balfour was the youngest son of Mr & Mrs Balfour who married Katie Harrison of 'Horley' in Molesworth Street, Kew. Miss Harrison's father was the T.S. Harrison (merchant and importer, b. Banbury, Oxon, 1829, d. Melb 1901). Portrait of the wedding party in the garden of Horley in Molesworth Street, following the marriage of Elizabeth Kate (Katie) Harrison to Henry Rairey (Harry) Balfour at the Kew Presbyterian Church in 1905. The outfits worn by the women were reported in Punch, on 9 February 1905]. The bride wore a frock of ivory white satin, with bertha of duchesse lace and a yoke of ruched chiffon. The bridesmaids … wore white muslin dresses, inserted with Valenciennes, made in early Victorian style. The white straw hats were trimmed with lace and blue hydrangea, and their flowers were blue hydrangea, delphiniums and cornflowers. … The bride’s mother [right] wore a well-cut dress of black silk. The bridegroom’s mother [left] wore a gown of black silk voile, and smart black bonnet grouped with roses. L. to R. Christian Balfour, Jean Mackintosh, Mrs James Balfour (nee Henty), Bridegroom, Bride, Dr. Lewis Balfour, Genevieve Harrison, Hon. James Balfour, Henry Harvey, Marion Harrison (nee Borodin) [Married by Mr Alec Scholes at Kew Presbyterian Church] .Individuals identified in ink on reverse plus donor name and date.balfour, henty, harrison, horley, molesworth street, kew