The Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection provides invaluable insight into life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century north east Victoria. The collection comprises manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family on their farm in Wodonga, and a set of glass negatives which offer a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community. The Haeusler family migrated from Prussia (Germany) to South Australia in the 1840s and 1850s, before purchasing 100 acres of Crown Land made available under the Victorian Lands Act 1862 (also known as ‘Duffy’s Land Act’) in 1866 in what is now Wodonga West. The Haeusler family were one of several German families to migrate from South Australia to Wodonga in the 1860s. The textiles in the Haeusler collection belonged to Ilma Margaret Ernestine Haeusler (née Tasker), born in 1900 in Tallangatta. These textiles were handmade by Ilma between 1919 and 1928 for use in the family home during her marriage to Louis Alfred Haeusler (b.1878). Ilma died in childbirth in 1928, leaving one surviving son, John Alfred Lyell (b.1922). This textile is one of the many domestic objects in the Haeusler Collection that represent family and home life in early twentieth century Wodonga. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century prior to the mass production of clothing and textiles, needlework, alongside motherhood, was the defining work of women. Hand sewing and embroidery was central in the everyday lives and domestic roles of women. The item is handmade and unique, with well documented provenance. It forms part of a significant and representative historical collection which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of domestic and family life in early twentieth century Wodonga, as well as providing interpretative capacity for themes including local history, social history, and women’s history.Hand made white cotton doily with hand stitched cotton fringe c.1919-1928textiles, sewing, handiwork, women's history, domestic, craft, family, wodonga, haeusler collection, haeusler

White fine cotton short sleeved blouse. The front is made of two pieces with a front opening. Each side has two darts from the waist and are slightly gathered at centre front. The front has a V shaped neckline with a border from the shoulder. The border is made up of three rows of cotton featuring drawn work patterns and embroidered flowers. The back is made of two pieces with a centre seam. The front and back pieces are attached to a casing that is attached to a peplum. The neckline is edged with lace at front and back. The front opening is fastened with three buttons and buttonholes plus three cotton tapes threaded through casings around the neckline and around the waist above the peplum.costume, female daywear, cotton blouse

White cotton nurse's apron. Three piece skirt, gathered at the back, and joining a 5 cm wide waist band. Bib front extends into broad shoulder straps 8 cm wide, at shoulder, tapering to 7 cm wide rounded tab ends, which cross at the back, and button to the waist band. Two plastic buttons- 1.5 cm diameter, one on the tab strap, and one on the waist band, are both damaged-possibly due to harsh laundry conditions. Back waist band has a 14 cm overlap.White cotton tape sewn inside waistband marked: Merryn Ellison.costume, female, white cotton nurse's apron

Clothing. Women's wrist length white cotton gloves. Two rows of decorative stitching around the wrist in scalloped pattern plus one vertical row of stitching on the back of the glove.Tag inside left glove, ''Cotton Simplex Size 7'' ''EMPIRE MADE''costume accessories, female, women's wrist length white cotton gloves

White cotton lawn, three tier waist petticoat. Elastic in casing at waistline. Second tier, also of white lawn fabric is gathered at the seamline. The seam is then covered by white cotton tape, machine stitched over the seam, to neaten the join. Second tier is 32 cm deep, while the third tier is a 14 cm deep band of broiderie anglaise.The seam between tiers 2 & 3 is oversewn with a 3 cm band of broiderie anglaise, with insertion holes but no ribbon is evident.costume, female, white cotton waist petticoat

Clothing. Women's elbow length white cotton gloves. Slit inside each wrist (9 cm) fastened with two X .7 cm spherical pearl buttons. Three pin tucks on the back of the glove.costume accessories, female, women's elbow length white cotton gloves

Clothing. White cotton woman's half petticoat - below knee length. Three tiered petticoat. Second and third tiers gathered. Waistband (2.5 cm) fastned with 1.5 cm white button. Centre back opening.(23 cm).costume, female, white cotton half petticoat

Clothing. Women's knee length white cotton bloomers with 6cm waistband dipping to a V at centre front. Two side openings (30 cm). Originally fastened with cotton tape ties attached to waistband. Ties have been removed. Leg sections gathered into waistband. Legs trimmed at hem with cream coloured crocheted lace (10 cm) edged with light blue.costume, female underwear, women's white cotton bloomers

Clothing. Women's knee length white cotton bloomers with straight waistband (6 cm wide). Two side openings (21 cm). Originally fastened with cotton tape ties attached to waistband. Ties have been removed. Leg sections gathered into waistband with pleating. Triangular gusset n back seam. Legs trimmed at hem with cream coloured crocheted lace (11.5 cm) edged with light blue.costume, female underwear, women's white cotton bloomers

The Fashion & Design collection of the Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants’ clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Items in the collection were largely produced for, or purchased by women in Melbourne, and includes examples of outerwear, protective wear, nightwear, underwear and costume accessories.White cotton petticoat with bands of inserts of lace. Th petticoat was donated at the same time as a white cotton day dress. Probably of Tasmanian origin, and of a similar period to the dress, the petticoat was donated by a local Kew resident.women's clothing, petticoats, underwear, coralie coulston

White cotton nurse's apron. Bodiec joins a 5 cm wide band and 60 cms long skirt. Skirt is plain in the front, with gathers at the back. Front of the bodice extends in wide 8 cms wide straps, which cross over at the back, and fasten with a button and buttonhole to the back waistband. The skirt of the apron extends right around the body, and overlaps, and fastens with two buttons and buttonholes 14 cms overlap. Worn by Merryn Ellison.Tape stitched inside apron, embroidered with the name: Merryn Ellison.costume, female, nurse's white cotton apron

White cotton child's lace dress. Unlined. Dropped waistline. Bodice made up of vertical strips of two different laces. U shaped neckline with flat gathered lace collar (7cms) with one cm fine lace trim around neckline. Cap sleeves (7cms). Skirt (16cms) of gathered lace in one piece. Back opening full length of bodice (22cms) with three buttons two X .6cm and one X .9cm.costume, children's, white cotton child's lace dress

White cotton girl's nightdress with kimono cut short sleeves. Sleeves have 1.2cm casing at hemline with 2.5cm lace trim on edge. U shaped neckline with 2.4cm casing with 2.5cm stand up gathered lace frills. Back section of nightie gathered at centre back where attached to casing on front of night dress is a centre tab of lace (6cm X 10cm) with six vertical pintucks on either side. No openings. Heavyweight cotton fabric.costume, female, white cotton girl's nightdress

White cotton, with fine crochet and needle woven lace 9possibly machine made) and pink satin ribbon insertion - seven cm wide waistband fastens at the centre front with two 1.5cm covered buttons. A gathered centre panel fastens over the centre of the waistband with two 1.5cm covered buttons. Two darts at either side of centre back seam, and a slight - .5cm shaping at back waistband, provide shaping, and a smooth backline. No side seams, machine stitched, flat seams and darts.costume, female, white cotton, lace trimmed drawers

Clothing. Lace trimmed, white cotton fabric, collar with square back, and long peaked 'lapel' type front. Neckline edge is finished with a fine one cm wide lace band. The cotton fabric is scalloped, also edged with the above lace band, which extends into a 5.5 cm band of cotton lace. The 'lapel' shape extends into a wider 'lapel' type circular motif. The lace has a semi-circular shaped design, featuring a five petalled flower in each semi-circle.costume accessories, female, white cotton lace collar

Fine white cotton, round neck with three embroidered cotton panels inserted in bodice. Gown front is one piece of fabric from shoulder to hem, with a panel sewn across the front (12cm X 3 cm) giving the appearance of a bodice and skirt. This panel extends into long ties which tie at the back. Long sleeves are edged with lace and braid. This braid also edges the bodice panels, and fine lace edges the neckline. Narrow pleats between the lace bodice panels, give fullness to the bodice.Written in ink on inside of bodice panel - A. Geuer. (Merle's Grandmother)costume, children's, baby's white cotton nightgown

White cotton infant's nightgown with long sleeves. Front insert below neckline of broderie lace with lace (2cm) trim on outer edges. Broderie lace band at waist below insert (14.5 X 3cm) has ties attached at each side (61cm X 6cm). gathered lace trim around neckline above casing (.6cm) threaded with cotton tape tie. 33cm back opening fastened with tie at neckline. Lower part of skirt has broderie all over pattern with 27 cm border. Set in long sleeves with 2cm lace trim at wrist.costume, children's, white cotton infant's nightgown

White cotton, nurse's apron, heavily starched. Three piece skirt, lightly gathered at back, adjoins a 4.5 cm waistband, and bib front which has broad shoulder straps 8.5 cms wide which cross at the back, and button to the waistband, leaving a 10 cm long rounded tab finished end. No buttons evident, which probably suggests removable buttons, fastened with safety pins, or "hair clip" type fasteners. A 3.5 cms tuck has been sewn around the hemline.Two buttonholes in shoulder strap tab end. Three button holes in back waistband. Worn by Merryn Ellison.costume, female, white cotton nurse's apron

White cotton infant's nightgown with long sleeves. Yoked front and back. Front yoke has diagonal pintucks. Back yoke has horizontal pintucks. Front of nightgown attached to yoke with series of knife pleats with lace trim on outer edges. Decorative lace across front at waist level with 40cm ties attached on either side. Back of nightgown gathered onto back yoke. Back opening (36cms) fastened with two different one cm plastic buttons. Long sleeves trimmed at wrist with two rows of lace and diagonal pintucks. Six horizontal rows of pintucks four cm above hemline.costume, children's, white cotton infant's nightgown

Clothing. Women's white cotton full length half petticoat.Centre back opening (25 cm) fastened with cotton tape ties attached to edges of waistband(4cm). Skirt of petticoat shaped by darts around waistline and pleats at centre back. Hemline edged with 1 cm scalloped lace. Flounced layer at bottom of petticoat (38 cm) has two horizontal 1 cm ribbon strips, a zig zag lace insert (6 cm wide) and scalloped broderie lace edging (8 cm). Ribbon insert lace along the top edge of the flounced layer is threaded with pink 1 cm ribbon. Ribbon tied with a bow at front on LHS.costume, female, women's white cotton half petticoat

Fine white cotton girl's night dress. Yoke at front and back. Full length back opening fastened with tie at neckline. Back yoke has three vertical pintucks on each side of opening. Front yoke has vertical pattern of pintucks and embroidered fabric with horizontal section at waist. Sleeveless nightdress overlays of embroidered fabric attached to sides of yoke to form cap sleeves over shoulders. U shaped neckline has casing with cotton tape tie. Gathered skirt attached below yokes. Finished with French seams. Lower edge of night dress trimmed with embroidered fabric with scalloped edge. Note in box with garment ''The child's nightgown is about 60 years old and was made by Mrs. Antoinette Catling for her eldest daughter''. Undated. Not attached. This is the most probable garment.costume, female, white cotton girl's nightdress

This item is undated, but style suggests 1850s to early 1900s. History of item to be checked.White cotton sleeveless bodice with lace trim around neckline and armholes. Two inverted 'V' shapes of lace in front. Slight frill at lower edge.underwear, costume

Underwear worn by women from the late 1800s to early 1900s.White cotton, fairly plain except for tiny lace edging around neckline. Five hand worked buttonholes. Two sharing darts each side of front.underwear, costume

Fine white cotton, with a drawstring in a 1.5xcm deep casing around the waistline. Completely opened at centre front, through crotch, and up the centre back to within 14cm of the waistline. One dart on either side of front, and two darts on either side of back. Machine stitched. A 2.5cm wide cotton lace is inset into a zig zag pattern around each leg. In each V shape a 1.5cm lace insert in a fan,under the V shapes are inserted needle woven bows, shape is inserted. Seven extremely fine pin tucks border the edge of the legs, which have a three cm wide lace edging. Split drawers were worn in the era when women wore corsets. The split front and back allowed women to go to the toilet, as the corsets could not be removed to allow for an act of nature.Accompanying note - No date. The bloomers belonged to Miss Antoinette Catling of Bendigo and were part of her trousseaux. They would be 80+ years old. The linen bed jacket (11400.930) would be about the same age.costume, female, fine white cotton split drawers

This pair of white cotton pillow shams were made by women of the early settler families in Moorabbin Shire c1900 and show their needlework skills . Although living conditions were basic families still held onto their traditional English and European customs and took pride in presenting elements of refined society. These pillow shams are examples of the dressmaking, crochet and needlework skills of the women of the early settler families in Moorabbin Shire c1900 1 pair of white cotton pillow shams with crochet lace inserts clothing, haberdashery, crochet, bed linen, doilies, brighton, moorabbin, pioneers, dressmaking, market gardeners, early settlers, craftwork , bentleigh, lacework, moorabbin shire, hunt ailsa, dairy farms, fruit orchards

Cotton off white men's waistcoat with six 1.6cm white plastic buttons. High collarless V neckline. Cotton fabric has checked pattern with small red crosses on corners of checks. Fully lined with cream coloured cotton fabric. Three flat pockets on front each with 2 cm band across top edge. One breast pocket on LHS. Two pockets above waist fob watch button hole at front, 12 cm above hem. Pockets lined with cream coloured cotton fabric. Back of vest made of plain cream coloured cotton fabric. Half belt at back (tapering from 4.5cm at back to 2.5cm at centre) fastened with gold coloured metal buckle with two prongs. Buckle attached with button down flap.Imprinted on buckle ''PARIS'' ''SOLIDE''costume, male, men's white cotton waistcoat

Two 2cm cotton fabric covered buttons close the waistband of the drawers, at the centre front. A 33cm wide gathered panel at the centre front, fastens to the waistband with two 1.5cm plastic buttons-(possibly replacement for original buttons). This gathered panel may suggest that these drawers were worn during a pregnancy. The 75cm long legs are trimmed with two bands of floral embroidered, and cutwork lace-eight cm deep lace. waistband is 6.5cm deep. Machine stitched, no seams.costume, female, white cotton, lace trimmed drawers