Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Fur Stole, 1940-s - 1950s
The donors of the fur stole come from a local family in the Warrnambool area. They believe the fur stole is around 60 years old. The stole belonged to the donor’s mother, now deceased, who wore it to local balls and dances as an accessories and maybe for warmth too! The donors believe the fur could have been purchased in Melbourne or Toorak.
The fur is likely to be from the Mustelidae family, which is the largest family of carnivorous mammals. They inhabit all continents except Australia and Antarctica. This species includes the weasel, badger, otter, marten, ferret, sable, mink, stoat (ermine) and wolverine. The fur is thick and dense close to the skin, indicating that it is the winter coat of the animal.
This fur collar is representative of fashion accessories in Warrnambool and District in the 1940's - 1950'sFur stole, ladies; comprising two animals with heads and legs, stitched together to form a stole. The fur is believed to be the winter fur of animals from the mustel family and is not as soft as rabbit fur. The first head has only the nose, the second head has nose and eyes. The heads are dark brown, each animal has a dark brown stripe the length of its fawn coloured back. Tails are dark but not as dark as the head. The stole can be clasped together using a decorative knotted brown tie and hook, or by using the clip attached to the snout of the front animal. 1940-s - 1950s.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, mustelidae fur stole, mustel fur, fur stole with body head and legs, fur stole made with animals, ladies clothing, fashion accessory of 1950’s, fashion of south west victoria
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.