Historical information
For the First Peoples of south-eastern Australia, making possum skin cloaks has long been a culturally important practice. But during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, possums and other native animals were also heavily hunted by white colonists who coveted their warm and fashionable furs. This rug, made from fifteen possum pelts, was used in a Brighton home during cold winter months in the 1920s.
Physical description
Possum skin rug made from 15 rectangular cut pelts mounted onto a brown wool felt with cut scalloped edges.
Subjects
- possum skin,
- rug,
- fur,
- 1920s
References
- A craze for native fur This rug reflects a time when Australia's native animals were heavily hunted by white colonists for their fashionable furs. Learn more about the story at our website.