Historical information

This petticoat came from the estate of Ena Heazlewood and was donated to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society by Ena’s daughter. It appears to have been home-made. Mary Josephine (Ena) Todd was born in Warrnambool in 1920 and worked as a hairdresser at Josephine’s Salon in Warrnambool. In 1942 she married a Warrnambool man, Jack Heazlewood, a stoker on the H.M.A.S. Sydney at the time. They later lived in Sydney. A petticoat such as this one would have been stiffened with starch and worn under a ball dress (or a stage costume) in the mid 20th century.

Significance

This petticoat is of interest as an example of a skirt worn underneath a ballroom dress or a stage costume in the mid 20th century. It also has some provenance as it come from the estate of Ena Heazlewood, a former Warrnambool resident.

Physical description

This item is a white cotton petticoat with a flap opening at the front waist enclosed by two white buttons. The petticoat is gathered at the waist to make a wide flared skirt and has alternating panels of plain white cotton and broderie anglaise material. There is a flounce at the end stitched with cotton-covered rope at the top and the bottom of the flounce. The bottom of the petticoat has a cotton lace trim.