Historical information

The ceramic doll's leg was one of a group of artefacts in the McCulloch Collection that were recovered from the shipwreck Victoria Tower. The jar could have been from the ship's cargo or amongst the passengers' personal effects.

The object is now one of the shipwreck artefacts in Flagstaff Hill’s McCulloch Collection, which includes other items recovered from the Victoria Tower, built in Liverpool by Evans in 1969, and wrecked the same year near Torquay, Victoria, on its maiden voyage. A diver salvaged the objects in the early 1970s while working along the southwest coast of Victoria.

Advanced marine technology had enabled divers to explore the depths of the ocean and gather its treasures before the Government introduced protective legislation. The artefacts were donated to the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) by a passionate shipwreck lover. Bruce McCulloch verified their locations. In 2017, the Department repatriated them to Flagstaff Hill, where they joined our vast collection of artefacts from Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast.

Significance

The artefact is an example of cargo or personal items on board a ship in 1869. It provides a reference point for classifying and dating similar items.
This artefact is significant for its association with the British-built, iron clipper ship Victoria Tower, a commercial and immigrant sailing ship constructed to carry cargo and passengers to colonial Australia. The vessel is recorded on the Victoria Heritage Database, VHR S698.

Physical description

Doll's leg, cream-coloured ceramic leg with two seams, a flat solid top and a glazed green ankle-length heeled boot. A shallow groove runs around the leg just below the top. An inscription is stamped into the leg below the groove. Recovered from the wreck of the Victoria Tower.

Inscriptions & markings

Inscribed "2"