Sally Hearn (1932–2018) was a dedicated button collector and a prominent member of the Victoria Button Collectors Club. Her button collection was featured as a primary display in the 'The Melbourne Story' exhibition at the Melbourne Museum, which opened in mid-2008.
The Hearn Collection of locally made and international buttons is historically and aesthetically significant as it illustrates the textile and manufacturing history of button making.
The item comprises a collection of assorted buttons, buckles, and dress fasteners mounted on three rectangular cards in red, green and orange. The collection includes circular, square, rectangular, triangular and diamond shaped components in black, green, cream, and pink. Several pieces feature geometric designs, contrasting coloured insets and decorative surface patterns. The buckles vary in form and size and include rectangular, circular, and triangular examples with metal fastening components. The items are constructured from Bakelite and steel and are variously stamped, glued and carved.
Official Catalogue Entry:
"Mona’s Swedish father came to Australia to introduce Electrolux. She was born in 1937 and the whole family emigrated, to save father commuting each year! Mother died. In 1946 George Jodell, her father, married Rosalind Hartung. She was an opera singer with the Gilbert and Sullivan Co. At age 31 she developed asthma so she could no longer sing. Her young brother worked in Flinders Lane and encouraged her. She had always made and designed her own gowns. She took a course in commercial cutting and became employed as a dress designer for Partington Modes, Flinders Lane."
sally hearn, button collections
