Clothing and Textiles in the Museum Victoria Collection
Museum Victoria holds a growing collection of clothing and textiles, dating from the early 19th century to the present day. Research and documentation is being undertaken to improve knowledge of, and access to, the collection.
The collection consists of clothing and textiles produced and used in historical and contemporary contexts in Victoria, encompassing social history, design, manufacturing and craftsmanship. It provides insight into the design, materials, manfacturing techniques and processes, and use and context of clothing and textiles in Victoria. It documents the responses of people to their natural and built environments, and encompasses a range of lifestyles, individual circumstances and broader historic events, and cultural, social and economic contexts. The collection includes military uniforms from the late 19th and 20th centuries, including Victoria’s volunteer forces and World Wars I and II; a comprehensive collection of clothing designed by Prue Acton; collections from manufacturers such as Simpson’s Glove Factory, Gloweave and H. Perry and Co; and clothing and textiles from individual makers.
Project contact: Deborah Tout-Smith
Illustrations in the Publications of E.W. Cole
Edward William Cole was a prolific publisher, issuing hundreds of booklets and pamphlets as part of his work at Cole’s Book Arcade. The Arcade was one of the wonders of Melbourne in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, stocking over one million books in its heyday. It was both a menagerie and a circus, with musical performers, caged animals, a hall of mirrors and a fernery. Cole himself was a visionary for his time, extolling gender equality, the end of wars and religions, and a single common language. He believed the education, particularly involving reading, would bring wisdom and the improvement of humanity.
Research is being undertaken on the illustrators who brought Cole’s ideas to life in his publications, to this date largely unacknowledged. Issues around plagiarism in publications of this era will be explored.
Project contact: Deborah Tout-Smith
Military History Collection
The History & Technology Department holds a significant collection of military history, particularly relating to World Wars I and II. The collection includes diaries, letters, medals and personal objects used by soldiers in theatres of war. The research project is improving documentation of this collection, including gathering information on individual soldiers and their families, cataloguing photographs and contextualising a range of military material.
Project contacts: Deborah Tout-Smith and Charlotte Smith