Bag
Textile bag
Rag
Maker & role
Unknown, Maker
Production date
Mid 20th Century
See full details
Object detail
Collection
Measurements
0 - Whole, L: 50 x W: 42cm (L: 500 x W: 420mm)
Credit line
Gift, 1997
Susannah Place Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Susannah Place Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
Handmade duster or rag bag, maker unknown, early 20th century, jute hessian and wood
Description
This bag, used to store duster and cleaning rags was made by remodelling a hessian sugar sack made from jute. The inside of the bag retains the branding from the original sack: `Colonial Sugar Refining Co Ltd / Pure / Cane / Sugar / 70lbs / Sydney 1A'. Measuring 50cm in length and 42cm wide, the bag is an example of adaptive reuse of materials, generally due to thrift or prudent household management. A wooden coat hanger inserted into the top of the bag through which the metal hook could protrude meant the bag could be hung from a hook in a cupboard, or for more convenient access, on a wall or on the back of a door. Fabric trim with floral pattern in blue-green background makes the bag more decorative for domestic use and suggests it may have been visible to householders. It also helps to reinforce seams and edges and prevent fraying where the hessian had been cut. Obvious places of wear show evidence of stress points and active use over many years. At the back of the bag, hessian patches have been used to reinforce and-or cover over sections where the coat hanger ends have worn through.
The floral trim matches the fabric used on a kneeling mat (to protect knees when scrubbing floors) from the same original owner, also held in the Susannah Place collection (SP97/30) and was probably made at a similar time.
The bag is one of many practical household items that belonged to Margaret and Tom Shaw of Longueville, NSW, and donated to the Museums of History NSW Susannah Place Museum collection by their daughter Penny Pike.
The floral trim matches the fabric used on a kneeling mat (to protect knees when scrubbing floors) from the same original owner, also held in the Susannah Place collection (SP97/30) and was probably made at a similar time.
The bag is one of many practical household items that belonged to Margaret and Tom Shaw of Longueville, NSW, and donated to the Museums of History NSW Susannah Place Museum collection by their daughter Penny Pike.
Accession number
SP97/26
Share
Maker
Object name
Contact Us
Head Office
The Mint, 10 Macquarie St
Sydney, NSW 2000
On Gadigal land
T 02 8239 2288
TTY 02 8239 2377
E info@mhnsw.au
Public comments
Be the first to comment on this object record.