Underwear

Maker & role
Unknown, Maker
 See full details

Object detail

Collection
Meroogal
Measurements
0 - Whole, H: 60 x W: 31.5cm (H: 600 x W: 315mm); Waist, Circ: 63cm (Circ: 630mm)
Production notes
Bloomers were named after American Amelia Bloomer who tried to encourage women to wear pants for outer wear and sport in the 1890s. This met with resistance and ridicule. The term then became somewhat derogatory.
Credit line
Purchase, 1985
Meroogal Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
Underwear
Description
Underwear holds memories for June Wallace (family descendent and last private owner of Meroogal, b1917). As a child she wore stays (a stiff vest like a corset) and drawers with button on tapes or a flap and gathered legs. She had a pair to match every dress but she admired her friends 'bloomers'. She had to wait until she was seven (1924). She liked to tuck her hanky into her bloomers which you could not do with drawers. Bloomers were fashionable and epitomised the new woman. So called after American Amelia Bloomer who tried to encourage women to wear pants for outer wear and sport in the 1890s. This met with resistance and ridicule. The term then became somewhat derogatory. They protected a girl's modesty when skirts were rising to the knee and women were dancing with gay abandon, both unprecedented 20th century developments. These silk bloomers are hand stitched and trimmed with lace.
Accession number
M87/470

Share

My shortlist

Maker

Object name

Subject

Media / Materials

Technique

Explore other objects by colour

Public comments

Be the first to comment on this object record.

Google reCaptchaThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.