We live surrounded by material things. Some are mundane and utilitarian, others exotic objects of desire, but all our belongings have something to say about who we are and how we live. Objects reflect both culture and history. Individually and collectively, they shape our lives, link us to others and connect us to the past. Yet objects are often strangely absent from accounts of past lives. This seminar series aims to unpack some of the stories that objects can tell about the present and about the past. We also hope to provide a forum for discussion for those of us interested in material histories. We aim to cast the net widely, with no limitations on either time or space.

First speaker:
All the Latest Novelties: Modernity, Luxury and Consumer Desire in Australia’s Nineteenth-century Arcades
with Nicole Davis
Nineteenth-century arcades were marketed as dreamworlds, where the desire for exclusive or exotic commodities could be indulged. They were curated spaces that aimed to have a specific mix of businesses, including shops, that offered diverse experiences and products to the consumer. In Australia, through advertising, displays and merchandising, arcade retailers particularly emphasised goods, including jewellery, clothing, and accessories, that had connotations of luxury, modernity, and cosmopolitanism. These often linked with international locations, trends, and fashions, to demonstrate the Australian colonies as places of progress, sophistication, and civility – where fashionable items could be attained just as they might in Britain, Europe, or North America. This presentation will look at some of the ways that businessowners created consumer desire for their products, from the humble to the extraordinary.

Nicole Davis is an urban historian, working in the museum and heritage sector, with a particular interest in retail and business histories. Her PhD thesis focused on the social, economic, and architectural history of Australia’s nineteenth-century arcades and their place in the contemporary world. Her latest co-authored book is The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes: Essential but Unplanned.

Second speaker:

Alterations as evidence of garment life cycles: wedding dress 1875/1943
with Dr Laura Jocic

A wedding dress in the Henty Costume Collection at the Kew Historical Society, which was made for Alice Henty when she married John Hindson in Melbourne in 1875, was radically redesigned in 1943 when it was worn by three of her granddaughters at their weddings during WWII. This presentation will discuss the dress and its alterations and how such a well-provenanced item can provide evidence of life cycles of a garment that was treasured and reused across generations.

Dr Laura Jocic is a curator and historian with particular expertise in fashion and textiles. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne investigating dress in Australian colonial society and is interested in the materialities of surviving items of dress to elucidate the complex histories of garments and dress practices.

Image caption: Earrings - Mounted Cameos, Gold, Gaunt, Melbourne, Victoria. Registration no. HT62147.
Photographer: Rodney Start. Source: Museums Victoria. Credit: Collection created by Trevor Hancock and Mark Dale.

Material Histories is presented by Old Treasury Building in partnership with Deakin University and Australian Catholic University.

Logos from the Old Treasury Building, Deakin University and Australian Catholic University.