Wedding dress worn by Jane Anne Frazer (nee Churchill)
Object No. A10758
For many people the celebration of their wedding is one of the most important days of their life. This dress was worn by Jane Anne Frazer at her wedding in 1881. It reflects Australian social customs and fashions of the early 1880s. In this era many brides chose not to wear white dresses for economical and practical reasons. A coloured dress could be re-worn for formal occasions whereas white had limited use after the wedding day. Jane's dress is brown, a common choice of the time. This dress highlights the ornate drapery of the era and emphasis on the feminine shape. Its cuirasse bodice creates an elegant line; this style was fashionable until the mid 1880s. Weddings were traditionally held in the mornings until 1885 when laws were changed to extend the time when ceremonies could be conducted. Jane Frazer's wedding was in 1881, as custom dictated it was likely to be a morning wedding and therefore day dresses, such as Jane Anne's, were appropriate.
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Summary
Object Statement
Wedding dress, womens, silk / cotton, maker unknown, worn by Jane Anne Frazer (nee Churchill) at her wedding to John William Frazer in Taree in July 1881, probably made in Australia, 1880-1881
Physical Description
Wedding dress of brown silk taffeta with cotton lining.
DIMENSIONS
Height
1360 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The maker of this wedding dress is unknown. It was probably made in Australia between 1880 and 1881. The dress is predominantly machine sewn.
HISTORY
Notes
This dress was worn by Jane Anne Frazer (nee Churchill) at her wedding to John William Frazer in Taree in July 1881. On their wedding invitation she is referred to as 'Miss Annie Jane Churchill'. They were married at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Taree by Reverend W. G. Taylor. A Taree newspaper reported that their marriage was one of the first to be celebrated in this church that had recently been erected to replace the old one (Taree, 1935). Jane Anne was born at Kolodong or Tinonee on the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales. As a young woman she was a Sunday School teacher at the Presbyterian Church in Taree. After she married John they moved into a terrace house that he had built at 18 Watkin Street Newtown in Sydney. They stayed in this home for the rest of their lives, Jane Anne died there in 1935. They had three girls and two boys. The dress shows evidence of much wear and may have been let out for one of Jane's pregnancies.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs Frazer's descendants, 1984
Acquisition Date
26 September 1984
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