POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Drawstring purse used by Agnes Thompson at her wedding

Object No. 2005/210/2

This purse forms part of a collection of wedding attire, including shoes, dress and drawstring purses, which were worn by Agnes Thompson on her wedding to Dr George Busby, government medical officer at the Convict Hospital at Bathurst, on 11 January 1833. At the time that Agnes Thompson married George Busby, weddings - and wedding dresses - were often quite simple with the intention that the dress and accessories would be used for 'best' for some years to come. The dress is typical of the fashions of the 1830s in its simple classical design and the shoes, imported from London, reveal how closely English fashions were followed despite the distance and the comparative isolation. This collection is particularly interesting in that Agnes has left a description of her wedding day in her Memoirs: '...George and I were married at the cottage at 'Saltram' by my brother Tom. My bridesmaids were Eliza Piper and Miss Ball, who was governess at 'Alloway Bank', and afterwards married my brother'. She goes on to write that after the service the wedding party were entertained to dinner by Captain Piper at his property 'Alloway Bank', during which Captain Piper's servants 'discoursed sweet music for the company'. This purse and related items are rare, well provenanced and important surviving examples of an early colonial woman's costume. The collection has added significance through the family's links to John Busby, George's father, who designed and constructed the bore that brought fresh water for Sydney's inhabitants from Lachlan Swamps (Centennial Park) into a reservoir in Hyde Park, Sydney. REF: Busby, Agnes, Bathurst in the thirties: some memories of the early days / by a nonagenarian, Alfred J. Dowse, Bathurst, 1902

Loading...

Summary

Object Statement

Drawstring purse, with artificial flower, silk / textile, possibly made by Agnes Thompson, Australia / England, 1833

Physical Description

Cream silk purse lined in cream cotton with drawstring made from cream silk ribbon. A rectangular card covered with the same cream silk has been stitched to the centre of each side with the card surrounded by piping formed from cream silk ribbon. The card on one side is painted with a design of purple violets and on the other side with purple daisies. The purse is simply made possibly by Agnes Thompson or one of her friends or relatives.

DIMENSIONS

Height

200 mm

Width

210 mm

Depth

25 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

The purse is simply constructed and may well have been made by Agnes Thompson or one of her relatives of friends. At the time there was a fashion for making such drawstring reticules to hold necessaries such as money, comb, handkerchief and fan.

HISTORY

Notes

The purse was passed down through the descendants of Agnes and George Busby and is said to have been used by Agnes on her wedding day, 11 January 1833.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of Kirsten Halley, Catriona Clifton-Bligh and Charles Alexander, 2005

Acquisition Date

13 October 2005

Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.

Image Licensing Enquiry

Object Enquiry