Pillowcase made from an Albury flour mill bag
Object No. 87/745
This cotton pillowcase is made from a 'Bakers Gem' brand 25-pound flour bag originally filled by the Burrows' Hume Flour Mill in the New South Wales town of Albury. The fabric from the bag was cut and hemmed to convert it for reuse during the Great Depression and afterwards. It was made and used by members of the Manwaring family from about 1930 to 1945. The old Hume flour mill in Albury was bought in 1869 by John Burrows Pty Ltd. It closed in 1908, was dismantled in 1909, rebuilt in 1910 and sold in 1946 to Bunge Australia Pty Ltd. The Hume was one of several flour mills which used to operate in Albury including Fanny Ceres, Richard Heaver, Meddler and Brebner, and Alexander Moon. Margaret Simpson, Curator, May 2020 Reference: Phillip Simpson, 'Historical Guide to New South Wales', Australian Scholarly Publishing Pty Ltd, North Melbourne, Vic., 2020. This simple household item is an excellent example of the 'making do' tradition and the local re-use of materials. Unlike recycling, such re-use does not require transport to a depot or factory, sorting, forming into a new product and transport to the consumer. As it cuts out all these energy-consuming steps, and the energy-intensive step of melting in the case of plastic, glass or metal, re-use is preferable to recycling. Debbie Rudder, Curator, 2012
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Summary
Object Statement
Pillowcase, made from 'Bakers Gem' brand 25-pound flour bag from Burrows Hume Flour Mill, cotton, Albury, New South Wales, Australia, sewn by Mrs F.L. Manwaring, used by Manwaring family, [c 1930-1945]
Physical Description
Pillowcase, made from 'Bakers Gem' brand 25-pound flour bag from Burrows Hume Flour Mill, cotton, Albury, New South Wales, Australia, sewn by Mrs F.L. Manwaring, used by Manwaring family, [c 1930-1945]
DIMENSIONS
Width
510 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The donor, Mrs F L Manwaring, made the pillowcase sometime between 1930 and 1945. She turned the flour bag inside out so that the logos printed on it were less obtrusive, and then stitched on an extra length of fabric to provide a flap to fold over the end of a pillow.
HISTORY
Notes
The pillowcase was used by members of Mrs Manwaring's family.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of F L Manwaring, 1987
Acquisition Date
26 June 1987
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