Dress conservation

The Springfield-Faithfull family collection contains stunning garments from the 1730s to the 1960s. These garments were worn ⁠— or are strongly linked with ⁠— five generations of the Faithfull, Deane and Maple-Brown families.

Making the final touches to the dress

The collection includes bustled day dresses, beaded gowns, wedding dresses, tailored riding habits and a wide range of shoes and other accessories. It boasts the oldest dress in the Museum's collection.

Museum curators and conservators are working with these dresses to reveal stories of London’s weaving and textile industry, colonial migration, pastoralism at Springfield and Sydney’s social life.

Dress detectives

Read our blog post on researching the oldest dress in the Museum’s collection — a magnificent silk brocade gown from the 1700s.

Conservators Carmela Mollica and Kerryn Wagg brush-vacuumed and dry cleaned this dress, preparing it for display. Tears in the silk lining were repaired and silk on the sleeves was stabilised. Undergarments were constructed before the dress was placed on a mannequin.