Dressed to Impress:- Mt Malcom dress

Australia entered a severe depression in the 1890s, and when gold was discovered in the Kalgoorlie district in 1893 many flocked to the region in the hope of resolving their economic woes. In 1896 gold was discovered in Gwalia, near Leonora, and the ‘Sons of Gwalia’ mine was established. Facilities were needed to keep the booming population entertained and pubs, theatres and music halls offered a place for socialising.

In February 1896 David and his brother Philip bought and managed the Leonora Hotel. Made of hessian and timber, it was the first hotel to be established in the town. Often advertised as the ‘Home of the Working Man’, the Leonora Hotel was also used and advertised as a ‘large music hall suitable for concerts, balls, etc’ under various names, such as the ‘Barnes Hotel and Music Hall’ and ‘Barnes Tivoli Theatre’ (Gray 2003). In May 1899 work commenced on the adjoining hall, named the Barnes Federal Theatre, which was officially opened in April 1901. The Leonora Hotel was demolished in 1927; however the Barnes Federal Theatre is now listed on the Western Australian State Register of Heritage Places (Heritage Council 2006).

Under the management of the Barnes family the Leonora Hotel and the Barnes Federal Theatre served as key venues for recreational and entertainment activities within the district, and musical performances were held to entertain the miners. This dress was worn by Sarah when taking part in entertainments at the Leonora Hotel, and most likely the Barnes Federal Theatre. Cut-out paper beer bottles have been sewn on the bodice and skirt, advertising the ‘Malcolm Brewery’, which was located in the nearby town of Malcolm. The ‘Mt Leonora Miner’ newspaper, January 1903, writes that the Malcolm brewery supplied the Leonora Hotel, and various other local outlets, with ‘Ale and Stout’ (Turnbull 1990). The wearing of this outfit by a woman on the male-dominated goldfields would certainly have attracted the attention of a single miner, and is likely to have been a successful form of advertising.

The harsh life of the goldfields was generally considered unsuitable for women. However with a number of pubs opening to cater for the fluctuating and itinerant population, many women found employment, and financial independence, as barmaids. Such work was deemed by many to be an unsuitable and immoral occupation for socially respectable women. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, for instance, although supporting women’s right to work and advocating for women’s suffrage, campaigned throughout the 1890s and beyond for the legal removal of the ‘barmaid’ in Australian pubs. Mrs W McLean, President of the Victorian Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, in 1902 stated: ‘…we cannot be uninterested in what concerns a large class of our sisters who earn their daily bread by this occupation’, promoting that barmaids be drafted ‘into much more womanly and suitable work’ (Kirby 1997). Yet bartending, and indeed the ownership or leasing of pubs, was not uncommon for women whose employment options at this time remained relatively limited, and it proved for many women to be a successful and lucrative venture.

This well provenance dress is a fine example of late 19th century Australian women’s evening wear. It gives insight into the life of women on the West Australian goldfields, along with their role in the entertainment and brewing industry.

REF:    Gray, Laura, ‘Conservation Management Plan: Barnes Federal theatre, currently known as Leonora Community Telecentre’, prepared for Gwalia and Leonora Historical Museum Ltd, 2003

Heritage Council of Western Australia, Register of Heritage Places: Barnes Federal Theatre, accessed at http://register.heritage.wa.gov.au/PDF_Files/B%20Reg/Barnes%20Federal%20Theatre%20%28P%29.PDF, viewed 09/10/2007, document created 26/05/2006

McLean, W, Alliance Record, October 1902, p154, quoted in Kirkby, Diane, ‘Barmaids: A History of Women’s Work in Pubs’, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997, p109-110

Turnbull, C. W. F., ‘Looking Back: Leonora & Gwalia 1896-1963’, (3rd ed.), Leonora Gwalia Historical Museum Ltd, Perth, 1990 Physical Description

An evening dress consisting of a bodice and skirt. The bodice is fitted and boned. It has a deep square neckline, cut-away shoulders and short, puffed sleeves. The bodice fastens down the back with concealed metal hook and eye fastenings. A painted paper beer bottle has been sewn to the centre front of the bodice. Adhered to the centre of the beer bottle is a ‘MALCOLM BREWERY SPARKLING PALE ALE’ label. Cut out paper letters are sewn above bottle ‘Please Return when Empty’ and below the bottle ‘MT MALCOLM’. The full, gored skirt of the dress has a narrow tape waistband and a centre back metal hook and eye fastening. Deep pleats give the back of the skirt fullness. There is a wide flounce around the bottom of the skirt. The middle section of the skirt is decorated with large paper rings with text printed in blue ‘FROM THE MALCOLM BREWERY MT. MALCOLM’. The lower skirt and flounce are decorated with printed paper beer bottle labels from Malcolm Brewery.

Notes

This dress comprises a separate skirt and bodice worked in heavy cream satin. The skirt is fitted over the hips with a deep flounce at the bottom. The fitted boned bodice extends to shallow peaks at the front and back to create a fluid line. Deep pleats at the skirt back give the rear fullness, a style that was slowly changing throughout the 1890s. During this period emphasis moved from the rear to the bust and evening gowns commonly featured low-cut bodices, often lower than is seen on this dress, in contrast to the high-necked collars worn by day (Fletcher 1984). Similarly, evening gowns were sleeveless or with short, puffed sleeves. This machine-made dress has been decorated with cut-out paper beer bottles advertising Malcolm Brewery, which have been roughly tacked onto the skirt and bodice.

 

This 1890s dress was worn by the donor’s grandmother, Sarah Jane Barnes, who lived and worked at the Western Australian goldfields, Leonora, with her husband David John Barnes. Born in Australia, Sarah Jane Barnes married David John Barnes (born in Young, New South Wales, 1864) in 1882 at Waverley, New South Wales. The couple moved to Western Australia in around 1895 (Gray 2003).

Before running the Leonora Hotel and Barnes Federal Theatre, David Barnes supplied miners with bread and other foods, and water, which he carted from Perth to Kalgoorlie and Menzies. In 1896 David and his brother Philip bought the Leonora Hotel (now demolished), which was the first hotel in Leonora. Construction of the adjacent Barnes Federal Theatre commenced in 1899, and it officially opened in April 1901 (Heritage Council 26/5/2006). This dress was worn by Sarah Barnes during musical performances at the Leonora Hotel, and most likely the Barnes Federal Theatre.

David Barnes served on the Leonora Council in 1900. In 1911 he opened the Glideway skating rink next to the Barnes Federal Theatre. David Barnes died suddenly on 10 November 1920 at his residence, the Leonora Hotel. Title of the Hotel was transferred to Sarah in July 1921 and it is likely that she continued to run the Lenora Hotel after David’s death. A local newspaper dated 23 December 1923 lists businesses operating in the area and includes ‘Mrs S.A. Barnes, Leonora Hotel’ (Turnbull 1990). On 17 June 1926, Sarah remarried and moved to New South Wales. The Leonora Hotel was demolished in 1927.

David John Barnes’ death certificate indicates that he and Sarah had four children, all of them girls.

Information supplied by donor   Acquisition Date   22 August 1989

Malcolm Brewery