Behind the scenes at the Sovereign Hill's Centre for Gold Rush Collections. Lauren Bourke shares the story behind this 1860s dress worn in Ballarat. Video by Nieve Walton
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00:00This is one particularly significant dress that we have in the collection.
00:04We believe it dates to around 1867.
00:08It was worn by Mary Fenton Whitelaw when she was 17 years old to attend a huge ball that
00:13was held here in Ballarat.
00:16In 1867 royalty came to Ballarat for the first time and a huge ball was held in Ballarat
00:24and she attended that with her family and we understand that she wore this dress at
00:29that event and the family story is that she met her husband at that ball and went on to
00:35marry him and have a number of children.
00:39So it's very special to us because we've got that story.
00:43It's not just the costume piece, it's also the story that sits behind it.
00:48Whether or not Mary made the dress we're not sure but what we're doing also with our fashion
00:53and textile pieces is now with the Rare Trades Centre engaging with artisans and makers to
00:58better understand the significance of the items that we hold.