Tag Archives: 1850s lifestyles

Household Arts of the 1850’s: A personal experience

Woman of the Hill

Ever wondered what it would be like to have lived during the 19th Century? Would you like to experience it for yourself? Well you don’t have to, because we have someone to do it for you. Jenni Fithall is a volunteer at Sovereign Hill Museum, Ballarat. She belongs to the “Friends of Sovereign Hill” (FOSH), a group that helps to bring the Museum to life for visitors.

Sovereign Hill Volunteer Jenni Fithall, who will be living in one of our cottages for 3 days in March 2013

Sovereign Hill Volunteer Jenni Fithall, who will be living in one of our cottages for 3 days in March 2013

Jenni has decided to try living in one of the cottages on Speedwell St for two nights and three days in March. Our Education Officers recently interviewed Jenni, to find out how she felt about her upcoming adventure. Continue reading

A Colonial Christmas in Ballarat

Christmas Celebrations in the 1850s

A drawing of Christmas celebrations during the gold rush.  - National Library of Australia

A drawing of Christmas celebrations on the diggings – from the National Library of Australia

Christmas in Ballarat during the gold rush was very different than it is today.  They didn’t have all the glitzy decorations that adorn our modern streets and houses.  Despite this, they worked hard to create a joyous atmosphere that could remind them of Christmas back home.  Although, as this newspaper article highlights, they don’t seem to be missing the cold winter days…

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Gold Rush Babes: Children’s fashion in the 1850s

Children’s Clothing during the Gold Rush

Children’s clothing would depend largely on the wealth of their parents.  Those children fortunate enough to be born into wealthy families would have comfortable, high quality and fashionable clothing.  Poor children would have to make do with basic clothes that would be worn until they fell apart.  Social expectations of the time dictated that children, like men and women, should be modestly and neatly (as much as possible) attired at all times.

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Household Arts of the 1850s: Sweeping, Beating and Scrubbing

The Household Arts: Sweeping, Beating and Scrubbing

Keeping the floors clean in the 1850s was a never-ending challenge!  On the golfields, the early arrivals had to contend with the most basic of dwellings: tents and timbers huts, most of which had dirt floors.  Some enterprising families and businesses would use crushed quartz for flooring as it was found to be a good way to avoid flea infestations.  Even in the later years of the gold rush, many diggers would still live in huts and tents, allowing them to save their money and move on quickly as new leads were discovered.

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Household Arts of the 1850s: Ironing

The Household Arts: Ironing

This is another in a series of posts about the Household Arts during the 19th century.  You can also read our first post about Laundry and our second about drying clothes here.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, please leave a comment or contact us!

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Books for Teaching History: Playing Beatie Bow

Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park

Playing-Beatie-Bow-CoverPlaying Beatie Bow has been read in schools for the past 30 years or so.  While it may be beginning to look dated to children today and the language can be challenging, it is still a rich historical fiction full of insights into Australia during the Victorian era.

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Household Arts in the 1850s: Laundry (Drying)

Hanging Clothes out to Dry in the 1850s

Melanie wrote to ask to ask what people used for clothes lines and pins in the 1850s, so we thought we’d share some information and photos about clothes drying methods from years gone by.

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Gold Rush Beaus: Men’s Fashion in the 1850s

Clothing and fashion for men during the Gold Rush

Men were very concerned with fashion and accessories in the 1850s, though perhaps not as much as their womenfolk.  Clothing was a sign of one’s class and status in society; it could tell you about a man’s level of wealth, respectability and their occupation.  But here in Victoria, as the gold rush was causing a shift in wealth and class, the distinction was not always so clear.

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