Dress and Domesticity: The Henty Letters

The State Library of Victoria holds an extensive archive of letters that were written by Mary Ann Henty and her daughters from the mid to late 19th century. A close reading of these letters reveals the everyday domestic arrangements, including the procurement and maintenance of dress, that governed the lives of the women of the Henty family who were the first European settlers in the Port Phillip District.

Read in conjunction with the recent donation of a number of their garments to the Kew Historical Society, this lecture will discuss aspects of the Henty women’s daily life and the multiple ways they dealt with their clothing needs as they negotiated life between the pastoral property of Merino Downs, and their Melbourne home in Kew.

Dr Laura Jocic is a curator and historian with a specialisation in dress and textiles.