It is one thing to read about the Art Deco fashions that graced Queensland streets in the 1920s, but it’s quite another to see the original garments up close. Miegunyah House Museum has brought us this rare chance with its exhibition, Thoroughly Modern.

Miegunyah is an 1880s Queenslander perched high in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills. It has operated as a house museum since 1968 and is home to the Queensland Women’s Historical Association (QWHA) which researches and promotes the contribution of women to Queensland’s development from the early years of European settlement. Since the 1950s, the QWHA has built a significant collection of domestic and personal artefacts from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, including furniture, art works, ornaments, silverware, kitchen and laundry equipment, costumes, textiles, toys and handicrafts.

To bring us the Thoroughly Modern exhibition, Miegunyah has delved deep into its archives of 1920s Queensland fashion, a period when hemlines shortened, waistlines dropped and once-long locks were bobbed and shingled, epitomised by the style icon of the Flapper. Miegunyah’s collection shows us that Queensland women were fervent followers of these fashion trends, which swept the western world as part of the modern movement.

Here is a taste of some of the coats, frocks, accessories, beachwear and fabrics from the collection, on display as part of Thoroughly Modern.

Theatre coats

Pale peach velvet theatre coat with diagonal folding detail on collar, cuffs and hem, ca. 1920.

Black silk velvet theatre coat with beaded embellishment, ca.1920.

Colourful theatre coat made from burntout velvet, a new fabric developed in the 1920s using chemical gel to create patterns, ca. 1920.

Frocks

Cream lace dress, ca. 1920.

Black silk evening dress embellished with glass beads, sequins, diamontes and embroidery, ca. 1929. Owned by Lucy Jean Dinmore Cribb, Brisbane.

Accessories

Beaded reticule made of fabric and glass beads, ca. 1920s.

Beaded handbag embellished with multi-coloured glass beads, ca. 1925.

Gold leather dance shoes, ca. 1925.

Hair comb, ca. 1920.

Beachwear

Jantzen swimsuit box and black swimsuit with diving girl logo symbolising a new age of freedom, ca. 1929. The swimsuit was purchased by Gertrude Richardson at Allan and Stark Department Store, Queen Street, Brisbane.

Beach parasol made of embroidered linen, carved wooden handle and Bakelite spoke tips, ca. 1925. Owned by Eunice Paten, Brisbane.

Fabrics

Detail of fabrics in Miegunyah’s 1920s fashion collection.

The Thoroughly Modern exhibition is open to the public on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays until 11 October 2015. Admission $7.50. Located at 35 Jordan Tce, Bowen Hills.

Thank you to Miegunyah House Museum for permission to publish photographs of the exhibition.

**If you enjoyed this article and would like to keep up-to-date with similar stories as they are published, please either like the Queensland Deco Project Facebook page or subscribe to follow the blog.**

Image acknowledgements 

Exhibition flyer and image of black silk evening dress courtesy of Miegunyah House Museum. All other images by Queensland Deco Project. Images may not be reproduced without prior permission of both Queensland Deco Project and Miegunyah House Museum.

Categories: Collections, Fashion

Tags: 1920s, Brisbane, Flapper, museum, women