Tasmania's oldest dress owned by artist Louisa Anne Meredith, an 'exquisite piece of history'

It is an elegant silk dress decorated with intricate stitching of pink flowers and is an important part of Tasmanian fashion history.

But the stunning 250-year-old dress, known as the mantua, was once considered a “form of undress” and could not be worn on the streets.

“What's really interesting about the mantua from a fashion historical perspective is that it was actually quite a radical piece of clothing for women at the time,” said Freya Harrington , textile restorer and clothing historian, to Joel Rheinberger on ABC Radio Hobart.

“He was way too cowardly,” she said.

Ms Harrington believes this dress is the oldest in Tasmania.

The dress belonged to the famous artist, naturalist and author Louisa Anne Meredith, who lived in Swansea.

Ms Harrington said the dress had been passed down through Meredith's family before being donated to the East Coast Heritage Museum almost 20 years ago.

“It’s an absolutely exquisite piece of history and fashion design,” she said.

A special dress

Ms Harrington said the silk taffeta dress and brocade were most likely made in England as early as 1770.

There are photos of Louisa Anne Meredith wearing it to the Tasmanian Government House in 1866.

“So he was probably from the generation before Louisa, probably from her mother or another family member,” she said.

“She obviously brought it with her when she emigrated to Tasmania.

“It’s just amazing to have this proof that she’s wearing it.”

Ms Harrington said the dress had been altered over the years.

“She kind of changed it to be a little more Victorian and fit the Victorian aesthetic of modesty of the time,” she said.

Among other things, Meredith wrote and produced theater productions, and the photo was taken during a Christmas pageant.

Origins of Mantua

The mantua originated in France in the 1670s but ended up being banned by the French court, although it was popular with Parisians.

“It wasn’t really appropriate to be seen on the street,” Ms Harrington said.

“But it became popular in England and was eventually taken up by the French court.”

The mantua then became the model for all women's dresses in the 18th century.

Unlike other clothing, the mantua was made by women, to the great discontent of the tailors' guilds, which were reserved for men.

Preserve the dress

Meredith's dress was last publicly displayed in early 2023 at the Narryna Heritage Museum in Hobart.

“We took some really good photos of it and then carefully boxed it up, padded it with lots of acid-free tissue paper and made sure it was happy to go and benefit from 'Beautiful sleep for a while,' Ms Harrington said. .

“We really want to make sure it can be on display again in the future.”

Ms Harrington said there had to be a balance between preserving the dress and allowing the public to see it.

“Because there’s no point in keeping something if no one can benefit from it,” she said.

“But it’s not fair to enjoy it so much now that no one will be able to enjoy it in the future.”

She said another textile restorer had assessed the dress as very fragile and would require stabilization work before being displayed again.

“All around the bottom of the hem is pretty ragged, and under the armpits it's falling apart.”

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