a shoebox full of dresses

Ivey

a shoebox full of dresses
My mother moved from Tasmania to Victoria when she was seven – after her mum passed away. When she arrived my great-aunt Ivey gave her a present to welcome her, which was a doll with a handmade dress. These dresses were made by friends of my grandpa: Mrs. Collier and Mrs. Burrows. Each Christmas my mum and aunty were given a shoebox of them, made from material off-cuts. This tradition was reignited once my sister and I had dolls, too. The dresses were made to fit everyone’s dolls; my mum thinks Ivey sneakily took the measurements and gave them to Mrs. Collier and Mrs. Burrows to make patterns from.

My grandpa was a football fanatic who watched his team training, playing matches and even going into the rooms at half time. Mum remembers being at the footy oval, sitting in the back of their Hillman Hunter with her sister. They played with the dolls to entertain themselves while Ivey was in the front seat knitting.

After having my second baby, my mum and I were sorting through the things she’d kept all these years, deciding what we should keep and pass onto my boys. When I saw the dresses I knew I just had to document them to ensure their stories were not lost and forgotten. Since having children I feel an urgency to capture memories and document ones from the past for our family’s future generations.

I photographed them as I found them: complete with wrinkles, stains and traces of writing. I like that you can see the lives they have led. The dresses hold so much history within their stitches. My sons may or may not be interested in them, but I will be looking after them for future generations.

I think these images receive such a strong response because they’re nostalgic and can invoke childhood memories, transporting us back in time. But I think they can also represent comparisons of culture and society; handmade versus mass-produced; materialism; plus how women were, and are, represented. Everyone will find their own stories and meanings within them.

As told to frankie magazine (issue 45) – frankie.com.au

Elizabeth

Mrs Collier

Dorothy

Jane

Helen