WEDDING DRESS, CLARA BUTTERLY 1885
Part of the Ray Paynter collection.
Fawn and grey wedding gown, hand and machine sown, with silver piping and lace cuffs, and four tiers of pleats at the bottom of the skirt.
The interior is of brown cotton.
The front of the gown has buttons, a decorative pocket and bows.
The back is gathered up into a bustle.
Worn by Clara Butterly at her wedding.
Hand modified and later worn by Dawn Atwell for her 21st birthday.
Made by Mrs. Fred Green and worn by Sara Clara Butterly for her wedding to Henry (Harry) Davey in 1885, at St. Phillips Church, Culham in the Toodyay District. Known as Clara the bride was born in 1858 and died in 1945. Clara's granddaughter was Dawn Atwell who hand modified the garment and wore it for her 21st birthday, probably in the 1940s.
Details
Details
On 8 September 2010, Beth Frayne approached the Museum Curator on behalf of Mrs. Ray Paynter, offering six items in Mrs. Paynter's possession. These were 19th/20th century textiles originally from the estate of Ms. Dawn Atwell. Mrs. Paynter had expressed her belief that the items in question would be afforded better protection and care as part of the museum collection. (They have now been incorporated into the Shire of Toodyay's museum collection under accession numbers 2011.1 - 2011.6 inclusive.)
In 2012 textile conservator Rinske Car gently cleaned the dress. She described the garment as follows, "This is a wedding dress. Made of a fawn and grey coloured silk with cotton lining and cotton lace cuffs. A collar is absent. The dress has had adjustments made to it. This directs to the later use of the dress. More work could be done to return this dress to its former glory as it is a magnificent garment. The lace cuffs are made of cotton."
The provenance of the Ray Paynter collection is between the 1880s to the1940s and is related to the female line of several historic Toodyay families.
The earliest association of these items (likely the hand-made lace and possibly the cloak) is with Catherine Quinn, an Irish needlewoman who worked for Mr. Chidlow at Northam. Catherine later married James Butterly and gave birth to Clara (also known in some records as Sarah Butterly) who wore the wedding dress and shoes when she married Henry Davey.
Other items from Shire of Toodyay
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BULLETS X 6; ROUND NOSE.303
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BULLETS X 3: PISTOL .303
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BULLETS; FRAGMENTS .303
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BULLET; BOAT TAIL .308
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BULLET, PISTOL (UNKNOWN)
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RING HANDLE, AMMUNITION CASE
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STAMPS X 3 AFFIXED TO CARD; 2 X ONE PENNY RED AND 1 X TWOPENCE YELLOW
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SEWING MACHINE; SINGER 31K
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WEDDING SHOES
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LADY'S CLOAK
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LADY'S COLLAR, OR SMALL CLOAK
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SILK APRON
