Please be advised: this website contains the names, images and voices of people who are now deceased.
Collections WA has a responsibility to preserve and make accessible the history and culture of Western Australia in all its various forms. The intention of Collections WA is to support research, and to reveal actions of the past that have impacted upon communities, families, and individuals.
In doing so, Collections WA acknowledges the need to respond sensitively and appropriately in cases when accessing this material may be confronting to Aboriginal visitors and clients.
Please also note: Some historical materials within this portal may include language or opinions that today are considered inappropriate or even offensive. Collections WA does not endorse this language and apologises for any distress caused.
This red cape belonged to Helena, a child of Joseph London. In 1865 Joseph came to Australia as a convict from Worcester in England, for a seven-year sentence of 'servitude and labour' in York. Once Joseph served his sentence, he was considered a free man. He settled in York and married Eliza Sarah Doncon and had five children, Sophia, Elizabeth, Eliza, Helena and James.
