HIDDEN TREASURES at Miss Porter’s House Museum
Discover hidden treasures at Newcastle’s only UNESCO recognised museum. Marvel at nationally recognised documents from the Miss Porter’s House collection and other rarely seen beautiful and unique family objects.
The Miss Porter’s House Documentary Heritage Collection 1910-1997 is inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register joining such priceless items as the First Fleet Journals. The Miss Porter’s House collection is of historical significance for its comprehensive and sometimes quirky coverage of the domestic life of a household of ordinary women living in a regional town across most of the twentieth century. It reflects their working, domestic, family and community lives.
There are about six thousand documents and objects in the collection, and many will be on display for the first time. Visitors will be able to see some of the rare and beautiful items owned and used by Florence, Ella and Hazel Porter.
The women kept scrapbooks of their leisure activities, and these are now a rare record of the detail of early twentieth century social history. The 1935-1938 radio scrapbook and the 1940s movie scrapbook contain press clippings about favourite programs and personalities. Visitors can perhaps relive the radio and cinema habits of their own forebears.
Slightly more unusual are the notebooks in which the Porters recorded household expenses and activities.
How much does a dog cost? In an ordinary exercise book Ella and Hazel kept track of expenses related to their dog Cooee, from the original advertisement, through to food, vitamins and the vet’s bills. Each page is neatly tallied (the women were trained bookkeepers), and we can see that, until his death in March 1990, Cooee cost $1,078.63.
The household documents, wonderful greetings post cards, photographs, and books together with personal objects like Hazel’s parasol and a tiny stylish mother-of-pearl evening purse will all be on display during HIDDEN TREASURES at Miss Porter’s House.
Entry”: Adults $12 Concession $10 Family $34 National Trust members and children under 5 free. Ph: 48270202