Connecting Threads

Connecting Threads is a fascinating exhibition that traces fashion, fabric and everyday life at Brisbane’s oldest residence Newstead House.

Borne out of 18 months of research and discovery, the exhibition explores the fashion and textile collection of the historic house and uses materials from the collection to trace connections between objects and stories of fashion, material and domesticity.

Researcher and Exhibition Curator Catriona Fisk spent hours digging in boxes, cupboards and all of the nooks and crannies of Newstead House to discover an exciting and unexpected collection of eighteenth and nineteenth century clothing, which is now on display along with items such as early 20th century made by Brisbane school girls from that era.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

A stunning hand woven silk open gown from India, dating back to 1797-99, just before the high-waisted empire dress era of Jane Austen and the early 19th century and just after the styles from the Marie Antoinette era. Naturally dyed with gold thread Indian Flower motif and made from panels that may have been from a previous garment, the dress style represents the transition between the two fashion phases.

A beautiful gentleman’s waistcoat dating back to 1775 is one of four waistcoats in the collection that date back to the same family and had been once worn in Lichfield Staffordshire by the ancestors of a family who migrated to Australia and still live in Brisbane today.

A travelling outfit made by Margaret McLeod in NSW in 1887 for her wedding day.

Nice to know – Connecting Threads is part of an ongoing revitalisation process at Newstead House, which aims to re-imagine the concept of the living museum through community engagement and innovative programming.

Need to know – The exhibition can be viewed during normal Newstead House opening times and is included in the museum entry price.

Newstead House is a valued sponsor of Must Do Brisbane.com