The Springfield-Faithfull family collection contains stunning garments from the 1730s to the 1960s. These garments were worn — or are strongly linked with — five generations of the Faithfull, Deane and Maple-Brown families.
The collection includes bustled day dresses, beaded gowns, wedding dresses, tailored riding habits and a wide range of shoes and other accessories. It boasts the oldest dress in the Museum's collection.
Museum curators and conservators are working with these dresses to reveal stories of London’s weaving and textile industry, colonial migration, pastoralism at Springfield and Sydney’s social life.
Dress conservation
See a dress from the collection being prepared for display by conservators Carmela Mollica and Kerryn Wagg. This dress was brush-vacuumed and dry cleaned. Tears in the silk lining were repaired and silk on the sleeves was stabilised. Undergarments were constructed before the dress was placed on a mannequin.
Inspecting and recording
Cotton bud to treat fabric
Brush-vacuuming a sleeve on the dress
Inspecting damage on the dress
Trimming fabric being used to repair the dress
Fine repair work
Stitching
Repair detail
A burr in the hemline
Bodice detail
Preparing the skirt
Adjusting the skirt on the mannequin
Arranging the front of the bodice
Adjusting the front of the dress
Making the final touches to the dress
Explore more on the Springfield–Faithfull family collection