Babies, blackboards and bandages at museum

Three new exhibitions at the Armidale Folk Museum are celebrating some very wise and healthy themes.

Royal babies, education from a previous era and the dedication of New England nurses are all explored by the displays, which will feature at the museum until the end of July.

To celebrate the upcoming birth of a new royal, the museum has a lovely display of babies’ clothes and accessories dating from the mid 1880s to the 1950s. Every baby’s a royal baby recalls the time when babies were often dressed in lovingly handmade gowns featuring lace, frills and pleats aplenty.

“We have a large collection of babies christening gowns and baby dresses from the end of the 19th century up to the 1940s,” Museum Team Leader Hayley Ward said.

“These types of clothes are often in good condition as they weren’t used often enough to wear out.”

An early 20th century classroom has been created for the Schools in! exhibition, including items borrowed from the Museum of Education.  Schools in!  recalls a time when chalk boards and slates were the main tools used for teaching and classes of all ages were held in a single room. 

Relive those early years as the New England region was being established and parents strove to give their children a decent education for a brighter future.

To coincide with Anzac Day, Courage & Devotion: New England nurses in WW2 tells the stories of three local nurses who signed up to save lives, not to end them.

“People often focus on male troops, but what of the women who nursed them?” Ms Ward said.

Courage & Devotion highlights the commitment and sacrifice of young women who volunteered to nurse the wounded and dying in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

The Armidale Folk Museum is on the corner of Faulkner and Rusden Street and is open daily from 11am to 2pm. Entry is by gold coin donation.

For more information, visits the Museums & Galleries page on Council’s website.

Published on 06 May 2019