Day Dress, worn by Mrs Josephine Geyer

Who was Mrs Josephine Geyer?

Mrs Geyer was born Josephine Bunn in 1830 in England, arriving in Adelaide in the 1840s and, by 1850, her father, Francis Bunn, was the publican of the Golden Fleece hotel on Currie Street. Adelaide was already a bustling city: money was flowing back from the Victorian goldfields, train lines were being built to Port Adelaide and to Gawler to support agriculture, and the Melbourne to Adelaide telegraph line opened in 1858. There was support for the arts too, with the South Australian Institute being established in 1856. The Institute held regular exhibitions and advocated for a permanent state gallery collection.

Josephine married Frederick Geyer of Adelaide in 1857. Frederick and his family were likely among those who had left regions of Prussia (now part of Germany) as a result of religious persecution. Frederick, a chemist, was proprietor of Geyer & Co, on Hindley Street. Josephine and Frederick had two children, a boy and a girl, but just five years after their marriage Fredrick became ill with influenza and died, soon followed by their daughter Eva. After Frederick’s death Josephine managed the chemist business.

This dress was donated in 1937 by Miss Gertrude Madigan, following the centenary of Colonisation celebrations in 1936. At the time of the donation, it was recorded that Mrs Geyer was Gertrude’s great-aunt.

Day Dress Details

Josephine’s striking day dress is made from a heavy corded cotton, wool and silk blend. The fabric features an unusual design, with its base colour of tan and intervals of cream, green, yellow and red stripes intersecting with bands of a delicate arrow-like pattern. Although the fabric is heavy and hard-wearing, the silk threads used to create the arrow patterns shimmer in the light.

The gown was made by a skilled dressmaker and, during its making, the fabric was carefully lined up to ensure that the repeating pattern is used to the best effect. The long, full sleeves, dropped shoulders, slightly pointed waistline and bell-shaped skirt are characteristic of dress designs of this period. The dress would have been worn over a corset and hooped skirt. Advances in manufacturing during the first half of the nineteenth century meant that corsets had become more flexible, while hooped skirts were lighter and cheaper, freeing women from the heavy underskirts worn earlier in the century.

This gown has hook-and-eye closures on the front of the bodice and also features decorative buttons at the centre front, from neck to floor, these gradually increasing in size. The green thread used on these buttons matches that of a tartan dress also worn by Mrs Geyer, which is held in AGSA’s collection.

As was often the case in this period, the dress has no maker’s label, so it’s impossible to know for sure who made it or where the fabric was produced, although it is known that Adelaide had numerous drapers, including Miller Anderson, which was located almost next door to Geyer and Co. on Hindley Street. It is likely then that this dress was made in Adelaide from imported material.

It is estimated, based on the shape of the dress and the combination of machine and hand stitching, that this gown was made and worn in the 1860s. This suggested date aligns with similar gowns found in period photographs and fashion plates, as well as in painted portraits.

Text by Ingrid Goetz is the Vernon-Roberts Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts & Design at AGSA, featured in AGSA Magazine