dress

In the 1850s, tens of thousands of Chinese people traveled to the Australian goldfields. Written accounts, artworks, photographs, and artifacts from a vivid picture of Chinese people in Australia at the time of the gold rush. This writing is complemented with the same photo of Kwong Sue Duk, his three wives, and 14 children. Yet, no other explanation is and info is provided. Source: www.sbs.com.au/gold/voices/

Kwong Sue Duk (1853-1929): His Life and Family in Australia + Kwong Sue Duk was a prosperous and generous Chinese gentleman who had four wives and twenty-four children and made Australia his chosen home, during and after the nineteenth-century northern Australian gold rush period. + Kwong Sue Duk was born in Guangdong Province, China, in 1853 and ventured abroad to the California goldfields at an early age to seek his fortune. After several years, he earned enough money for his family and passage home to Taishan, China, then embarked on education in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1874, Kwong Sue Duk married his first wife, Gee An Gow. + In 1875, after the birth of his first son (Kong Sing), Kwong soon heard of the gold rush of Australia and took a ship to Cooktown, North Queensland. He made several trips home to China and in 1879 a daughter (Jon Gee) was born. In 1882, Kwong arrived in the prospering township of Southport in the Northern Territory, where he eventually established a successful general trade store and real estate enterprise, operating under his business name, Sun Mow Loong. He became well respected and influential amongst the Chinese and European communities and was consulted over many matters concerning the Chinese. + In 1884, Kwong Sue Duk married his second wife, Chun Ngor Gwei, and obtained his naturalization certificate in Australia. Kwong moved to Palmerston (early Darwin) and in March 1887 he met and married his third wife, Yuen Yuk Lau. He returned to China and another daughter (Toy Mee) was born to his first wife. Not long after the birth, he traveled back to Australia to tend to his thriving businesses and to buy a number of rental properties. In 1888, Kwong's third wife gave birth to a daughter, Ly Kin. + He returned to China in 1889 and subsequently brought out his first wife and three children to Palmerston, where she later bore him another daughter (Sum Gwai). Kwong and his three wives lived in harmony and supported the family together. Over the next twelve years, eleven more children were born - Thomas, Edward, Leslie, Elsie, Fred, Lim, Maizie, William, Kathleen, Mary, and Lily. By 1902, there were sixteen Kwong children. Kwong prospered well in the remote Northern Territory, purchasing rental properties and at least five large gold mining leases. If you want to know more please follow the link: arrow.latrobe.edu.au/store/3/4/5/5/1/public/stories/kwong...

At the dawn of the 1920s, the world was still reeling from the First World War. The conflict, which ended just over a year before the new decade began, had a fundamental and irreversible effect on society, culture, and fashion. Essential to these new styles was a simplicity that had not previously been seen in women’s fashion. Dress historian Jayne Shrimpton writes in Fashion in the 1920s: “The development of a more convenient, modern female wardrobe was a major trend of the 1920s and was achieved through the progressive simplification of dress as the decade advanced – a rejection of formality and multiple layers, in favor of comfort and a lighter, more natural effect.” This simplicity created the popular tubular “la garçonne” look that dominated much of the decade. Also known as the flapper, the look typified 1920s dress with a dropped waist and creeping hemlines that could be created in economical fabrics. Coco Chanel helped popularize this style (Fig. 1) and was a prominent designer during the period. Both waistlines and hemlines followed similar, though inverse, projections throughout the decade, as waistlines dropped until 1923 before beginning to rise again in 1928; while hemlines rose until 1926 when they started to fall again. Source: fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1920-1929/#:~:text=Also%20known....

Isabella Sommerfeld formerly Dodd Born 1 Jul 1853 in Berwick, Scotland. Wife of Johann Robert Sommerfeld — married 1 Jul 1872 in Tieryboo station, Queensland, Australia. Mother of John Sommerfeld, Ellen (Sommerfeld) Goudy, Emily (Sommerfeld) Baker and William Sommerfeld Died 12 Sep 1927 at age 74 in Charleville, Queensland, Australia. Johann Robert (Robert) Sommerfeld Born 2 Jun 1850 in Germany or Prussia. Husband of Isabella (Dodd) Sommerfeld — married 1 Jul 1872 in Tieryboo station, Queensland, Australia. Died 13 Mar 1916 at age 65 in Charleville, Queensland, Australia Source: Wikitree

Men's wear In 1871, a tailoring trade journal observed, “Gentlemen dress as quietly as it is possible to do and there are no extremes in dress". Menswear in the 1870s was marked by sobriety and understated style. Shirts became plain, no longer pleated and heavily starched, which only underscored the crisp, clean line. Lady's wear The first silhouette of the decade began in 1870; the great, circular or oval crinolines of previous decades collapsed into the so-called first bustle style. The bustle was a softly draped protrusion at the back of the waist, created by manipulation of fabric and drapery. This sloped bustle style was supported by horsehair-ruffled petticoats or crinolines, an adaption of the earlier steel crinolines. A crinolette consisted of rows of fabric-covered steel half-hoops. Bustled dresses of this period were frothy confections, with layers of ruffles, pleats, and gathers. Many featured looped overskirts or long bodices that were draped up over the hips; these were often referred to as “polonaise” style dresses. Source: fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1870-1879/