Summary

Cotton female undergarment which was hand-made by Adalgisa Vorano (nee Ambrosi) around 1927 in Piguente, Italy for her Italian glory box ('corredo'). It is one of a collection of bedsheets, pillowcases, tablecloths and underwear, that Adalgisa sewed and embroidered under her mother Albina's instruction from the age of seven. Adalgisa was born in 1911 and married Giovanni Vorano in 1934. After the War and the ceding of Istria to Yugoslavia, they lived in refugee camps until migrating to Australia in 1951.

Physical Description

White bleached cotton 'teddy'' with thin shoulder straps, fine lace trim along V neck top of bodice, flaring out to slightly ruched bloomers with fine lace trim along each leg hole and coming together with 3 buttons to attach under the crotch. Small stitched insignia at centre top of bodice 'AA'.

Significance

This collection is an important addition to the museum's collections relating to glory boxes, representing the early twentieth-century Italian tradition of making hand-woven cloth and hand-sewing and embroidering items for marriage, even in straitened economic circumstances. That the collection survived the family's numerous relocations before migrating to Australia demonstrates the enormous significance the corredo held for Italian women at this time.

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