Summary

Souvenir glass cup purchased at the First Australian Exhibition of Women's Work held at the (Royal) Exhibition Building from 23 October to 30 November 1907.

The First Australian Exhibition of Women's Work showed over 16000 exhibits from Australia and around the world, designed to demonstrate the advance of women into new fields. Exhibits were not categorised into 'paid' and 'unpaid' work, in an effort to recognise the wide range of women's activities. The exhibition included display of arts and craft - painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, pottery, needlework (the most popular section, with over 7,000 examples on display), leatherwork, woodwork, spinning, weaving - alongside displays of laundry work, cooking and physical culture. There were also demonstrations of shorthand and typewriting, music, elocution, games and sports. One of the most popular features of the Exhibition was the crèche, which allowed women to view the Exhibition while their children were cared for. Notably, the Exhibition was open to all women and girls resident in Australia, including Aboriginal women, at a time when Aboriginals were not enfranchised within the new Commonwealth.

The engraving on this mass produced glass cup would have been done at the exhibition as a demonstration of an engraver's skill and as a way to personalise the souvenir's purchase.

Physical Description

Moulded glass. Ruby red cup with and with clear glass handle and scalloped base. Engraving on glass body.

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