Summary

Wooden hat block with remnant fabric.

Acquired from milliner Miss Edith M. Barnett. Miss Barnett was born in 1905 and lived at 558 Camberwell Road, Camberwell from around 1939. She was apprenticed as a milliner when she was about 16, first at Georgettes and later with Peggy Walsh. For many years Miss Barnett conducted her millinery business from her Camberwell home. She made headdresses for the National Ballet Company for many years, taught millinery at the YWCA and taught craft, especially millinery and the dressing of dolls, through the Country Women's Association (CWA). She also seems to have showed her work: in 1937 a Miss E. M. Barnett won first prize at the Royal Show for a lamp shade; in 1940 she received a Royal Show judges' award for two hand-made paper flowers in 'Art Crafts - Amateurs' section. In the 1930s and 1940s a Miss E.M. Barnett also won several prizes for cookery at the Show.

Physical Description

Wooden hat block with navy felt hat shape with band of cream webbing attached to the block with two tacks at base of shape on left hand side. There is another tack on the right hand side 1 cm from the base of the block. The block base has a central 3cm square hole, 5cm deep. There are four round holes drilled into the base: east and west side are 2.5cm in diameter, 4.5cm deep; and north and south are 0.7cm in diameter.

More Information