Summary

Alternative Name(s): Fancy Dress, Dress-ups

Top from a child's dress-up space suit, believed to be made by the Sydney firm Lindsay. The suit was part of the donor's son's dress up box, circa 1960s.

A 1953 newspaper article advised that 'Space-suits rival cowboy clothes': 'These space suits, long the craze of America's very young, and new here. There are two kinds. One is a coloured overall, trimmed with lightning flashes and accompanied by a cloth helmet bearign the magic words "Spaceman Captain". The other outfit consists of a khaki waistcoat and helmet. the helmet is a monstrous thing studded with shiny nails and with a plastic face piece in the best "Man from Mars" tradition.' (Courier-Mail, Brisbane, 10 Oct 1953, p.9)

According to the Museum Applied Arts and Sciences, A.L. Lindsay and Co. Pty Ltd operated in Sydney. MAAS holds an example of an 'Annie Oakley' fancy dress costume dated to the 1960s (93/433/14).

Physical Description

Blue fabric top with red cape attached at the shoulder. There is a red cordouroy epaulet on each shoulder with three decorative metal buttons. On either side of the neck, on the front of the top, there are yellow plastic collar panels, trimmed with red fabric, each with a picture of a spacecraft, space vista and the word 'SPACE' in black. (This is replicated on the bottom of the sleeves). There is a smaller triangular yellow panel centre front, tied to the others by a length of rope or shoestring. Mounted on this triangular section there is a white plastic disc with a red 'ruby' plastic button situated in the centre.

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