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    Re: Melbourne, Australia, May 1901 - the full story Archived Message

    Posted by Torkel on March 11, 2013, 12:26 pm, in reply to "Melbourne, Australia, May 1901 - the full story"

    Thank you, Nellie, for all these details. Very interesting.

    Some additions to the programme - these are from The Times, who had a reporter following the tour. Reports are rather enthusiastic, but hardly ever mentions dresses, clothes or jewels.

    06.05.1901 - Arrival to Melbourne, Governor-general and senior ministers welcome royals on board HMS Ophir, landing and welcomming ceremony at St Kilda, procession through city to Government House, welcome by Mayor outside on the steps, welcome at Parliament House, banquet at Government House
    07.05.1901 - Levée, presentation of adresses, Chinese procession through city, reception in the Royal Exhibition building, visit to foreign warships
    08.05.1901 - Presentation of South Africa war medals
    09.05.1901 - Opening of the Australian Federal Parliament, State reception at Parliament House, evening gala reception at Government House
    10.05.1901 - Military march-past at Flemington racecourse where DoC inspected the troops, reception given by Mayor at Town hall,
    11.05.1901 - Procession of trade and friendly societies, visit to University of Melbourne where DoC received honorary degree, children´s tea party, Privy Council, reception at Government House, Naval and Military tattoo
    12.05.1901 - Divine service at St. Paul´s Cathedral, DoC hosted dinner for officers on board Ophir
    13.05.1901 - Visit to Ballarat, DoC lays foundation of a statue to honour soldiers, visit to Ballarat Town Hall, visit to South Star Mine
    14.05.1901 - DoC and DssoC presented prizes to boys of public schools at Exhibition building, presentation of adresses from Women´s societies to DssoC at Government House, DssoC visit to Women´s Hospital

    I am fairly certain the white sash reported was the white sash of the Order of Victoria and Albert. It was a house order awarded by Queen Victoria to ladies of her family and court, worn in a small bow, but worn occasionally by the most senior ladies of the royal family in a sash. The Duchess appears to wear this in the photograph kindly provided by Janet B, which shows the couple dressed for the day-time events on May 9.
    She is also most likely wearing the light blue bow of the Order of the Crown of India.

    Why do you think the Duchess had lent jewels? She received quite a lot for her wedding, and I cannot recall her borrowing jewels from her mother in law on other occasions. Due to mourning she could only wear diamonds, pearls and mourning colours, but she would probably have enough diamonds from her wedding to last throughout a week of dinners.

    --Previous Message--
    :
    : Edit: there were three levels of government
    : entertaining their guests: Federal
    : (Governor-General of Australia), State
    : (Governor of Victoria), and Local (Mayor of
    : Melbourne).
    :
    : The many reports leave me with the
    : impression that Queen Mary (then the Duchess
    : of Cornwall and York) went to great lengths
    : to wear piles of diamonds for the most regal
    : events, and that her jewels probably looked
    : stunning against her mourning black.
    : I also feel that there must have been quite
    : a lot lent to her for the trip. That could
    : have been from her own family and possibly
    : some from Queen Victoria who had died so
    : recently.
    :
    : A white sash appears a number of times, with
    : various names - Order of the House of
    : Guelph, Order Alexandra, and another I
    : cannot recall or find again but it possibly
    : referred to the V&A as “for Women”. Edit:
    : found it "Victorian Order of
    : Women".
    : Another time, across the bodice a riband of
    : the Crown of India was worn.
    :
    : I now think possibly the most impressive
    : tiara, each point surmounted by pearls,
    : must have been her own Girls of Great
    : Britain and Ireland.
    : There were private dinners at Government
    : House so who knows what she might have worn
    : to dinner by way of jewels.
    : So here is the story but no pics - yet. It
    : has been a challenge to work out correct
    : dates, and places for all events.
    : A break between quotations means a different
    : report.
    :
    : Monday 6 - arrived, dinner at Government
    : House
    :
    : Tuesday 7 - morning levee at Government
    : House; evening dinner at Government House
    :
    : Wednesday 8 - afternoon The State Reception,
    : Parliament House
    : “Around her neck was a long chain of
    : diamonds with a diamond star pendant.”
    :
    : Wednesday 8 - evening Reception given by
    : Governor-General at Governent House. This
    : seems to have been the major evening event.
    : " A diamond tiara in simple bandeau
    : style worn set rather back on the head; many
    : strings of diamonds round the neck formed a
    : deep collar; below this was a collarette of
    : amethyst, and diamonds hanging in pendants;
    : on the left side of the bodice a large
    : diamond ornament was worn, with strings of
    : diamonds caught by medallion shaped diamond
    : ornaments. The jewels were
    : magnificent."
    :
    : Note: one report says rubies in the tiara
    : and flat neckace, which qestions my theory
    : that reporters were working from very
    : detailed press releases, though some of the
    : “correspondents” writing in ladies columns
    : were obviously freelancers and might not
    : have had the releases.
    :
    : The wife of the Governor-General, Lady
    : Hopetoun, wore “…the edge of the corsage
    : draped in four rows of diamonds caught up in
    : festoons. With this was worn diamond bodice
    : ornaments, reviere, and star tiara of
    : diamonds.” I think the peerage was
    : Linlithgow. Might be worth hunting for some
    : pics.
    :
    : Thursday 9 - midday opening of Parliament
    :
    : Thursday 9 - evening Concert - Town hall or
    : Exhibition Building not yet resolved by me.
    : HRH wore “a magnificen tiara of diamonds and
    : a dog-collar and long chains of the same
    : stones. She also wore a white order and
    : some magnificent diamond brooches.”
    :
    : “She wore a large diamond coronet different
    : from any till then worn, a collar of
    : diamonds, pendant of diamonds, and several
    : orders.”
    :
    : Friday 10 - evening Mayoral Reception at
    : Town Hall
    : “HRH had rich soft silk, trimmed with much
    : silk net in tiny frills, her coronet was of
    : diamonds, and the diamond necklace had large
    : pendant amethysts.”
    :
    : Saturday 11 - evening Reception at
    : Government House
    : “The Duchess of Cornwall and York wore a
    : trained gown of dull satin, with full, deep
    : flounces of lace, the bodice was trimmed
    : with lace and jet, and on left shoulder a
    : bunch of cherries, made of black velvet, the
    : leaves being of silk; she wore her white
    : sash (the Order of the House of Guelph),
    : fastened with a diamond buckle; she also
    : wore a diamond and pearl tiara, a collar of
    : pearls and diamonds, a rope of pearls and
    : lovely diamond brooches.”
    :
    : “Her jewels were a coronet of pearls,
    : throatlet, and long necklaces of pearls, and
    : eardrops.”
    :
    : “She wore the white sash of the Royal
    : Guelphic order, fastened with a diamond
    : buckle. Her diamond tiara was pointed with
    : pearls. She wore a collar of pearls caught
    : with diamond clasps, a rope of pearls, a
    : splendid brooch, a pendant of diamonds
    : chained with pearls, and several bangles,
    : and carried a little French fan flowered
    : with white.”
    :
    : “The bodice was almost concealed by a white
    : moire order sash caught with a diamond
    : ornament at the waist. A large diamond
    : ornament and pendant was worn in the centre
    : of the bodice, and two orders beside it; on
    : the left shoulder were some black flowers,
    : and the sleeve was caught on the shoulder
    : with a diamond ornament. A magnificent pearl
    : collar and vertical bars of diamonds, a long
    : string of pearls, and pearl eardrops were
    : worn, also a very handsome diamond tiara and
    : diamond bracelets, and long black gloves,
    : and a black fan were the other details of an
    : imposing toilete.”
    :
    : Tuesday 14 - dinner at Government House
    :
    : Wednesday 15 - dinner by Mayor
    :
    : Thursday 16 - leave for Brisbane
    :
    :
    :
    :
    :

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