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Friday, March 5, 2010

As things used to be

We visited the Tawhiti Museum in Hawera today which uses life sized exhibits to show case the past lives of the people of Taranaki. A woman’s work is never done, especially when she is also a Mum. This harassed mother had a baby on her hip, and a toddler clinging to her skirt, and all the while she was trying to cook the family meal on the top of a coal range. The figures are created from moulds cast from real people, and are designed and built on the premises. The baby had tears on her cheeks, the toddler had her face screwed up in a tantrum, and poor Mum is at the end of her tether.

DSCF2918Poor Mum getting the dinner ready

Later in the museum I came across of display of an old fashioned draper’s shop. I just love this sort of thing, and enjoyed looking at various cards of buttons, embroidery thread, hooks and eyes, laces, braids and needles. Add to that the knitting needles, hat pins and a lovely lace collar. There was even a Butterick pattern for the housewife to whip up a pair of natty bloomers!

DSCF2940

DSCF2941 Items in the draper’s shop window

The Tawhiti Museum is well worth a visit if you are ever passing through Hawera, in South Taranaki.

1 comment:

Julie said...

I think the model for the harassed mother was me!