Crafted on a Wertheim treadle sewing machine, without electricity, this sophisticated ensemble made by Eileen Washington represents both 1930s high fashion and the realities of life in rural New Zealand.

Eileen was born in 1913 and grew up in Ngamatapouri, in the remote upper Waitōtora Valley. An accomplished seamstress and knitter, she was skilled in embroidery and crochet and maintained a keen awareness of international fashion, despite her isolation.

Her grandfather, surveyor and botanist Joseph Robert Annabell, surveyed Ngamatapouri for European settlement in the early 1890s and established his family in the remote region.

Worn by Eileen to local dances, this ensemble represents the height of 1930s glamour. Lace evening gowns and luxurious fabrics, popularised through Hollywood cinema and designers such as Coco Chanel, inspired styles far beyond the world’s fashion capitals.

The lace gown, worn over a silk slip, features intricate ribbon details across the shoulders. A matching crushed velvet capelet, lined with pink silk chiffon, is finished with delicate smocking.

In 1934 Eileen married local bushfeller, shearer and stockman William Cowan. The couple had four children, Barbara, known as Dell, Bernice, John and Judith, all born in Whanganui. In the early 1950s Eileen took over running the Ngamatapouri general store, post office and telephone exchange, following her parents’ forty-year tenure from 1910 to 1950.

Evening dress and capelet, 1930s
Designer and maker Eileen Washington
Made from lace, silk and crushed velvet lined with silk chiffon
Donated by Barbara ‘Dell’ McGee, 2025
WRM 2025.14
Photographed by Kathy Greensides

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