A British sword was presented to Lieutenant Cade by the Wanganui Guards in 1906.

An exquisite wedding dress was donated to the museum in 1993 by a descendant of Alvine and Wilhelm Franke; their granddaughter Eileen Martin.

The owner of this 1970s dress, Mrs Lila Campbell, donated the dress to Whanganui Regional Museum in 1997.

Isobel Duncan, born in Whanganui in 1877, owned this blouse.

Made from fine cotton muslin, this 1840s walking dress is entirely hand-sewn.

This glamourous evening gown from the 1930s was owned by Jean Lambert. Her stylish wardrobe included evening gowns, jackets and coats, shawls, and muffs from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Utterly unique and exquisitely beautiful, huia were considered tapu (sacred, restricted) by Māori. The closest living cousins to Huia today are the kōkako and the tieke (saddleback).

This simple yet stunning evening dress is the epitome of 1930s style. Though the lines are simple, the overall effect is one of complete sinuous femininity.

The tekoteko known as Hāmama displays unique Whanganui-style features: the notched knees imitate an action by Whanganui tūpuna when standing on waka, and big bulbous eyes, five fingers and holding the tongue are further design techniques that confirm Whanganui provenance.