This dress belonged to Mrs Matilda Butters, second wife of colourful Melbourne politician and businessman, James Stewart Butters. It was first worn at the Mayor's fancy dress ball in September 1866. Held at the Exhibition Building, the ball celebrated the arrival of the new Governor of Victoria, Sir J Manners-Sutton.
The dress was constructed from panels of silk, printed with the front pages of Melbourne newspapers. The panels were sewn together to form a bodice, sash and full-length crinoline skirt with train. The skirt was made up of 14 panels, each of which were separated and edged with gold braid. It measured more than five metres around the bottom edge.
Today all that's left of the costume is the skirt and part of the sash. While these have been in the Library's collection since the 1950s, the age and fragility of the fabric has meant that, until recently, this rare treasure was little known. Widely regarded as one of the great 19th-century printed works in Australia, the silk panels of printed newspaper are still readable - testament to the skill of the printers.
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