Guide to the Records of the Parliament House Embroidery Committee

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MS 8369

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Parliament House Embroidery Committee
Title
Records of the Parliament House Embroidery Committee
Date Range
1984-1988
Collection Number
MS 8369
Extent
2.66 metres (19 boxes, 2 folios)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises correspondence, financial records, minutes, diaries and notebooks, newspaper cuttings, mounting notes, fabric samples, printed materials, computer disks, photographs, slides and audio and video tapes.

The records relate to liaison between the Committee and the State guilds and guild supervisors; fundraising projects and grant applications; public relations; selection and execution of the winning design; conservation of the embroidery; the production of the publication The Parliament House embroidery: a work of many hands (1988) and relations between the Committee and other organisations and individuals including the architects of the new Parliament House, the Australian Bicentennial Authority, the Parliament House Construction Authority and the Patron, Lady Stephen.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2125536).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Records of the Parliament House Embroidery Committee, National Library of Australia, MS 8369, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Provenance

The files from the Parliament House Embroidery Committee were donated to the National Library of Australia by the former Convenor of the Committee in June and December 1991.

Arrangement

This collection was sorted and listed by a student from the University of Canberra.

Administrative History

The Parliament House Embroidery Committee was established in 1984 to oversee the design and execution of the embroidery which hangs in the East Gallery of the Great Hall of Parliament House. A competition for the design of the embroidery was won by Kay Lawrence. The embroidery was created by Embroiderers' Guild members in each State.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. State Guilds - Box 1-3 and Folio-Box 1

Although this was a national project, each State was responsible for embroidering a part of the tapestry, following Kay Lawrence's design.

This series includes correspondence between the committee and each State guild, as well as internal files within the guilds, such as a workshop roster, fabric samplers and members' lists and fees.

The series is split into three sub-series: A.C.T., N.S.W. and Other States.

See the folio run for a "Plaque from the South Australian Guild".

Series 2. Guild Supervisors - Box 4-6

Each of the State guilds has a supervisor who oversaw the guild's participation in the Parliament House Embroidery project.

Sub-series 1 includes correspondence between the committee members and the guild supervisors, as well as the supervisors' own files and notes.

The National Co-ordinator, Anne Richards, corresponded with the State supervisors and sub-series 2 contains her files and notebook.

Series 3. Minutes - Box 6

This series contains the minutes from the Parliament House Embroidery Committee (sub-series 1) and from the Archives Sub-committee (sub-series 2).

Both of these sets of minutes are arranged in chronological order.

Series 4. Diaries and Notebooks - Box 7

This series contains a number of working diaries and notebooks pertaining to the Parliament House Embroidery Committee as well as notebooks on the progress of the embroidery.

Series 5. Financial Records and Grant Applications - Box 7-8

The financial records, including cash receipt and docket books, cheque stubs, bank statements and paid accounts of the Parliament House Embroidery Committee, are in this series.

This series also contains files on fundraising projects and grant applications. This material is arranged in chronological order.

Series 6. Public relations - Box 8-9

This series includes master copies of pamphlets, finished pamphlets and background material as well as drafts of the public relations material.

This series also incorporates press cuttings from 1984-87, arranged in chronological order.

Series 7. Design - Box 9-10

The Parliament House Embroidery Committee set up a Design sub-committee to determine which design was to be embroidered and then hung in the New Parliament House. Once the designer was chosen, there were many notes made and correspondences about the design and the fabric and threads that were to be used to create the design. This series also contains some colour mixes as well as advice on which colours were to be used.

This series also contains correspondence, design notes and biographical details of Kay Lawrence, the designer.

Series 8. Conservation - Box 10

This series contains notes about the conservation of the embroidery, such as washing instructions. Samples were also sent to the Australian Archives for its advice, and the correspondence between the Australian Archives and the Parliament House Embroidery Committee are in this series, in chronological order.

Series 9. Mounting - Box 11

This series includes notes on the framing of the tapestry. There are also notes concerning the written plaques placed either side of the embroidery. The plaques explain what the embroidery is and who created it.

Series 10. Samplers - Folio-Box 2

This series contains thirteen fabric samples of parts of the embroidery, complete with notes on thread and colour selection and the styles of embroidery each of the individual sections are stitched in.

This series is contained within the Folio Run.

Series 11. The Parliament House embroidery : a work of many hands - Box 11-12

At the completion of this project the Parliament House Embroidery Committee published a history entitled The Parliament House Embroidery : a work of many hands (Canberra : AGPS Press, 1988).

This series contains manuscripts and computer disks of the work as well as correspondence about the contents of the publication.

Series 12. Subject files - Box 12-13

This series contains correspondence between the Parliament House Embroidery Committee and other organisations and individuals, such as the architects of the New Parliament House, the Patron (Lady Stephen), the Australian Bicentennial Authority and the Parliament House Construction Authority.

The files have been arranged in alphabetical order by name.

Series 13. Photographs and slides - Box 13

This series contains photographs, slides and negatives from the South Australian and A.C.T. guilds, mainly about the work in progress.

Series 14. Index Cards to Collection - Box 14

The Parliament House Embroidery Committee created their own index cards to the collection. This series has been kept in original order.

Series 15. Miscellaneous - Box 15

This series contains letters to the Parliament House Embroidery Committee, a record of attendance and the names of all those who worked on the Embroidery as well as other miscellaneous information.

Series 16. Printed Material - Box 15

Printed material on the subject of tapestries and annual reports from the Parliament House Construction Authority.

Series 17. Audio Tapes - Box 16

This series includes interviews with Kay Lawrence and members of the Parliament House Embroidery Committee. There are also taped discussions on washing and dyeing the linen, the official opening and the 1985 Supervisors Conference.

Review of Stage 2 samples (Kay and Anne) S.A. Side A (Item 1)

Review of Stage 2 samples, Mar. 3, TAS (Item 2)

Review of Stage 2 samples, Mar. 4, ACT (Item 3)

Side A:Northern Territory + Conservation. 1 Josephine Carter; side B:Conservation Josephine Carter (Item 4)

Side A: Victoria and Western Australia; side B: Western Australia and NSW (Item 5)

Tape 2,Side 3: Queensland, Official Opening; side 4: Official Opening (continued) + SA, ACT + details of organisation (Item 6)

Side 5-6: Organisation - Guilds (Item 7)

Side 7:P.H.E. State Organisation; side 8: (Only small section) Conservation (Item 8)

Tape 1, side 1: A.C.T. H.P.E; tape 2,side 2: 1/2 ACT and 1/2 Tasmania H.P.E (Item 9)

9.8.86 A.C.T. Interviews (Item 10-11)

1. Lois Evans

2. Pam Berg Side A

3. Margaret Henty Side B

Lois Evans (A.C.T.) (Item 12)

Tapes 1-4, Supervisors Conference, Dec. 1985 (Item 13-16)

Tape No. 5. Side A: Supervisors Conference (Item 17)

1-151 Josephine Carter

151-290 Discussion on washing linen

290-512 Discussion on dyeing and seams

512-632 Frames etc.

Kay Lawrence interviews (Item 18-23)

Kay in the A.C.T, 21.4.86 (Item 24-25)

Side A: Betty Bourke/Anne Mussett interviewer Loma Rudduck; side B: Barbara Irvine "Lake Eyre" (Item 26)

P.H.E. landscape: Loma Rudduck interviewing June Weatherstone, Barbara Irvine and Marjorie Hadley, 22.3.87 (Item 27)

Elva Oakley "Petroglyph" (Item 28)

"Pot luck dinner", St. John's Church Hall, Reid, 30.7.86 (Item 29)

Sampler assessments (Item 30-32)

Series 18. Video Tapes - Box 17-19

These videos were compiled during the creation of the Parliament House Embroidery. There are a wide range of subjects on these videos.

6.2.86 Canberra Art Project - Loc. Princes Laundry (Item 1)

16.4.86 (i) Fabric mounting - Anne Richards (Item 2)

16.4.86 (ii) Anne Richards (Item 3)

16.4.86 -3.2.87 (Item 4)

24.4.86 1/3A Anne Richards, Kay Lawrence (Item 5)

24.4.86 2/3B Anne Richards (Item 6)

24.4.86 3/3C Anne Richards (Item 7)

24.4.86 4/3D Anne Richards C/U samples, Close up samples (Item 8)

27.11.86 1/4A Anne Richards The Embroiders Guild Victoria, close up of stitches, list of 20 items (see enclosed sheet) (Item 9)

27.11.86 Victorian Guild 1-8 items listed (see enclosed sheet) (Item 10)

27.11.86 C Anne Richards - slides (Item 11)

13.11.85, 1B 20.33 Tapestryin Canberra. 16mm shots Canberra Parliament House 9/88 (Item 12)

Anne Richards and Kay Lawrence, Kay describing designs (Item 13)

V/O (Item 14)

Stand up. Intro (Item 15)

Master. Music original. Richards (Item 16)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: Helen Hardie (Grammar School Videos - description of project and our piece/samples/Elleston House workroom etc., original video and copy (Item 17-18)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: The First Stitch - Record of P.H.E insertion of the first stitch taken at E. Dusting's house, 33 Roebuck St., Red Hill at approximately 5 p.m. on 3.5.86 (Item 19)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: Preview of Art Works. The 'Today' Show, Peter Harvey, August 1987 (Item 20)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: Presentation Parliament House - taken at Parliament House on 25.5.88. Master and a copy (Item 21-23)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: Parliament House Embroidery - Wild Footage. An early visit from Kay Lawrence at Elleston House (Item 24)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: A Work of Many Hands - The Parliament House Embroidery, Victoria College Educational Services Directorate, by Anne Richards (Item 25-26)

Videos - A.C.T. Collection: Wall Hanging for New Parliament House. Section: 1 Embroidery, 2 Weaving (Beta Video) (not reviewed) (Item 27)


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