It all started with a sewing machine. More specifically, a sewing machine manufactured for and sold by Christchurch institution, Ballantynes, in the early years of the 20th century and found during archaeological work in Woolston. It seemed like it would make a nice blog post, particularly given that it recently featured in the 170th exhibition at Ballantynes. I figured I would write about the woman who owned the sewing machine and the connection between sewing and women in the late 19th century, with maybe a diversion into dressmakers. Before I knew it, though, I was pouring over advertisements from Ballantynes in 19th century newspaper, trying to work out how the firm conducted the women’s clothing component of its business, wondering how I got there…
Let’s start with the sewing machine we found. It’s the rusty pieces of a classic treadle sewing machine, complete with the remains of the word “Ballantynes”. Newspaper advertisements tell us that Ballantynes began selling sewing machines in 1904 (Lyttelton Times 8/9/1904: 3). As luck would have it, the section where the sewing machine was found was occupied by the same family from c.1900 until at least 1922 (H. Wise & Co. 1900: 189, NZER (Lyttelton) 1922: 11). Side note: the section was also home to a woolscour, run by the same family who lived there (H. Wise & Co. 1900: 189). This family was Emily and Joshua Beaumont and, based on all the gender norms of the day, I’m assuming the sewing machine belonged to Emily – or one of her daughters.
The first advertisement found for Ballantynes selling a sewing machine. Image: Lyttelton Times 8/9/1904: 3.
Women of all ages and classes were expected to be able to sew in 19th century England, and this cultural expectation was part of the colonial baggage that these settlers brought with them. For some women, this was an economic necessity; for others, it was a genteel and suitable leisure pursuit. Dressmaking was also one of the most common sources of income for women in 19th century New Zealand. Not only was it a socially acceptable form of work, it was also one that women could do at home, whilst carrying out other domestic duties, including childcare. Dressmakers, though, did not necessarily work from home. Some worked in other women’s homes, some had separate premises, some worked for or with tailors (an exclusively male occupation at the time) and some worked in department stores, such as J. Ballantyne & Co (Malthus 1992: 76-77).
Ballantyne & Company Ltd building, Christchurch. Image: Anon, c.1920s.
Imported fabrics and clothes for sale, J. Ballantyne & Co. Image: Lyttelton Times 30/4/1873: 3.
Jane Malthus outlines the broader implications of the increasing mechanisation of sewing – in the form of the sewing machine – for the fashion industry. It’s not surprising when you think about it, but, essentially, the sewing machine enabled fast fashion. Of course, it wasn’t just the sewing machine. It was also changes in attitudes to women’s work practices (as it became more acceptable/normal for women to work outside the home), changes in women’s fashion (looser-fitting clothes) and the increasing availability of paper patterns (Malthus 1992).
Prior to the advent of the sewing machine, all clothes were hand-sewn, and women’s clothes in particular were made for the person who was going to wear them (men’s work clothes and children’s clothes were more likely to be ready-made). Sewing machines enabled the mass-production of clothes, at the same time that women’s clothes became looser-fitting and less decorative (which is cause and which is effect is open to debate). This meant that ready-to-wear clothing became a thing and women’s dresses and the like could be made in advance, for the mass market, rather than for a particular woman. There’s not enough information in the advertisements for Dunstable House (as Ballantynes was known before it became, well, Ballantynes) to know how the dresses they sold were being produced. But there weren’t any advertisements looking for dressmakers or the like, suggesting that Dunstable House may not have employed any (bearing in mind absence of evidence and all that). J. Ballantyne & Co., however, employed a “machinist” from at least 1873 (having taken over the business the year prior) and seem to have been making dresses to order at that point (Lyttelton Times 30/4/1873: 3, Press 20/9/1873: 3). Other items of clothing, however, were imported, such as women’s jackets and underskirts (Lyttelton Times 30/4/1873: 3). Dressmakers were employed from at least 1874 and by 1877, there was a dressmaking workroom (Lyttelton Times 23/6/1877: 1, Press 8/1/1874: 1). This workroom would have been staffed by young women, many of whom are likely to have sewed on sewing machines. By 1878, demand was such that the firm had three dressmaking rooms (Star (Christchurch) 26/6/1878: 3).
J. Ballantyne & Co. was by no means unique in Christchurch in employing dressmakers, but it does indicate a clear shift in business strategy from the previous owners of Dunstable House (the Clarksons, followed by William Pratt). Having dressmakers and machinists on site would have enabled Ballantynes to produce women’s clothing quickly, and to respond to changes in fashion easily – and perhaps even to help drive those changes in fashion. Importing any item to New Zealand was a risky business, given the time between ordering the item and it arriving on the shop floor. Out-of-fashion stock no doubt had to be sold more cheaply than the latest thing – and possibly even at a loss. A dressmaking workroom mitigated this problem, as well as providing employment opportunities for women outside the home, whether their own or someone else’s (in the form of domestic service). In this way, the sewing machine contributed not just to changes in what women wore, and how that was made, but to broader changes in opportunities for women, and helped them forge new roles in the world.
Katharine Watson
References
Anon., 1920s. Ballantyne & Company Ltd building, Christchurch. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-009721-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29946497
H. Wise & Co., 1900. Wise’s New Zealand Post Office Directory. Available at: ancestry.com.
Lyttelton Times. Available at: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers
Malthus, J., 1992. Dressmakers in 19th century New Zealand. In: Brookes, B., Macdonald, C. and Tennant, M., eds., Women in History 2. Bridget Williams Books, Wellington. Pp.76-97.
NZER (New Zealand Electoral Rolls). Available at: ancestry.com
Press. Available at: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers
Star (Christchurch). Available at: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers