Terms and conditions of use
Cape
(c. 1890)
- Medium
- fur (platypus), silk (lining), cotton
- Measurements
- 39.0 cm (centre back) 158.0 cm (hem circumference)
- Place/s of Execution
- Tasmania
- Accession Number
- CT105-1985
- Department
- Australian Fashion and Textiles
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Mrs F. Smith, 1985
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
Insatiable demand in Australia for fur coats, collars, cuffs, capes and trimmings, and geographic isolation, created a market for locally sourced pelts. Amateur hunters were quick to supply furs of native animals to individuals and manufacturers.
This luxurious cape was originally thought to be made from wombat fur. Yet research and analysis undertaken in 2001, in collaboration with zoologist Dr Peter Temple-Smith at the Melbourne Zoo, soon proved otherwise. The cape was confirmed to be Tasmanian platypus fur, identifiable by the large size and density of the pelt. Hunted extensively, the platypus was afforded legal protection in 1907.