If forensic scientists found your clothes a hundred years from now would they be able to tell that you never folded them, or that you always followed washing instructions? Our clothes give many clues about ourselves and our lives in the early 21st century. It’s exactly the same with historical costume.

Against all odds garments and accessories belonging to generations of Rouses and Terrys at Rouse Hill have survived giving us a window into the mid 19th to late 20th centuries. The clothes don’t just tell their owners’ stories and give us a sense of past fashion, they also provide insights into the everyday.

Close examination of a red bodice first worn by Bessie Rouse (1843-1924) in the 1870s shows it was refashioned with new sleeves a few years later. Did Bessie spill something, scorch her sleeve on a candle, or simply want to update without splashing out? Clues like that add to our appreciation of life at Rouse Hill.