The Powerhouse acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the ancestral homelands upon which our museums are situated. We respect their Elders, past, present and future and recognise their continuous connection to Country.
A9762 Convict jacket, mens, wool / linen / timber / metal, by War Department, England, worn in Australia, 1855-1880. Click to enlarge.

Convict jacket from England worn in Australia

For convicts transported to the colonies of Australia, inadequate clothing was one of the many hardships to be endured. They were issued with prison clothing, often of the coarse, ready-made, loose fitting variety known as 'slops'. These clothes were intended to humiliate convicts and this was part of the punishment. Although many thousands of convicts were transported to New South Wales between 1788 and 1840, it is not surprising that very few articles of convict clothing have survived. They …

Summary

Object No.

A9762

Object Statement

Convict jacket, mens, wool / linen / timber / metal, by War Department, England, worn in Australia, 1855-1880

Physical Description

Convict jacket of black and yellow felted wool. The jacket is short with front buttoning (of the original six metal painted black buttons, three are missing), a high stand-up collar, and a long, shaped sleeve with buttoned cuff. The torso, sleeve and collar are all particoloured and hand-stitched with linen thread. The inside right front is stamped in ink with the letters 'WD'.

Marks

Stamped on the inside right front panel 'WD' in ink

Dimensions

Height

710 mm

Width

760 mm

Depth

160 mm

Source

Credit Line

Gift of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 1981

Acquisition Date

18 January 1984

Cite this Object

Harvard

Convict jacket from England worn in Australia 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 28 March 2023, <https://ma.as/205558>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/205558 |title=Convict jacket from England worn in Australia |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=28 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}