Displayed in the exhibition are three closely related items belonging to William James Patterson, the brother of Reverend Webb's wife Patty – these are a painting of William, the costume he wore when posing for the portrait, and a lock of his hair sealed in an envelope.
On the envelope is written in beautiful script: "William's first hair".
Poignantly, a lock of hair was described in Victorian times as "the most delicate and lasting of our materials and survives us like love and because it is so light it escapes the idea of death". Sadly William died at the age of 13 years.
The ornate gold framed painting, dated 1830, shows William at 3 years old, seated in a child's chair at a small table playing with his toys - a house, soldiers and farm animals.
He is wearing a blue and white striped off-the-shoulder dress, embellished by ruffles and embroidery, socks and black boots and his hair resembles the silky curls of babyhood. In the cabinet next to the portrait stands a child's mannequin displaying the dress William is wearing in the painting.
Throughout history, clothing plays an integral role in the depiction of childhood - providing insights into changes in child-rearing theory and practice, gender roles, the position of children in society, and similarities and differences between children's and adults' clothing.
Prior to the early 1800s, clothing worn by infants and young children shared a distinctive common feature: their clothing lacked gender distinction and to their contemporaries, skirts or dresses were entirely appropriate for small children of any gender.
At birth, children wore long linen or cotton dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts that extended a foot or more beyond their feet.
Once a child began crawling and later walking, they were 'short coated': the hemlines of the dresses were moved to ankle length or even shorter so the child had more freedom of movement.
Worn underneath the costume was a set of stays, believed to support the back of the child and encourage 'proper' posture. The bodices of the dress often had leading strings or bands attached to the shoulders to help parents guide a young child learning to walk.
Little boys wore these outfits until they reached between 4 and 7 years when they were ceremoniously 'breeched'. Breeching meant a boy was mature enough to wear miniature versions of adult clothing: coats, vests, breeches and would have his hair cut for the first time.
The breeching ceremony symbolised that a boy was leaving childhood behind and beginning to take on adult roles and responsibilities.
The child's breeching age varied, depending on parental choice and the boy's maturity, which was defined on how masculine he appeared and acted. After breeching, mothers seemed to have less influence on their sons: instead fathers would get much more involved in overseeing training and education.
Boys essentially went from the petticoats of childhood directly into the adult clothing appropriate for their station in life.
It's not every day that a museum holds a painting along with items represented in it. So please, take the opportunity to come in and have a final look at The House of Webb, A Victorian family's journey to Ormondville exhibition and this amazing collection.
* Gail Pope is MTG Curator Social History
*Join art curator Jess Mio for a discussion of 12 landscape paintings from the museum collection and what these works tell us about Pākehā culture and relationship with the land. Monday, April 8, 12pm-1pm, meet in MTG front foyer. Free event.
*University of Otago presents the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival 2019. School students present a serious of 5-15 minute scenes re-envisaging the aggressors, the megalomaniacs, the despots, the abusers, the meek and many more. MTG Century Theatre, Monday, April 8, 6pm-9pm. $5 door sales only.
*Behind the Scenes: Precious Metals. In conjunction with our exhibition Silver: Heirlooms from the Collection we showcase a range of objects made with precious metals. Free public programme at our offsite storage facility in Ahuriri. Tuesday, April 9, 12pm-1pm. Spaces are limited, please register through Eventfinda or contact MTG. Free event.
*Join curator Māori – Te Hira Henderson on a guided tour of Tēnei Tonu, as he shares diverse stories of Ngati Kahungunu and their enduring connection to the land through the historic and contemporary treasures on display. Thursday, April 11, 12pm-1pm. Meet in front foyer. Free event
*It's Love, Isn't It? Poetry and chamber music with guitar – featuring love poems that Alistair Te Ariki Campbell and Meg Campbell wrote to each other through their marriage. Performed by Dame Kate Harcourt, Sir Jon Trimmer with music by Philip Norman performed by Matthew Marshall, Tessa Petersen and Heleen du Plessis. MTG Century Theatre, Monday, April 15, 7.30pm. Tickets available through Ticketek.
*A variety of school holiday programmes are available, starting Tuesday, April 16. For a full list of programmes please visit our website www. Mtghawkesbay.com
