Display Case 6

Artefact ID: JL000886 / JL001103

Outside of their aesthetic qualities, cowry shells have been part of the belief systems of many cultures. People in the nineteenth century collected these shells and kept them in their homes, as they were seen as symbols of fertility, womanhood and prosperity.

Artefact ID: JL006919

This fragment is from a vulcanite crucifix. It was not unusual in the late nineteenth century for religious icons to be created from exciting new kinds of plastic. The ‘vulcanisation’ of natural rubber with sulphur was discovered by Charles Goodyear in the USA about 1839 and was patented by Hancock in England in May 1843.

Artefact ID: JL007212

This fragile red glass crucifix features a small copper alloy Jesus Christ effigy. Being a devotional item, it may have been attached to a rosary chain or kept in a safe place and brought out to hold during prayer.

Artefact ID: JL007220

This devotional medal is associated with the Catholic Church. It depicts the Virgin Mary on one side with an inscription which translates to: “Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The reverse features a crucifix atop a ‘M’ ,12 stars, and the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart below. It is based on an 1830 vision by a French nun, Catherine Labouré.  

Artefact ID: JL007639

Made from bone, these simple beads have copper attachments to extend the links. Rosaries are often associated with Catholicism. However, they are also used by other Christian denominations to count prayers as they are recited out loud or in the mind.

Artefact ID: JL009160

The Salvation Army began in 1865, though it was not named as such until 1878. It was established in Australia in 1881 and the following year started doing its good work in Victoria. The iconic red shield replaced the original silver shield in 1902 after the end of the Boer War. This change was made because of the distractive reflective nature of silver.

Artefact ID: JL011655

Artefact ID: JL000248

This is one of a huge array of bottles found at the site. Bottles were used for holding everything from alcohol and carbonated drinks to perfume and poison. This is a champagne-style bottle with a hand-done finish to the rim. The ‘wonky’ appearance indicates the still soft glass slumped while the bottle was cooling.

Artefact ID: JL006879

This amberlite pipe stem has a delicate scroll patterned copper alloy band. Amber mouth pieces were expensive, but were preferred because they were more attractive, resistant to teeth marks, and it was thought amber purified whoever touched it.

Artefact ID: JL006916

Cigarette holders were used more often by women than men. Although fashionable, they also served a practical purpose, keeping ash from falling on clothing and stopping the staining of hands, gloves and teeth. Different lengths were used for different occasions. This is a cocktail length – shorter than 4 inches (10cm).

Artefact ID: JL007081 / JL006921 / JL007611

Dominoes are commonly referred to as ‘bones’. This is because it was the first material used to craft the tiles, though ivory was preferred by wealthier players. These three dominoes have bone uppers attached to wooden backs with copper alloy pins known as ‘spinners’.

Artefact ID: JL007223

This bone pawn indicates the increasing popularity of chess and parlour games at this time. Chess itself has a long history. The game originated in Northern India in the sixth century, then spreading to Persia and from there throughout Europe.

Artefact ID: JL009121

Attributed to Bonnaud of Marseille, fragments of this type of pipe were identified from different areas of the Jones Lane Archaeological Precinct. In France, the undisputed nineteenth century producer of red clay pipes was Hyppolyte Léon Bonnaud. Founded in 1824, this firm specialised in marketing a colourful array of unglazed and glazed reddish brown figurals and straight stremmers for more than a century.”

Rapaport, B. 1979, A Complete guide to Collecting Antique Pipes, Schiffer Publishing. 

Artefact ID: JL009252

People often used clay pipes to signal their ethnic or political affiliations, as well as choosing styles that made reference to prominent figures or activities. This example depicts General Buller, Commander in Chief of the British Forces during the Boer War (1899 – 1902).

Artefact ID: JL016597 / JL009272

These contrasting clay pipe fragments feature a moulded floral design on the bowl and a sniper on the stem. Used by people from all walks of life, the number of clay pipes imported into Victoria between 1878 and 1881 rose from 2.9 million to 4 million.

Artefact ID: PM00092

Particularly distinctive, this is a complete glazed pipe which doesn’t appear to be kaolin, as it has been fired at a higher temperature. The unglazed band around the bowl’s rim indicates it may have had a separate fitted metal rim. Clay pipes bearing makers marks can be a very important tool for dating a site, as pipes tend to be discarded within a few days or weeks from purchase.

Artefact ID: JL011952 / JL011953

These two stemmed glasses are made from green and yellow glass and were found in a bottle dump within the 1854 clay layer. Glasses such as these would have been used for serving wines or liqueur.

Artefact ID: WC00053

This piece of earthenware ceramic has been reshaped into a gaming token.  It has a blue transfer printed design and would have originally been part of a tableware item such as a plate. It demonstrates that people were resourcefully reusing what was around them.

Artefact ID: WC001013

This tumbler is clear glass press moulded into arches. The manufacturing process involved pressing molten glass into a mould. This allowed makers to produce detailed items and create more intricate designs which would otherwise be too difficult to make and expensive to buy.