Cosmopolitan Cliveden, East Melbourne: Interiors, decorum and fancy dress balls with Dr Andrew Montana

Showcasing the décor and interiors of Cliveden, East Melbourne, this presentation focuses on the years 1887 to 1895, during which period fancy dress balls and art exhibitions were held.

Giving context to Sir William and Lady Janet Clarke’s leading cultural and philanthropic roles in Melbourne and Victorian society, it foregrounds the rich material trappings, with which they both chose to surround themselves and the many guests they hosted at Cliveden, their large town residence designed by the Australian architects William Wardell and Walter Liberty Vernon.

Travelling through Europe for a year when this palatial townhouse was being built between 1885 and 1887, the Clarkes purchased furnishings, decorative art, and artworks abroad and patronised Australian decorative artists, painters, and artisans to adorn Cliveden’s splendid interiors. Already established, their patronage continued. Both historical and modern in its blending of decorative elements and furnishings, its interior spaces formed tableaux-like backdrops, in concert with the cosmopolitan, pageant of costumes worn at the fancy dress balls which brought history, exoticism, classical myth, nature, and realism together.

Dr Andrew Montana researches, writes, and lectures on the interrelationship between the fine, decorative, and architectural arts, specialising in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His many publications include the books The Art Movement in Australia: Design, Taste and Society 1875-1900; Loudon Sainthill’s Theatre of Art & Life; and Keith Haring’s Australia 1984. He contributed chapters in Daniel Cottier, Designer, Decorator, Dealer and Collecting for the Nation - The Australiana Fund.

Your ticket includes tea or Market Lane coffee served before the presentation, and time to browse our exclusive range of books, gifts, and homewares at TJC Emporium.

This event is presented on-site at The Johnston Collection. Please see your ticket for details. NOTE: Tickets for this event do not include access to our house museum, Fairhall. Guided tours of the current exhibition can be booked separately.

Image: Cliveden Mansions, East Melbourne, c1930.