Dress
In May 1927 a Muriel Henning, wife of WA politician Charles Harriott Henning joined the country’s upper echelons for the opening of Parliament House in Canberra, wrapped in the velvety embrace of this stunning midnight blue gown. Donning the dress’s sweetheart neckline, puffed sleeves and fitted bodice, Mrs Henning must have turned heads as she mingled with the who’s who of society, the slight train of the long full skirt swishing behind her as she walked.The crowd included the likes of the Duke of York who opened the building and later became King George VI. Henning passed the dress onto her daughter, Lynette Gillam who lived in Irwin House and later donated the dress to the museum.