Clothing and social status have always been closely linked. In the 19th century, that meant being elaborately clothed according to one’s actual or desired station in life. This created some gloriously contrasting images, from an almost Impressionistic moment by the Warrego River to a group of carefully-gowned women enduring the prickly grasses at Taboola.
Picnic on the Warrego River, Charleville district, 1902. An impressionist moment in the West. Picnic at Grass Tree Flat, Taboola, 1909. The contrast between the formal dresses and elaborate hats of the ladies, and the spiky, dry grass they’re sitting on, is glorious,Family picnic in early 1900. The family is dressed very formally for the setting, but their multi-generational approach to sun safety is admirable.
The Organised Fun Picnic.
Organised fun can be fun, too. If you like that sort of thing. I guess.
The paddle steamer Natone loaded with Press Club Picnic guests on the Brisbane River, 1892. More like overloaded – history records however that the Natone did not sink under the weight of its elaborately costumed cargo.Oddfellows picnic group crossing Talegalla Bridge, near Beaudesert, 1910s. The chaps draped ever so casually on the edge believe in living up to the name.Social gathering in the bush, 1910s. So much muslin, so many elaborate hats.
The Relaxed Work Picnic.
Colleagues enjoy a break and the great outdoors.
An early work picnic. These are workers from the Pioneer Sugar Mill taking a break in the bush in 1880. Musical instruments, red wine, and a chap with an awe-inspiring beard.This is a group of fishermen taking a break on a riverbank near Noosa in 1903. It’s refreshing to see a multi-racial group taking tea together.
The Best Kind of Picnic.
Add family and friends. Just enjoy yourselves.
Family picnicking on the beach at Carmila, 1920s. Nothing fancy, just a beautiful afternoon on the beach with the kids and the dog.Another happy group having a picnic at Canungra, in the Gold Coast hinterland. The very best kind of picnic – a relaxed celebration of hard work that has paid off. Two Nanago farming families sit down on hessian bags, and toast their successful harvest with a good cuppa as they beam with pride.
All images are from the digital collection of the State Library of Queensland, and are out of copyright. AI colourisation by Copilot.
