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Janet Walker- designer and costumier

Janet Walker (also known as ‘Jessie’) was a dressmaker and costumier. Her work is known throughout Australia mostly and has been displayed in the Otago Museum back on Tuesday 25th September 2018. In 1896 she created a 'Ladies Emporium' where she payed key attention to detail with strong lavish fabrics and high quality finishes to the final garments. Janet was born 10^th June 1850 in Neilston, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Janet is the daughter of Andrew Robertson (librarian) and Jane née Gemmell. She lived in Scotland for 13 years of her life before migrating with her family to Queensland in 1963. On 16^th January 1877 Janet married a Scottish born draper named James Laughland- Walker. This then resulted in the married couple having four children between 1878 and 1882. Two of these children died during infancy. Throughout her life her occupation started as a school teacher and then later turned to a dressmaker.

Early Career

1^st February 1872 Janet was tutored by James Brunton Stephens where she was then appointed to be an assistant teacher on probation at Brisbane Girls’ Normal all girls school. In 1875 ‘Jessie’ was transferred to the New West End State School to the head girls’ department. During her time in this department the district inspector for the Board of Education, Gerard Anderson, described her as’ a lively, energetic and intelligent person, with very good ideas of school-keeping… The pupil teachers are far behind her in animation.’ She then later resigned from this job on 31^st December 1876. From the period of 1876 to 1882 she enjoyed her married life and motherhood before returning to work.

Later Career

Her passion for dressmaking then allowed her to put her skills to use where she began a business as a dressmaker in 1882 which started on Queen Street. After two years of the initial start of the business (1884), a female journalist from the Queenslander visited her store and wrote a review which made her business become more well known and advertised to the public. As well as the female journalist, her colleagues also joined her to review the rooms, their names were Miss Margaret Caldwell and Miss Margaret Scott. In 1886 Janet then decided to expand on the shop and move to a larger premise on Adelaide Street. From 1887 to 1901 the local press acknowledged Janet’s designs of eighty-four wedding dresses, fourteen ball gowns and six receptions, and described thirty sets of trousseau garments made in her studio. It was said that her clients were included as one of the most well-known ladies in society of the time. If you were seen wearing a gown by Walker, then this reflected her skills as a designer and her high standard of workmanship. After a while of having a larger premises Janet then decided to downsize her studio back down in 1918 where she moved back to Queen Street. She ran and operated the largest private dressmaking establishment in colonial Brisbane. During the year of 1898 she employed over 120 staff members with most of them working in her studio. Throughout this time, she didn’t pay any of her apprentices during their first year, but also didn’t expect any of them to work overtime during this period. The rest of her employees however were paid but only minimum wage with the included overtime and bonus pay during busy periods. To ensure the success of her business, she made sure that her staff were very well trained, and this then resulted in several of her staff carrying on to create and set up their own businesses.

Margaret Caldwell became Walker’s partner, where they were then able to match competitive services offered by larger drapery stores. This was done by opening a ‘Ladies’ Emporium’ in September 1896. The business grew and became so successful that the partners were able to remodel the emporium three times before 1900. In 1897 a showroom was created on the ground level of the courier building in both Queen Street and Edward Street. The partners, Walker and Caldwell, decided that they would offer two services to the ladies of society. These were made to measure garments and ready made garments. In order to make sure that the products were individual to the company, most of the fabrics were imported in full dress lengths with minimal amounts of lace and trimmings to embellish the garments but just enough to complete the product fully. The business became highly successful with a growing rate of large mail orders from clientele that was established in rural Queensland and New South Wales.

As the business grew the company got bigger and bigger with notable recognition from royalty which gave the partners the chance to make several gowns that would be worn to the opening of the Common Wealth Parliament in Melbourne 1901 and the reception at government house, Brisbane, for the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. These garments were so special that they were then made into a feature in her new workrooms.

July 1904, Walker invented and improved dress stand where she was later granted with a patent which is known as ‘plastic bust’. This improved dress makers stand is used to manipulate and produce a replica of a customers body shape. This improved the way in which her dressmaking skills developed as Janet was able to make sure that her measurements were fully correct for her client throughout the dressmaking stages. The design of the new and improved dressmakers stand was then sold to the House of Worth, also Madame Paquin in Paris and then to the House of Redfern in London. 1905 was the year the Walker successfully floated the Plastic Bust Co. whilst she was in London. Janet Walker kept the business going and ran it up until 1938 where she retired being a talented and highly skilled costumier.

Later Life

Janet passed away on 27^th November 1940 where she was buried with other family members in South Brisbane cemetery. Only one out of her two sons were able to out live her. To this day some of her gowns are held in the Queensland museum in Brisbane where many people go to visit her talented work of dressmaking.