Linden Arts Centre and Gallery
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TILIA EUROPAEA HOME
KIM DONALDSON
STEPHEN GALLAGHER
ANDREW McQUALTER
HARRY NANKIN
CARL PRIESTLY
DAVID RAY
CURATOR: NAOMI CASS

Stephen Gallagher

Smoking cap a.k.a. kippah 2001
stainless steel mesh, silk thread, glass beads,
sequins, 10.0 x 17.5 x 17.5
Collection: the artist

Stephen Gallagher

Linden Tree: Conjugal Love: of or pertaining to matrimony or to married life. [Etiquette - Rules & Usages of the Best Society People’s Publishing Company, Melbourne, 1886]

In Victorian times, the giving of flowers was not only a sentimental attachment but was imbued with meaning.

A language which may be made the medium of pleasant and amusing interchange of thought between men and women. A bouquet of flowers and leaves may be selected and arranged so as to express much depth of feeling - to be truly a poem ... Etiquette - Rules & Usages of the Best Society

Was this the sentiment that Moritz Michaelis had in mind when naming Linden?

Linden was a place not only of domesticity but also of entertainment. Within the codes of the strict moral practices of the Victorian era, Moritz and his wife Rahel were able to find comfort through their new life and wealth.

Parlour apron An impractical apron, having no ties it would be pinned into place. Decorative adjuncts to the Victorian women’s gaments were embroidered or embellished with ribbons or beads. This frivolous version of the utilitarian apron was to be worn whilst entertaining callers in the parlour or drawing room, the room in which we now stand.

Smoking cap a.k.a. kippur The smoking cap symbolises not only a relaxed position in society, but also a deeply rooted religious tradition. The kippur was traditionally worked by the mother or daughter of the household as a present for husband, or father.

The designs here have been adapted from the embellishments upon the surfaces of the various surviving articles of Lucie Hallenstein (nee. Michaelis) and are interwoven with images of Australian flora, to symbolise the connecting of two cultures.

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Linden St Kilda Centre for Contemporary Arts
26 Acland Street, St Kilda, Victoria 3182, Australia
info@lindenarts.org