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Alices In Style Collectables, Sydney (2026)

30/08/2026

New in store is this Royal Doulton "Good King Wenceslas" figurine sculpted by the legendary Doulton artist Peggy Davies. This beautiful hand-painted figurine perfectly captures the spirit of the timeless Christmas carol, but who was Wenceslas and was he indeed a king? https://bit.ly/4zNfVH3

Good King Wenceslas was a 10th-century Duke of Bohemia whose legendary kindness inspired the famous Christmas carol. Known to his people as Václav the Good, he is the patron saint of the Czech Republic and a symbol of pious generosity. To those who only know Wenceslas from the carol, he is a kind-hearted king helping the poor, but to history, he is a martyr whose legacy has endured for over a millennium.

Born c907 AD, Wenceslas I was raised a Christian by his grandmother Ludmila, his regent and a saint in her own right. His pagan mother, Drahomíra, grew jealous of this Christian influence and conspired to have Ludmila murdered in 921 AD. Upon coming of age, Wenceslas banished his mother and took over governance. Although he was the Duke of Bohemia during his lifetime, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (962–973) posthumously conferred on him the regal dignity and title of "king."

As duke, Wenceslas sought to end religious conflicts and encouraged missionary priests, founding the church that now stands on the site of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. His reign was marked by deep piety, caring for the poor, and buying the freedom of slaves. However, his submission to the Saxon ruler Henry the Fowler provoked the ire of some nobles, who plotted against him with his brother, Boleslav the Cruel. In approximately 935 AD, Wenceslas was assassinated by Boleslav and several co-conspirators at the door of a church. He was immediately hailed as a martyr and saint.

The popular English lyrics were written in 1853 by the hymnwriter John Mason Neale. The lyrics were set to the melody of "Tempus adest floridum" ("The Blooming Time Is Here"), a 13th-century spring carol first published in an 1582 Finnish song collection. Neale was interested in restoring medieval Catholic melodies and saints' days to the Anglican Church, and used a prose story he had written in 1849 as the basis for the poem. The song depicts the "king" and his page braving harsh winter snows on the Feast of Stephen (December 26) to bring food, wine, and firewood to a poor peasant. When the page grows too weak to continue, he is enabled to press on by stepping safely in the footprints left in the deep snow by the king.

Wenceslas's legacy as a "righteous king" influenced the High Middle Ages conceptualisation of a monarch whose power stems from piety. Historical chronicles describe him rising at night to visit churches and give alms barefoot. This image of the barefoot, pious ruler was so powerful that centuries later, Pope Pius II reportedly walked ten miles barefoot in the snow in imitation of the saint.

In Czechia, Wenceslas remains a national hero. The "Saint Wenceslas Chorale", dating back to the 12th century, is one of the oldest known Czech songs. Legend states that if the nation is in grave danger, the statue of Wenceslas in Prague's Wenceslas Square will come to life, raise an army of sleeping knights from Mount Blaník, and defeat all enemies. He remains a symbol that the spirit of Christmas and selfless giving should extend beyond the holiday itself.

26/08/2026

New in store is a 1971 hardcover edition of "The Land That Waited" by Max Harris and Alison Forbes, published by Lansdowne Press. A landmark exploration of early Australian colonial history seamlessly blending historical text with over 110 classic illustrations and plates. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/298616136631

The Land That Waited was a 1963 Australian documentary film telling the story of early white settlement of Australia. It started with the arrival of Governor Phillip and looks at the creation of a settlement at Botany Bay. It then follows the next generation further out into Australia's vast land. A book of the same title which was drawn from the film was released in 1968, written by the film's script writer Max Harris along with Alison Forbes. The film won the 1963 Australian Film Institute award for Best Documentary

Originally broadcast on 26 January 1963, the ABC documentary The Land That Waited was a landmark production commissioned to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Governor Arthur Phillip’s landing. The film occupies a unique position in Australian broadcasting history due to its innovative creative approach and the collaboration of several cultural icons.

Produced and directed by Gil Brealey, the film featured a poetic script and narration written by the renowned Max Harris. While Harris authored the text, the narration was performed by the distinguished actor Nigel Lovell. A critical triumph, the film was awarded the 1963 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Gold Award for Best Documentary. The evocative soundtrack was composed by legendary Australian composer John Antill.

In a departure from standard documentary techniques of the era, the 52-minute film did not use live re-enactments. Instead, it illustrated the history of early European settlement exclusively through contemporary colonial artwork - etchings, paintings, maps, and political cartoons - produced by the first colonists and explorers. This created a fast-moving narrative which has been curated into thematic segments by the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA):

"Creating a New Life": examines the profound culture shock experienced by the First Fleet. It details how colonists, longing for England, attempted to reshape the rugged Australian landscape into a likeness of the British countryside. A notable sequence depicts crowds gathering to "adore" a simple potted primrose brought from abroad while Antill’s music swells to intensely evoke the psychological weight of colonial isolation and a desperate longing for Great Britain.

"Opening Up The West": focusing on the expansion beyond the Blue Mountains, Harris’s script highlights the contrast between formal British explorers, who approached the terrain like a traditional cavalry charge, and practical, colonial-born figures like Gregory Blaxland, who succeeded by adapting to the environment as a "bushman."

John Antill CMG OBE (1904–1986) was uniquely qualified to score The Land That Waited. As the ABC’s Federal Music Editor, he had already achieved international fame for his 1946 ballet Corroboree, which pioneered the integration of Indigenous Australian rhythms with modern orchestral arrangements. For this documentary, Antill composed an original score that served as the emotional foundation for the film's static, historical imagery.

Because the documentary relied on archival artwork rather than live action, Antill’s orchestration provided the necessary sense of motion. Ultimately, Antill demonstrated that symphonic music, when paired effectively with prose and visual art, could replace the need for dramatic re-enactments, contributing significantly to the film’s AFI Gold Award win.

When Lansdowne Press published the print adaptation in 1967 (and later the 1971 reprint), Max Harris and Alison Forbes expanded the project far beyond a mere transcript. They transformed the work into a comprehensive analysis of Australian cultural identity, exploring several core themes in greater depth:

The Psychological Conflict with the Landscape
The book delves into the refusal of early white settlers to accept the Australian environment on its own terms. Harris explores how the First Fleet arrivals suffered acute culture shock, attempting to superimpose British ideals onto a hostile, ancient landscape they perceived as a "blank slate" waiting for European transformation.

The European Eye vs. Australian Reality
Using Alison Forbes’s meticulous layout, the book contrasts personal diary entries with the artistic interpretations of the era. Harris and Forbes highlight a notable historical quirk: colonial painters, steeped in European aesthetics, initially rendered Australian eucalypts as manicured English oaks. The book traces the multi-generational evolution of artists finally capturing the harsh Australian light and unique flora with accuracy.

The "Bushman" vs. The Cavalry Charge
The adaptation expands on the thematic division of the Australian character. It contrasts rigid British officials, who navigated the outback with military protocols, against pragmatic, colonial-born "bushmen." Harris argues that a true Australian identity emerged only when settlers ceased looking back toward England and began adapting to the practical realities and rules of the bush.

13/08/2026

Check out the strawberry theme items in store including this hard to find bone china Lyndale pattern bone china trio made by Royal Albert. It was made between 1995 and 1998 only. It is in the Montrose shape and was made in England. https://bit.ly/4fVQaMY

Strawberries survive in a range of conditions and will grow happily in most places around the world. Strawberries are native to North America and weren’t cultivated until the 1300s in France from wood strawberries found in the wilderness. In the 1600s, colonists cultivated the plants and shipped them to Europe. Strawberries became popular in England in the 1700s and early 1800s, and around this time, new varieties were developed. The modern strawberry, Fragaria ananassa, is actually a hybrid. A French spy discovered the Chilean strawberry and brought it to France in 1714. This species boasted a larger size than previous strawberries but was not hardy and was difficult to grow away from mild coastal climates. When the Virginia strawberry was crossed with the Chilean strawberry, the resulting fruit tasted great, had a substantial size, and was more hardy. This strawberry remained in favour until 1909 when the variety E C Howard of Massachusetts discovered a variety he called Howard 17. This strawberry had a tolerance to leaf spots and other diseases and eventually replaced the Virginia Chilian cross. In the town of Wépion, Belgium, there is a museum dedicated to explaining the history of strawberry growing in the region and its importance to the economy. If you are afraid of strawberries you are a fragariaphobic. The word being derived from the genus strawberries belong to, Fragraria, along with phobia, the word for fear. In parts of Bavaria, it is considered lucky in spring to tie small baskets of wild strawberries in spring to the horns of cattle as an offering to elves. The elves, who are reportedly passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return. Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. Perhaps she followed this practice as the fruit is considered an aphrodisiac in France. She is famed for her beauty, marriages, and many liaisons with men of influence - including Napoleon. She used her connections to intervene on behalf of aristocratic friends during the revolution. It is a tradition in France to serve a soup made of strawberries, sour cream, borage and sugar to newlyweds. Strawberries have also been linked to the Virgin Mary, as well as the Roman goddess of love, Venus, symbolising everything from purity and fertility, to sensuality and abundance. Mediaeval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals to symbolise perfection and righteousness. A dream about strawberries might mean you'll soon find true love.

14/06/2026

If it is possible to describe an ashtray as artistic and stylish, this is it! Featuring a hand painted Kangaroo it was made by the Rohova Pottery, Sydney, between 1954 and 1964. https://bit.ly/4dEjne4

The Rohova pottery was founded in 1954 by the ceramic artist Marlene Elsie Adams. A graduate of the Sydney Technical College, Adams initially worked as an artist and decorator for the Vandé Pottery until 1954, when she opened her own studio.

In 1955 she married the Czech Vladimir Roh, and subsequently named the studio Rohova. When her husband fell ill with cancer in 1962, she set up a partnership with the Hungarian-born sculptor Alexander Takacs under the name ‘Alexander Rohova Consolidated Artists Pty Ltd.’ Not long after Vladimir Rohova died, the company went into liquidation and Marlene set up a new pottery under the name ‘Meroh Pottery’.

Marlene was one of Vandé’s first employees and her early work with them is now considered significant. While there, it's believed she created the first foot-shaped souvenir, a novelty design widely copied by other souvenir manufacturers. Vande (pronounced Vander) was set up after World War II by Samuel Vandesluis, an English migrant with Dutch-Jewish heritage.

In Sydney he saw an opportunity for producing Australian pottery and took over an established business in Mosman. He concentrated mainly on the growing demand for souvenirs and all were hand-painted, in most cases the artist's initials or code is inscribed on the base. MEA or Mx were the marks Marlene Adams used while working there.

03/06/2026

SOLD
New in store are some Wild Oats pattern side plates made by W R Midwinter, England, as part of the Stonehenge tableware range. The pattern was designed by Eve Midwinter and made between 1974 and 1982. https://bit.ly/4nuzVsh

The Stonehenge range was designed by Roy Midwinter and was decorated with designs created by Eve Midwinter and Jessie Tate. The range was launched in February 1972 with the release of four matt glazed patterns ‘Blue Dahlia’, ‘Bluebells’, ‘Flowersong’ and ‘Medallion’.

The thick-walled ‘chunky’ shapes, studio pottery finishes, and vivid decoration were as new and radical as any of Midwinter’s earlier triumphs, and again it proved to be a design success. The first three patterns were followed by a further seven patterns released in August 1972. ‘Sun’, ‘Moon’ and ‘Earth’, now regarded as perhaps the most iconic Stonehenge patterns were released in March 1973.

Although launched with a matt glaze, the majority of the Stonehenge range had a glossy ‘oatmeal’ glaze where reactive particles added to the glaze cause an irregular speckling over the surface of the ware. The wares were finished with hand-applied iron oxide banding to the edges that contributed to the ‘studio pottery’ look.

Stonehenge connected immediately with the public spirit of the 1970s with the interest in self-sufficiency and birth of popular concern for environmental issues. The more restrained ‘Wild Oats’ by Eve Midwinter released in 1974 was enormously popular with the public. The majority of Stonehenge patterns were released between 1972 and 1974. The earlier matt-glazed wares were withdrawn in the mid-1970s, however, most patterns remained in production until withdrawn by Wedgwood in 1982 or 1983.

01/06/2026

SOLD
Check out the Willow pattern items in store, including this bread and butter plate made by Johnson Bros, England. The pottery first produced a version of the Willow pattern in the 1880s and the product line was not discontinued until the 1990s. This plate dates from the 1930s when mass production was first ramping up. https://bit.ly/4ns0aiS

The term ‘willow pattern’ is applied in a general way to the many versions of the blue and white porcelain design first created in Britain in the 18th Century. Even though the ‘willow’ pattern looks oriental, it was actually the design of engraver Thomas Minton who was commissioned in 1780 to create it by potter Thomas Turner.

Turner made a specialty of Chinese designs in blue under-glaze at the Caughley China Works in Shropshire. The Caughley ‘willow’ pattern was introduced by Spode into Staffordshire in 1784, and was soon taken up by Adams, Wedgewood, Royal Worcester and Coalport with differences, particularly in the fretted border and fence in the background.

Chinese designs were all the rage in Britain at the end of the 18th century and early 19th century thanks to the Prince Regent's lavishly oriental Brighton Pavilion - its Chinese interiors were encased in a flamboyant and romantic Indian Mughal-style exterior.

When ‘willow’ was first created, many of the expensive Chinese pottery imports were hand-painted - ‘willow’ is often cited as one of the first transferware prints. Transfer prints started with engravers who etched the pattern into a copper plate that was printed onto porcelain, china or earthenware. Later the pattern was transferred onto paper making it easier to cheaply mass produce.

Ultimately, many countries produced the ‘willow’ pattern, but, ironically, it wasn't made in China until the mid-1980s. Of the modern ‘willow’ the Burleigh Ware (Burgess and Leigh) reproduction of Enoch Wood's plate is unequalled. The Blue is attractive and pleasing and the engraving has been executed by the finest artists of the day and has been in continual production since 1922.

The Willow Pattern itself illustrates a bogus but believable Chinese legend: Long ago, in the days when China was ruled by emperors, a Chinese mandarin,Tso Ling, lived in the magnificent pagoda under the branches of the pine tree on the right of the bridge, over which droops the famous willow tree, and in front of which is seen the graceful lines of the fence. Tso Ling was the father of a beautiful girl, Kwang-se, who was the promised bride of an old but wealthy merchant. The girl, however, fell in love with Chang, her father's clerk. The lovers eloped across the sea to the cottage on the island. The mandarin pursued and caught the lovers and was about to have them killed when the gods transformed them into a pair of turtle doves. These are the doves seen gazing into each other's eyes at the top of the design on the plates. To be a true ‘willow’ pattern it must include:

willow trees
Chinese pine trees (commonly confused as apple or orange trees)
a bridge with three men on it
a fence
a boat
a teahouse (or pagoda) and
two birds in flight.

The pattern’s popularity was so enduring that by the Victorian period it had even become the subject of its own song:

‘Two pigeons flying high

Chinese vessel sailing by

Weeping willow hanging o’er

Bridge of three men maybe four

Chinese temples stand

Seem to take up all the land

Apple trees with apples on

A pretty fence to end my song’

27/05/2026

In store is this rare publication detailing the art and artists of New Zealand in the 1960s and 70s. It is a first edition authored by Peter Cape and published in 1979. Cape was a kind of "Renaissance man" with a humanitarian heart. Known for his diverse talents, his legacy includes a significant contribution to folk music and the preservation of NZ artistic works. https://bit.ly/4uhYECf

Peter Cape (1926–1979) was a New Zealand singer, songwriter, writer, and broadcaster, best remembered for his vernacular folk ballads and his books on New Zealand arts and crafts.

Born in Helensville, north-west of Auckland, Cape's parents were British emigrants who constantly moved around as travelling merchants after the First World War. This itinerant childhood, spent living out of caravans and observing rural life, fostered a love of the outdoors and a wanderer spirit, later supplying subjects for his songs and establishing a distinctive style of documentary observation.

Educated partly by Correspondence School, Cape went on to study for a Bachelor of Arts in English, philosophy, and psychology at The University of Auckland in the 1940s. After graduating, he worked for a time as a freelance journalist in Christchurch, where he developed an interest in theology and became involved with the Anglo-Catholic parish of St Michael's.

In 1951, he married and the couple moved to Dunedin, where Cape began theological training for the ministry at Selwyn College. At the end of 1953, they relocated to Western Australia, where he was ordained as an Anglican priest at St John's Cathedral, Kalgoorlie. His time in the ministry was difficult and short-lived, exacerbated by the harsh climate. After less than a year, they returned to New Zealand in 1954, settling in Wellington.

Back in Wellington, Cape secured work in religious broadcasting, which soon became a more permanent vocation. His career steadily grew within the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (NZBS). He was employed as a talks producer, compiling news and arranging shortwave broadcasts to the Pacific.

The reformation of the NZBS into the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) in 1962 - an independent body responsible for both radio and the fledgling television service - catapulted him into a new role. He was sent to Britain for television producer training and, from 1963 to 1966, was a senior producer making documentary and current affairs programmes.

It was during his time that his musical activities burgeoned. He began writing New Zealand vernacular ballads, finding a receptive audience in the emerging Wellington folk music scene. Unlike most popular music of the early 1960s that took cues from overseas, Cape was known for songs about his own country. His songs, covering subjects like dance halls, deer culling, ferry trips, cow cockies and café society, were distinctly New Zealand. His recordings became commercial hits and were regularly aired on public radio; he even performed on television in 1962.

However, his high-powered career at NZBC ended when a long-standing affair with a staff member was uncovered. Combined with a major drinking problem, this dealt a blow to his faltering marriage. From 1968 to 1970, he worked for Volunteer Services Abroad (VSA) while building a career as an independent broadcaster and writer for publications like the Listener and People.

His marriage and Anglican ministry both concluded in 1973. In 1974, he moved to Richmond to live with an acquaintance from his university days, and became fully immersed in the arts and crafts community. Cape increasingly turned to writing books as a creative outlet. He became deeply interested in pottery and the arts, aligning with the "relentless quest for New Zealand identity" among artists and intellectuals in the late 1960s and 70s.

He authored several books on New Zealand arts and crafts, including Artists and Craftsmen in New Zealand and Please Touch: A Survey of the Three Dimensional Arts in New Zealand. In the final decade of his life, he published four surveys of painting and crafts based on interviews with artists, such as Prints and Printmakers in New Zealand (1974).

Peter Cape died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1979 at the age of 53.

24/05/2026

SOLD
Check out the vintage Coclough China company items in stock, including this hand finished art deco bone china cup and saucer set made in the 1930s. https://bit.ly/3OAefOB

The H.J. Colclough china company was founded in Staffordshire in 1890 by Herbert Joseph Colclough, who was an ex-Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent. Mr Colclough was a china lover, a hard worker and very driven, all of which ensured the success of his company. He was known on occasion to stay up all night next to the kilns, which he had helped pack, so that he could be the first to see the new designs when they emerged at the end of firing.

In 1907 the company expanded and moved to the Vale potteries in Longton and in 1913, following a visit from King George V and Queen Mary, received royal patronage for the Royal Vale trademark. Colclough went on to innovate the production of fine bone china for the mass market in the 1930’s which was marketed by the piece, ruling out the need to buy a whole teaset. This was a right idea at the right time and assured the continuation of the brand up to the end of the Century.

In 1937, H J Colclough acquired two more potteries and became Colclough China Ltd. In 1948, Colclough China Ltd merged with Booths Ltd and then in 1955 merged with Ridgway & Adderley. The enterprise was renamed Ridgway Potteries Ltd. This was one of the largest combining of potteries into one firm so far - eight factories made up the group, the oldest of which was Booths which was established in the eighteenth century.

The trademarks associated with Ridgways were Colclough, Royal Vale, Royal Stanley and Royal Adderley. Ridgway Potteries Ltd became part of the Royal Doulton Group in the early 1970's and in 1996, Colclough production was discontinued and the trademark ceased.

22/05/2026

In store is this Royal Doulton collectors plate decorated with a painting of 'The Cutty Sark'. It comes from a series depicting famous English ships from the Under Sail collection issued in 1996. With artwork by Leonard Pearce, they showcase British maritime heritage. https://bit.ly/4deiEQp

The Cutty Sark is the world's only surviving "extreme clipper," celebrated as one of the fastest sailing ships ever built. Launched in 1869, she was designed for exceptional speed by Hercules Linton to compete in the lucrative race to deliver the first tea of the season from China to London. Her innovative composite construction - iron frames with wood planking - allowed for a faster, more durable hull, which was unusually narrow and long.

Designed to reach speeds of over 17 knots (approx 20mph/32kph), she was significantly faster than typical steamships of the time. Despite being built to last only 30 years, the Cutty Sark served for 52 years as a working ship. She survived losing her rudder at sea, a severe storm in 1916 that dismasted her, and a massive fire during restoration in 2007. Amazingly more than 90% of the hull structure remains original.

Initially built for the China tea trade, she proved her versatility after steamships took over by dominating the Australian wool trade under Captain Richard Woodget, including a record-breaking 73-day voyage from Sydney to London in 1885.

From 1895, she was owned by a Portuguese company, renamed Ferreira, and commonly known as Pequena Camisola ("little shirt"). She was repurposed from a high-speed tea clipper into a sturdy, general freighter, serving this role for 27 years. She continued to ship cargo during World War I, surviving attempts to destroy her by German submarines. She was eventually retired after sustaining damage in a storm.

After her commercial career, the Cutty Sark served as a cadet training ship from 1922 to 1954, training hundreds of future Merchant and Royal Navy officers. Retired sea captain Wilfred Dowman bought her back from Portugal in 1922. He used her at Falmouth, Cornwall, to train young sailors.

Following Dowman's death, his widow donated the ship to the Incorporated Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe in 1938. She served as a floating classroom and training vessel where cadets learned to work with sails, rigging, and maritime skills. By the early 1950s, she was no longer useful as a cadet ship and was transferred to a permanent dry dock in 1954.

The ship is named after the short linen undergarment (a "cutty sark" in Scots) worn by a witch named Nannie (Scots form of Anna) in Robert Burns' poem "Tam o' Shanter," which inspired her carved figurehead.

In the poem the drunken Tam, riding home on his horse, comes upon a witches dance. Among them is the particularly beautiful young witch, Nannie, who is wearing a nightshirt which fitted her as a child but is now rather too short for her! Tam is so enthralled by the erotic spectacle that he yells out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!". Alerted to his presence the witches pursue him and he heads towards the River Doon - according to folklore witches cannot cross running water. He makes it across the bridge, but not before Nannie has torn the tail from his horse.

The poem ends with a warning to all men of the devilish consequences of thinking about scantily-clad females. Perhaps wise words for sailors spending months at sea! The figurehead represents the ship's speed, as she is giving chase. She is reaching forward, clutching the tail which she snatched from Tam's horse.

Today, the Cutty Sark is a major visitor attraction and museum in Greenwich, London. The ship is uniquely suspended three meters above the ground in a special dry dock, allowing visitors to walk directly underneath her sharp hull and experience her history.

18/05/2026

In store is an antique Zylonite collar box along with a detachable collar for a men's shirt made by Phillips Shirts, Melbourne, Australia. https://bit.ly/4vFxMh4

Collar boxes were purpose made containers used from the 1860s to the 1930s to store, protect and travel with stiff, detachable collars and cuffs. They were designed for separate, starchable neckwear, keeping the collars clean and rigid while preventing damage to the starched fabric.

The invention of the removable collar in 1827 is attributed to Hannah Lord Montague in Troy, New York. Tired of washing her husband's entire shirts when only the collars were dirty, she cut them off to wash separately, launching a major garment industry. She cut the collars off, bound the edges, and used tapes to tie them on.

In the 1800s, shirts were expensive and handmade, and collars and cuffs were the first parts to wear out. Detachable, starched collars allowed the main shirt to be laundered less frequently, saving labor and cost while allowing for stiff starching. Montague’s invention was quickly commercialised, leading to a multi-million dollar industry that earned Troy the nickname "Collar City".

Early collars were made of linen or cotton, often heavily starched, but later celluloid and rubber collars were introduced in the late 19th century for easier cleaning. They attached to "tunic shirts" (shirts that only opened halfway down) using front and back studs.

Collar boxes were typically circular or horse-shoe shaped, made of materials like leather, inlaid wood or stiffened cardboard. Developed around the 1860s, they were used heavily through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their sturdy, attractive design means antique collar boxes are now frequently used as decorative storage.

Collar boxes were also made of Zylonite (or Xylonite), an early brand of celluloid - a pioneer thermoplastic developed in the 1860s by Alexander Parkes. It offered a practical substitute for ivory and tortoiseshell, materials that were more difficult to obtain and process. Xylonite collar boxes were hygienic, durable and more affordable than leather or ivory alternatives. Xylonite stud boxes, brushes and collar boxes were common items on dressing tables in the early 20th century.

The popularity of detachable collars and, consequently, collar boxes faded by the 1930s. The rise of comfort-oriented fashion with softer collars, more accessible laundry methods and the mass production of shirts with attached collars rendered separate collar storage unnecessary for daily wear. While detachable collars survived in formal, clerical, and legal attire, the daily use of collar boxes ended.

In a related note, the Melbourne-based Phillips Shirts, founded in 1951 by Czechoslovakian post-war migrants Philip Phillips and Alex Peterfreund, remains one of the last shirt manufacturers in Australia. The company started small, with the founders cutting shirts by night and selling them despite speaking little English. A large order from a Hobart department store in 1951 gave them their first major success. The factory, established in Little Lonsdale Street in 1958, is still in operation today, now headed by Alex’s son, Andrew Peterfreund. The factory is still considered one of the country's best shirt makers.

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