ABSTRACT

This chapter explores some aspects of the sensory landscape in the family home during the first half of the twentieth century by women who experienced it, who remember sound, sight, smell and touch but who were not of the family. Hilda Matheson was an assisted migrant from England as a child with her family in 1913, but moved between England and Australia with her work as a servant. Hilda would remove the pins and brush her hair gently for about half an hour, it made Mrs Davey’s day.’ While the nature of this intimate touch reinforced social distinction and older female authority, the description also attests to kindness and friendship. ‘Wandering hands’ or the unwanted touch of the male hand was the experience of many women, and for some it became the signature of the understanding of men in general.