The courageous and creative life of Laura Miller

By Ian Wards, Kaipupuri Matua Taonga | Senior Curator (Taonga). 

A sepia-toned photograph of Laura Miller taken around 1910. Laura is standing and facing slightly to the left. She is wearing a long, textured coat with buttons down the front and a belt tied at the waist. Underneath, she has on a high-collared blouse with lace trim visible at the collar and cuffs. Her hair is styled up neatly. The background of the image is plain and light-colored, making Laura stand out prominently in the photograph.
Laura Miller, around 1910. Image courtesy of the Inkersell/Colbert family.

A seamstress, who owned the Underlinen Bazaar on Adelaide Road, Laura Miller used her skills to tenaciously work her way through difficult years to raise a happy and creative family in Wellington.

You can see a display about Laura Miller (1870-1953) and her courage and creativity at Te Waka Huia Wellington Museum.

Born in Port Cygnet, Tasmania on 7 April 1870, Laura was of Palawa (Aboriginal Tasmanian) and European descent. Her mother Fanny was proud of being Aboriginal, teaching her children some of the traditions of her people as well as the violent circumstances of their slaughter at the hands of European settlers. Her father was a transported convict (convicted in Kent for stealing a donkey), who served seven years as a ‘timber getter’ in Oyster Cove, Tasmania.

Sick of the drudgery of farm life in rural Tasmania, Laura ran away to Hobart aged 12 and apprenticed herself to a dressmaker. There she became highly skilled as a ‘white worker’ – someone who sewed underwear and blouses trimmed with broderie anglaise and lace. She also made outer garments to earn a living.

She married Francis Thomason, a storekeeper, around 1890 and they had a daughter Vera but tragically Francis died in an accident not long after they were married.

Laura remarried, to John Miller, in 1891 and they had a daughter Recamea in 1894 but John Miller was an abusive husband and they separated by 1901.

Laura moved to Wellington with her two daughters in 1907, to start a new life with her new husband William William’s (who changed his surname to Miller). William became a gardener at Wellington Botanic Gardens and Laura set up business as a seamstress, opening an Underlinen Bazaar at 52 Adelaide Road. Her shop windows were jammed with petticoats, chemises, nightgowns, and pants for women and children.

A vintage advertisement for Laura Miller’s Underlinen Bazaar. The illustration shows a woman in a long dress holding up an undergarment, with a chair beside her draped in more underlinen. The text reads: “ENCOURAGE Local Industry by buying your Underlinen at the Ladies' and Children's UNDERLINEN BAZAAR. MRS. MILLER, 52 ADELAIDE ROAD, Near Basin Reserve. NEWTOWN. Lankshear, Printer.
Advertising for Laura Miller’s Underlinen Bazaar. Wellington Museum collections.

The family lived at the back of the shop and upstairs. They were happy, sociable, and enjoyed playing musical instruments at home or in concert groups. Since they lived so close to the city, they were able to attend many public events at the band rotunda, Athletic Park, or the Basin Reserve. 

In 1926, Laura and William moved to a section in Houghton Bay, where they built a house and lived for the rest of their lives. There they planted rich vegetable gardens and ornamental gardens full of flowers.

Laura opened a small haberdashery in Island Bay soon after. Every day she would walk around the south coast to and from her shop – in howling wind, sunshine, or rain. Her grandchildren recall she always enjoyed this short walk, no matter the weather.

An antique black sewing machine with gold detailing, mounted on a wooden cabinet. The cabinet features several drawers on the left and an open door on the right revealing internal storage. The sewing machine is an older model and is identified as Laura Miller’s personal sewing machine.
Laura Miller’s personal sewing machine. Wellington Museum collections.

Of the sewing machine, which lived at the Miller’s Houghton Bay home, Laura’s grand-daughter Audrey Inkersell writes:

“When it was time for sewing. the treadle rocked and wheels whirred as garments appeared from the machine with extraordinary speed. Cutting done on the table, usually without patterns, was the first step in producing clothes that fitted Grandma’s and auntie’s “difficult” figures very well.”

A cream-colored blouse made by Laura Miller, displayed on a hanger held by a gloved hand. The blouse features intricate lace and detailed embroidery with symmetrical patterns running vertically along the front and sleeves, showcasing delicate craftsmanship.
Blouse made by Laura Miller. Wellington Museum collections.

We are grateful to Kate Colbert and her family for sharing Laura’s story and for donating objects from Laura’s life to Wellington Museum.

Ian Wards is Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Senior Curator (Taonga).