Photograph of bonnet which belonged to Sarah Benson Walker: 1812-1893. Society of Friends, Hobart, Tasmania.

Abstract

Photograph of Sarah Benson Walker's bonnet. This bonnet forms part of a collection of clothing preserved by the Robey sisters (held by Society of Friends' Meeting House Collection, Hobart, Tasmania. Sarah Benson Walker was the daughter of Methodists, Robert and Ann Mather, who joined the Quakers in 1834. That same year Sarah agreed to marry George Washinton Walker, despite once referring to him and James Backhouse as those 'pesky Quakers'. Sarah had ten children and served on Jane's Franklin's visiting committee to the Cascades Female Factory, and regularly participated in Monthly Meetings. Biographical Text Source: Quaker Life in Tasmania: The First Hundred Years. Michael Bennett, University of Tasmania Library, 2007, p. 19.