The special conditions for women attending the 1900 November Cup Carnival at Flemington included attendants who "hovered respectfully " to loosen tightly laced whalebone corsets . In addition ,they were provided with free face powder, eau-de-cologne and hairpins .These enchanting snippets come from Peeps into the Past , a book of Melbourne's curiosities , by Mary Maxwell , illustrated by Ruth Iggsten , published by Heinemann, 1957, a copy of which was discovered on Magnetic Island , North Queensland .
"Lady swooners " were also catered for at the track with palm leaf fans and smelling salts . Another curious item related to women covered Melbourne's first women's club, the Austral Salon , started during Queen Victoria's reign , by a group of women journalists , its objects : to encourage women to take an interest in the arts, to provide a meeting place for those actively associated with writing , and to encourage young students striving for recognition .
The book, which had at one stage been in the Terang Mechanics' Institute Free Library , subscription seven shillings and sixpence a quarter ( payable in advance ), includes the trade sticker of Seward booksellers and penned in name Jane Ronald on the front free endpaper.
