French Explorers: Lecture Series Mon 19 Nov 2018 – Sun 9 Dec 2018 2:00pm – 3:00pm WA Maritime Museum We're celebrating our French connections! At the WA Maritime Museum we are celebrating our unique French connections through our French Explorers in Western Australia exhibitions. As part of this exhibition season we are presenting three special lectures. Lecture details Time: 2pm Ages: All ages Cost: Free. WA Maritime Museum adult entry fees apply for admittance to the French Explorers in WA exhibition. Bookings: Essential as places are limited. Book by calling 1300 134 081 or by using the below links. Lecture program A Forgotten 18th Century French Explorer Sunday 18 November, 2pm Myra Stanbury, WA Museum Research Associate, Maritime Archaeology In April 1771 the commander of the exploratory vessel Gros Ventre, Louis de Saint Aloüarn, sailed his ship across the Indian Ocean to New Holland, sighting land at Cape Leeuwin. Thus begins the story of how nearly a year later at Dirk Hartog Island, Saint Aloüarn ordered his officers to claim through an Act of Possession the western part of the Australian continent for France, undertaken in the official ceremonial manner. Join Myra Stanbury for the story of Saint Aloüarn’s claim, and the remarkable archaeological discovery that uncovered the evidence of this event. About the lecturer Until her retirement in February 2015 Myra Stanbury was a Curator in the Department of Maritime Archaeology at the WA Museum. She continues her association with the Department as a Research Associate, with a particular interest in the early French connections with Western Australia. Through French Eyes: Aboriginal people and cultures in Western Australia, 1801-1818 Sunday 25 November, 2pm Dr Shino Konishi Several French maritime expeditions visited Western Australian shores in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, surveying our coastlines and documenting our natural history. These French expeditions observed and interacted with Aboriginal people and their cultures, particularly around Shark Bay and King Georges Sound. Join Shino Konishi as she discusses some of the cross-cultural encounters and the important ongoing legacy of these early descriptions and illustrations of Aboriginal people and cultural practices. About the lecturer Dr Shino Konishi is an ARC research fellow in the School of Humanities and School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia. She has long been interested in the history of French encounters with Aboriginal people, and has published a number of works on the subject, including her book The Aboriginal Male in the Enlightenment World (London, 2012). Shino is Aboriginal, and identifies with the Yawuru people of Broome. Frocks and Fichus: Fashion in the time of Rose de Freycinet Sunday 2 December, 2pm Dr Lydia Edwards, Fashion historian and lecturer, Edith Cowan University and WA Academy of Performing Arts The early nineteenth century was a pivotal time in women’s fashion: an era of revolution where demand for social change was reflected in the new Regency silhouette of the ‘empire line’ dress, offering a brief period of sartorial freedom for women. Join Lydia Edwards as she maps the journey of the female waistline - and fashion’s growing reliance on complex undergarments - as part of a wider discussion on the changing role and perception of women from the time of Rose’s marriage in 1815 to her death in the early 1830s. About the lecturer Lydia Edwards is a fashion historian focusing on women’s dress from the sixteenth through the early twentieth centuries, and author of How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century (2017). Lydia lectures at Edith Cowan University and teaches Costume History at WAAPA. Book Now - 2 Dec The French Family Connection: The Inside Story of Rose and Louis Sunday 9 December, 2pm Henry de Saulses de Freycinet As one of the last descendants of the Freycinet's, Henry will share insider knowledge and family stories about the extraordinary voyages of Rose and Louis. Their bold scheme - which involved breaking institutional naval rules and keeping their plan secret from the family - was the beginning of a great and marvellous journey, the historical significance of which is only now being understood. Join Henry de Freycinet for a lecture presentation that takes us inside the extraordinary archives of his family heritage and discusses the seafaring adventures of Rose and Louis de Freycinet. About the lecturer Henry de Saulses de Freycinet is the curator of the Freycinet Family archive, better known to the academics as the "Archives de Lage". He is the great-great-great-grand son of Louis Henri, Louis's brother, who was with him on the 1802 Baudin expedition. Passionate about his family history, he contributes as much as he can to the public interest and scholarship that focuses on this part of our common Australian-French history. With his wife and their two sons, they live in the south west of France, near Bordeaux. Book Now - 9 Dec Want to discover more of our French connections? After this special lecture join us for the free documentary screening of Roger Swainston: Drawn to Water. Caption: Lectures and learning with the WA Maritime Museum Credit: WA Museum