National Archives of Australia
Life in Australia's Convict Female Factories
Women Transported – Life in Australia's Convict Female Factories, a confronting and inspiring exhibition, reveals the harsh life of women in female factories in late 18th- and early 19th-century colonial Australia.
An estimated one in five Australians has an ancestor who spent time in a female factory, but very little material survives.
This exhibition celebrates the personal accounts of these 'mothers of the nation' – women torn from the lives they knew, separated from their children, and assigned to often harsh masters and mistresses. Original objects, interactive elements and works by colonial artists Augustus Earle and John Skinner Prout feature.
Women Transported is a tribute to the memories and experiences of women who made a significant contribution to the nation.
Watercolour of Parramatta female factory
Parramatta female factory plan
Male and female convict
Letter from Reverend Samuel Marsden
The original Parramatta female factory
Official rules and regulations
Miniature of convict Sarah Lawson
The journey to Australia
Contribution to the textile industry
Photograph of Susannah Watson
Women's laced ankle boots
Letter from Susannah Watson to her daughter
