He was, according to contemporary accounts, 'a man of a thousand occupations; a botanist, a geologist, a hunter of beetles and butterflies, a musical amateur, a sketcher of no mean pretensions; in short, a complete virtuoso; added to which he was a very indefatigable, if not always a very successful, sportsman'.

A self-taught author, he wrote books on mountaineering in the Swiss Alps, a recreation he loved. He was staunchly anti-slavery, and a supporter of the arts.

What La Trobe was not - and this is not a criticism, merely an observation - was an administrator of the highest order. Natively cautious, he was accused of acting too slowly on issues like the creation of the colony and dithered on the issues of convict transportation and the problems created by the discovery of gold.

Given his insecurity about his capabilities, it's perhaps excusable La Trobe chose to wear his splendid military uniform as often as possible, perhaps to create the external impression of order and control when internally he was conflicted.

With silver embroidery and epaulettes, and a four inch collar, a double row of silver buttons and topped with a cocked hat garlanded with swan feathers, the woollen navy tunic, or coatee, and striped trousers were designed to express the full power of the crown.

La Trobe also had to pay for the suit himself, a not inconsiderable cost on an £800 per annum governor's stipend.

Now a Ballarat costume designer, historian and seamstress is recreating La Trobe's long-lost uniform.

Megan Anderson was awarded a State Library of Victoria fellowship in 2019, and has spent three years bringing the meticulously ornate clothing back to life. A costume designer for Sovereign Hill and fashion graduate of RMIT, Ms Anderson is now also studying a history degree at Deakin University.

She says one of the first things she learned was about La Trobe's very un-officially inclined character.

"I actually discovered he was quite a sensitive person," Ms Anderson says.

"He was quite into the arts; a lot of our institutions in Melbourne began with him. But he wasn't a natural leader, he hadn't had a leadership position before. He got this role based on one he had performed, I believe, in the West Indies, which was nothing like this particular role. So he actually found himself in the backwaters of the Antipodes, quite out of his depth."

La Trobe's desire to wear his uniform (most likely handmade to royal warrant in London before his arrival) continually meant it probably stood little chance of survival, especially in the mud and dust of the goldfields.

Horse-riding in particular was stressful on seams and the seat of the trousers, no matter how well-made the uniform was, while sweat would have permeated the lining. Could it have been cleaned?

"So you can brush out the wool," Ms Anderson says.

"The interior was most likely silk, probably a cream silk. Edmund Barton, our first prime minister, his uniform was donated to MOAD in Canberra in 2017,and it was trashed on the inside; the silk was shattered. I think Franklin's is quite destroyed on the inside as well, because silk doesn't hold up quite as well as wool. But the lining was replaceable."

Ms Anderson is referring to Sir John Franklin's similar uniform held by the National Maritime Museum in the UK. As Franklin held the same position and rank in Tasmania, the two sets of clothing are also closely matched. Ms Anderson used photographs of Franklin's, along with contemporary portraits of La Trobe, to create her work.

The uniforms were made of finely-woven wool with silver facings and decoration. The cuffs and collars were deep red to symbolise the wearer's connection to the authority of the crown.

"They are completely handmade, hand-embroidered. So La Trobe's uniform, the collar cuffs and back pocket flaps are all fully embroidered with what's called goldwork. Even though it's actually silver, it's the same technique."

The recreation of the uniform has involved Ms Anderson contacting re-enactment groups in the United States and the United Kingdom as well as museums, and companies still making traditional accoutrements like piping and braid.

"I'm in the very early stages of actually making it; it took three years to do the research," she says.

"The cloth I purchased was made for the New York Police Department at the turn of the 20th Century,"

"It's as close to the original cloth as I could find. The wool is finely milled and woven so it can hold a cut edge. Looking at La Trobe's portrait, the fake double-breasted edge where the handkerchief is, that's actually a raw edge and the cloth is so tightly woven, it doesn't need to be finished properly."

Military uniforms these days aren't as elaborate as they were 150, 120 or even 100 years ago, so how does someone recreating a vice-regal outfit find what they need?

"I actually found some original buttons from the time," Ms Anderson says.

"They're easy to date, because everything's marked on the back. I didn't find a full set, I have a couple which I'm going to get a casting from. The epaulets I sourced from a re-enactment place in the US; they're really great reconstructions.

"There's an embroidery company in the UK called Hand & Lock, they've been around since the 1700s. They have a royal warrant so they can do that work. I did get a quote from them, and the quote was $13,000."

Given Ms Anderson's La Trobe Society Fellowship for Colonial History was a total of $15,000, she had to search a little further.

"There's a lady from Invermay, who's a worldwide specialist in that technique. So I've been in talks with her, but haven't managed to get a quote from her yet. I purchased the bicorne hat which was a Royal Navy one, probably from the late 19th Century.

"But my favourite story of the whole thing was trying to get the feathers, the plumes for the bicorne, and I learned it's illegal to import swan feathers. They're protected pretty much all around the world. And in the UK, all the swans used for these uniforms belong to the crown estate. And they're exclusive for uniforms for the Queen. So I haven't got those yet either."

The making of La Trobe's uniform is a meticulous and time-consuming job; Ms Anderson is starting with the coatee.

"I mainly focus the all of my attention on the tunic at the moment; the most interesting thing about the trousers is probably the braid - it's actually called lace - down the side of the leg. That's very specific; it's two and a half inches wide, silver oak leaf and acorns.

"Focussing on the tunic, I've just started putting the body together. I've got a really great pattern maker in Melbourne to make me a pattern. I just could have done it myself, but (there's an issue of)timing, and I want it to be perfect. So he's done that for me.

"I've constructed all of the inner workings, I've made my own canvassing for the inside, for the structure. It's made from a gum. So I spent a lot of time last summer gumming up linen and blending it, drying it in the sun to make it nice and stiff. So that's quite accurate to the time."

Ms Anderson wants anyone thinking about doing a project on similar lines to apply for a State Library Victoria Fellowship.

"It's the most wonderful experience," she says.

"I highly recommend it to anyone, having the time and space and the funding to do one project you love."

Applications are now open for the fellowships program, which invites Australians to draw on the Library's extraordinary collection to create new works in any form - including literature, research, art, theatre, photography and printmaking.

One of the largest fellowships of its kind in Australia, the 2022 program will offer 16 fellowships worth a total of $215,000. It will include two new fellowships for regional Victorians, as well as an additional fellowship for Indigenous Victorians.

The inaugural Regional Creative Fellowships will be awarded to two regional Victorians who respond to published or original source material from the Library's collection. These, along with the two Marion Orme Page Regional Fellowships in partnership with Regional Arts Victoria, will help extend the Library's engagement with scholars and creatives outside metropolitan Melbourne.

The Indigenous fellowships will double in 2022, with two Indigenous Victorian Aboriginal Cultural Research Fellowships to be awarded to Indigenous Victorians who identify significant collection items for use in research that will be of value to the community.

Fellows will receive a cash grant for three months' research, a shared office space at the Library and special access to Library experts.

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