Victorian traditions had children begin their day with breakfast in the day nursery. After clearing away breakfast, lessons with the governess began for the rest of the morning. The governess covered all subjects including mathematics, history and French. The wallpaper would have been paint-by-numbers and the children could colour it as they wished. The wallpaper in this room is a replica of a pattern popular at the time. Lunch would then also be served in this room.
The afternoons children spent at play. Most of their play would happen in this room. The governess required permission from the parents to take the children outside. Even then, they were only allowed an hour outside, to prevent their skin from becoming tanned. Pale skin indicated that you were a child from a higher class while tanned skin indicated you were from the working class.
While these traditions were common in the early days, by the time children were around Government House things had started to change.
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