Betty Ingram, great-great granddaughter of Beechworth colonial and Federation-era commercial and civic leader James Ingram (1828-1928) and his wife Margaret (1822-1906), recently presented historic costumes to the community and showed photographs from her family's collection.

The items, preserved by her mother Glenis and given at afternoon tea hosted by Beechworth History and Heritage Society (BHHS) and Lorraine and Ross Lucas, include garments believed to have been worn by Margaret Ingram and by Betty’s great-grandmother Catherine, who married James and Margaret's son, also named James.

The family’s photograph collection includes some by Beechworth colonial photographer James Bray (1832-1891), whose studio was in Camp Street and was one of four observers who photographed the Kelly gang in the aftermath of the Glenrowan siege in June 1880.

James Ingram senior, described in his lifetime by Victoria's press as 'Beechworth's Grand Old Man' for his generosity, compassion for others and civic leadership, came with Margaret to Beechworth in 1855.

Both were born in Scotland.

James had been appointed agent on the Ovens Goldfield for The Age, a newspaper then in its infancy, and became a prominent newsagent and bookseller.

His name remains on the Camp Street facade above Beechworth’s NewsXpress newsagency.

He was also instrumental in the development of Ovens District Hospital, Ovens Benevolent Asylum and Mayday Hills Psychiatric Hospital, involved in numerous schools, and became Beechworth Cemetery Trust secretary for 70 years.

James and Margaret's granddaughter, Margaret, and her husband, William Ellis Bird, became leading booksellers in Melbourne's academic and literary world, with Ellis Bird's Bookshop in Little Collins Street and later Russell Street catering to 'booklovers, students and bohemians', as the Australian Dictionary of Biography describes it.

“Betty Ingram’s generosity and that of her late mother, Glenis, has contributed to Beechworth’s ability to explore and tell the Ingram story through their photographs and these other materials,” BHHS convenor Jamie Kronborg said.

“Quite a number of the family's photographs, including images of James and Margaret Ingram and their children and grandchildren, have never been shown publicly.

“Betty has been in contact with the Burke Museum to discuss the long-term preservation of these important family images.”