Quilt No.637RM - Russell McNickle
Owner:
Russell McNickle
Location:
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker:
Hartley Schultz
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Patterms
Date:
1941 - 1970
Description:
Pieced kangaroo skin rug. Centre square set on edge with radiating squares of rectangles of different coloured skins. This rug is one of a pair. The skins were from the big red, the blue flyer, the black scrubber and the grey. The backing is red felt with the traditional scalloped edge that extends beyond the fur.
1800 x 1500mm
History:
Russell McNickle shot the kangaroos. Mr. Hartley Schultz tanned them at his Wagga Wagga tannery and made the rug in 1958. It has always been owned by Russell McNickle. It is not used now.
Story:
Russell McNickle shot the kangaroos on Milthorpe's property 'Walanthray' Hillston NSW with a 22 calibre BRNO rifle in 1958. The skins are from the big red, the grey, the black scrubber and/or the blue flyer. No licence was necessary to shoot the roos. Russell salted the skins down and they were then taken to the Schultz tannery in Wagga Wagga where Hartley Schultz was responsible for tanning, design and making the rugs.
Russell bought the rifle (and bullets) for 60 pounds and paid for it within a year by trapping and shooting rabbits and shooting roos.
Related Quilts:
Kangaroo skin cloak of seven gores is made from the skins of seven grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus). The skins vary in size and shape, the inner five are roughly triangular. The cloak is edged with a series of loops, through one of these near the collar is a piece of cloth which appears to have tied the cloak together. The skins are sewn together with two sorts of linen or cotton thread. In a small diamond-shaped gusset at the back of the neck there are some stitches of sinew. The skins are sewn together by means of a small hem which was turned back on to the fur, so stitches went through two layers of skin on each gore. There are some small holes in the skins. The skins are very soft and pliable, and greyish in colour; they vary in size and shape.
Longest part: 800mm
Ref: MA Thesis 1973, S.Meagher 'A Reconstruction of the Traditional Life of the Aborigines of the S.W. of Western Australia.
Fox skin rug made from 28 winter fox skins, with turquoise green felt backing and with green felt scalloped edging. Part of some tails as edging remain. Skins hand pieced together, top sewn to backing by machine.
1550 x 1550mm
Round rug of whip tail wallaby skins pieced into centre circle. Skins have been joined and then stitched on to maroon baize backing which has traditional punched scalloped edge. The skins are wattle bark tanned.
Diameter 1449mm
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1680 x 1300mm
Skin rug made from 50-60 rabbit skins in various colours, pieced in a diamond pattern. Dark diamond in centre, a diamond of dark honey colour, then a band of dark, another of dark honey, a band of grey, a band of honey, with corner triangles of grey. Rug is backed with blue felt, and has a scalloped edge of blue felt. Hand sewn. Skins tanned with wattle bark tanning solution.
1550 x 1300mm
3 fragments of koala bear skin joined with very fine stitching. Uneven edges. Thought to have been part of an aboriginal cloak or rug.