Quilt No.958NGA - National Gallery of Australia

National Gallery of Australia
Owner: 
National Gallery of Australia
Location: 
ACT
Maker
Maker: 
Convict Women
Made in
SHIPBOARD England
Date: 
pre 1850
Description: 
"The Rajah "quilt" is a patchwork and appliquéd bed cover or coverlet. It is in pieced medallion or framed style: a popular design style for quilts in the British Isles in the mid 1800's. There is a central field of white cotton decorated with appliquéd (in broderie perse) chintz birds and floral motifs. This central field is framed by 12 bands or strips of patchwork printed cotton. The quilt is finished at the outer edge by white cotton decorated with appliquéd daisies on three sides and inscription in cross stitch surrounded by floral chintz attached with broderie perse on the fourth...
History: 

"Convict women made the quilt en route to Australia, in 1841, on board the Rajah. The ship left Woolwich on 5th April and arrived in Hobart 19th July �.. with 179 women prisoners. There were possibly twenty-nine convict women on board the ship who worked the quilt. Extensive information is held at the NGA on the details of the voyage and the women who were transported to Australia upon the Rajah." [NGA]
"Little is known of the past owners of the quilt. It is believed that the quilt was presented to a government official soon after the Rajah's arrival. In 1987 the quilt was discovered in a private collection in Scotland. In 1989 it was purchased and donated to the National Gallery of Australia by Les Hollings and the Australian Textile Fund" [NGA]

Story: 

"The fabrication of the Rajah quilt was organised by prison reformer Elizabeth Fry and the 'British Ladies Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners', who were all members of the Quaker religious order. A woman listed as a free passenger of the Rajah, Miss Kezia Hayter is conjectured to have been the supervisor of the creation of the quilt and the needleworker of the most skill in its fabrication; she probably did the inscription panel." [NGA]
"One of the border bands carries an inscription in very fine cross stitch (18 stitches/cm). The inscription reads:
TO THE LADIES Of the Convict ship committee This quilt worked by the Convict of the ship Rajah during their voyage to Van Diemans Land is presented as a testimony of the gratitude with which they remember their exertions for their welfare while in England and during their passage and also of proof that they have not neglected the Ladies kind admonitions of being industrious * June * 1841 *" [NGA]

Related Quilts:

Cobram Shire Historical Society
Patchwork quilt in Log Cabin pattern, arranged in 'furrows', and made from cottons, wool and suiting fabrics. Centres of blocks are pastel or dark; dark colours are black, brown, purple blue and red. Pastel side of blocks includes a bright pink. Quilt backing is pieced, with a centre rectangle of cotton surrounded by 5 borders of plain and alternate rectangular pieced strips, in wool and suiting fabrics. Colours are black, dark blue, brown, green, grey and pastels. Inner lining is of cotton pieces, to which the Log Cabin blocks have been machined.
1620 x 1360mm
Tongarra Bicentennial Museum
Patchwork cot quilt top made from cotton hexagon patches, featuring a centre rosette with 7 rows of patches around it forming an elongated shape, with rosettes and patches randomly placed on the sides. Quilt has a border of triangles pieced to form squares. Cotton prints with over 50 different patterns. Colours are faded, with red and brown (may be faded green) and mostly pastels. Hand sewn using whip stitch. No padding or backing.
990 x 825mm
Red Cliffs Historical Society
Log cabin pattern, each block dark and light strips. 4 blocks joined with dark strips to centre to make larger block. 30 large blocks and 2 sides with half blocks. Each block is machined on to calico. Materials include velvets, corduroys, interlock, taffetas and silver lame. There is a 170mm bottle green border and a single piece of mid brown synthetic for the backing. The padding is probably dacron.
2400 x 2100mm
Kaniva District Historical Society
Patchwork quilt of hexagons in 'Grandmother's Flower Garden' pattern, consisting of a dark centre hexagon, a row of light patches, then a second row of dark patches in the same colour as the centre. Each group of patches or 'flower' is joined by white paths. Colours are predominantly red, blue, brown and pale or faded colours. Some fading; some dark colour fabrics have deteriorated. Backing. Hand sewn. Border of quilt and backing sewn edge to edge.
2236 x 1829mm
Busselton Historical Society
The strip quilt is handsewn and quilted. Quilt top has 13 panels or strips of 3 different cotton lawn floral prints. Some fabrics are now wearing. Backing is of plain white cotton. The padding is wool. Quilting features a triple row cable design with flower motifs.
2100 x 1800mm
Cressida Mary Webb Challis
Quilt of machine pieced squares and rectangles using a wide variety of materials in plain colours and patterns. It is one of a pair. There is no padding and the backing is 90cm strips of calico.
2500 x 2130mm