Quilt No.899MV - Museum Victoria
Owner:
Museum Victoria
Location:
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker:
Unknown
Made in
AUSTRALIA Vic
Patterms
Date:
1851 - 1880
Description:
Possum skin cloak. The possum skins are sewn together with vegetable fibre or kangaroo sinew. Designs are incised into the skins, some of which are decorated with ochres.
2720 x 2100mm
History:
The cloak was made by an unknown Aboriginal person from Echuca Victoria in 1853. It is owned by the Museum of Victoria.
Story:
"Only five possum skin cloaks made in south-eastern Australia before 1900 have survived. Two are in Museum Victoria's collection. The others are in museums in Britain, the U.S.A. and Germany.
The meaning of the designs on this cloak were not recorded. However, designs could represent clan design, natural features, animals and plants." [Dr. Michael Pickering 23.8.00]
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.
Small possum skin rug with the centre area greyish skins and 2 narrow borders of reddish brown and dark brown pelts. The skins are hand sewn with white thread. The backing is woollen material, light brown with dark brown woven stripe.
1380 x 1040mm
Possum skin rug with 6 rows of 7 skins. The backing is red felt with a border showing and peaked edge.
1680 x 1460mm
Opossum pelts cut into rectangles and joined. The top is piped in red felt and the backing is red felt with a double scalloped edge.
1640 x 1210mm
Platypus skin rug, 63 pelts in 7 rows by 9. Skins are small, rectangular and worn down. The colour is greyish brown with a darker centre. The skins are machine stitched then the rug is hand sewn to dark brown felt which extends to form a wide border and this has 3 rows of machine stitching.
1780 x 1425mm
Skin rug made from approximately 50 fox skins. These are hand sewn together in strips approx. 100mm wide across the width of the rug. Backing is of dark brown felt. The edge is trimmed with blue felt with a scalloped edge. Skins were tanned with wattle bark tanning solution.
1550 x 1300mm