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
Patterms
Frame, Motifs or Names, Patchwork, Typically Australian
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:

Mare Carter
Quilt No.74MC - Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton padding. Pattern is based on squares and a cross. Variety of fabrics, plain and patterned. Hand stitched and quilted.
2083 x 1626mm
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Quilt No.609PWH - The Pioneer Women's Hut
Utility patchwork quilt made up of mainly squares of furnishing material machine pieced. It is backed with machine pieced patches of woollen jumpers, mainly machine not hand knitted. The back is possibly the top. There is no padding.
1950 x 1270mm
Patchwork, Pieced Random
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Quilt No.883NTNW - National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Handsewn quilt pieced in red, blue, green and yellow print cottons in 'Lone Star' pattern, with diamond shaped patches. The main star is edged with a red and cream sawtooth border. In each corner is a star made up of 4 rows of diamonds, surrounded by small 8 point stars in red and green. The background material is a cream and brown spot print. The backing is a printed cotton in a small all over purple leaf and bud print on cream. Quilting is in an all over wave pattern.
2320 x 2320mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Diamond
Nancy Dunlap
Quilt No.1098ND - Nancy Dunlap
Repeat block in wedding ring pattern. All cottons with cream background and mainly pale mauve and green dressmaking prints in wedding rings. Green border and cream calico backing. The padding is cotton. 1800 x 210mm.
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Quilt No.951NTW - National Trust of Australia (WA)
Hexagon quilt in dress and shirting cottons constructed in frame style with a centre rosette of 7 patches surrounded by 4 borders of patterned hexagons alternating with cream patches. The quilt has an inner border of triangles then rows of rosettes alternating with cream patches. The outer border is triangles. There is no padding. The backing is cream linen and has had a 20th century white cotton sateen slipstitched to it.
2045 x 1940mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon
Annette Rich
Quilt No.79AR - Annette Rich
Unlined quilt. Central square of floral chintz with rectangular and chevron border making a larger frame that is set within another square-on-point frame edged with 2 toned red leaf pattererned chintz. This quilt is mainly pieced (squares, triangles, lozenges) but the hexagon rosettes are appliqued. Dress and furnishing cottons dating from the early 1800s. Raw edged, unfinished. All hand stitched.
2400 x 2400mm
Patchwork, Frame