Quilt No.972NGA - National Gallery of Australia

National Gallery of Australia
Owner: 
National Gallery of Australia
Location: 
ACT
Maker
Maker: 
Mary Hannaford
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
"This is a coverlet of pale blue cotton muslin, highly decorated with appliquéd pieced bands, figures, and embroidery. The edge of the quilt is finished with bands of yellow, white and green cotton attached with ladder stitch.
Down the centre field of the design and 4 poems embroidered in quite crude chain stitch. Each piece of prose is accompanied by an appliquéd illustration. For example a large clock accompanies a poem of time. 'While shepherds watch their flocks at night�.'is illustrated with a beautiful scene of the manger watched by an angel, cows and sheep. The appliqué and...
History: 

The quilt was made by Mary Jane Hannaford about 1924 at Blanford, near Murrurundi, New South Wales.
"There are seven known quilts initialled 'M.J.H.' five of which are owned by the National Gallery of Australia. The National Gallery of Australia purchased this quilt from a private collector, Sydney in 1982." [NGA]

Story: 

"Mary Jane Hannaford was born in Devonshire, England in 1840. She came to Australia on board the 'London', arriving in Sydney in March 1842. The family moved to Tamworth after the Australian Agricultural Company contracted her Father as shepherd. Her father died in 1852, when Mary was 12. Her Mother remarried 2 years later and they moved to Blanford near Murrurundi, New South Wales. Mary Jane lived with her parents until they died and continued to live with her brother on the farm 'Balmoral'. She never married, but had a daughter, Emily Agnes Hannaford who married George Cady in 1887. Mary Jane died in Blanford in 1930." [NGA]

Related Quilts:

Yvonne Hamdorf
Wholecloth pram quilt with a top of pink cotton sateen, and the reverse is a more finely woven, ivory, fabric. All over quilting design as main feature, with stylised hearts, leaves and cross hatching. The padding is cotton batting. 870 x 660 mm.
John Tomkin
Hand stitched, cotton, appliquéd, quilt in a flower pattern on a plain background. Colours are shades of green, apricot and browns. This quilt was known as a 'Bride's Quilt'. Padding is thought to be layers of white fabric raised almost like a wadding. The backing is cotton material. 2470 x 2020 mm.
Annette Gero
Double sided cretonne quilt, red floral one side, green floral the other. The padding is layers of blanket pieces and pieces of woollen clothes tacked flat. It is machine quilted in squares from the centre outwards.
1270 x 1060mm
Flora Noyce
Hand worked wholecloth Chinese quilt. Background is cream with a central motif of a dragon embroidered in various shades of orange. The border has floral and leaf decoration at each corner joined by a stem interspersed with leaves, berries and butterflies. The border is dull gold satin finished cotton with a fine gold braid machined on. The backing is fine brown cotton.
1730 x 1700mm
Val Ireland
Utilitarian quilt. The padding is pieced used clothing and possibly reused blanket. The top and backing are machine pieced cotton scraps in a wide variety of pattern and colours.
1626 x 1601mm
Berry & District Historical Society
It is a plain white linen double-bed sheet or bed-cover on which have been embroidered (over autographed signatures) the names of members of various associations and clubs, local MPs, visiting dignitaries etc associated with the Berry Agricultural Show of 1906. There are badges and emblems also embroidered in red or pale gold thread including the central Berry Agricultural Society Association motif surrounded by a wreath of lillipilly leaves and berries, a rebus on the name 'Berry'.