Thursday, October 27, 2016

Making the Australian Quilt: 1800-1950

Making the Australian Quilt: 1800–1950 is the first major exhibition of its kind to bring together a selection of works that constitute Australia’s quilt heritage. Exclusive to National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) the exhibition includes more than 80 works by 57 known and several unknown makers from around the country. It is a privilege to have been able to view this exhibition in my home town and after my initial visit several weeks ago I knew I needed to go back with my camera so as capture these inspiring works.

Gertrude Mary Day - Hexagon Quilt (stars and tumbling blocks) | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950
Gertrude Mary Day
Hexagon Quilt (stars and tumbling blocks)
early 20th century - silk. 
Private collection, Melbourne.
Gertrude Mary Day - Hexagon Quilt (stars and tumbling blocks) | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950
Click on any image for a larger view.
The exhibition is co-curated by Katie Somerville (Senior Curator, Fashion and Textiles) and leading quilt historian and collector Dr Annette Gero. Many of the quilts are on loan from private collectors as well as borrowed from public lenders including Art Gallery of South Australia, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, and the National Gallery of Australia.

Hexagon Quilt 1850-60 - Unknown Maker | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950
Hexagon Quilt 1850-60 - silk.
Unknown maker.
Collection of Dr Annette Gero.
English paper pieced.
Hexagon Quilt 1850-60 - Unknown Maker | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950

The story of the Australian quilt can be categorised broadly into two phases; the first from early to mid 1800's saw quilters reference and adapt British quilting traditions. The second phase from late 1800's to mid 1900's saw the introduction of Australian symbols used to demonstrate a sense of pride and belonging. The quilts are made by men as well as women, and have been stitched as expression of love, skill, and leisure, but also necessity and making do.

Mary Jane Hannaford - Advance Australia Quilt 1920-21 | Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Mary Jane Hannaford
Advance Australia Quilt 1920-21
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Mary Jane Hannaford - Advance Australia Quilt 1920-21 | Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Mary Jane Hannaford - Advance Australia Quilt 1920-21 | Red Pepper Quilts 2016

There are many great stories about the quilts that are on show, including quilts made by convicts on the long haul to Australia, quilts brought to Australia by officials and their families, and quilts made by early settlers and immigrants. One of my favorite makers from the exhibition is Mary Jane Hannaford (quilts pictured above and below).

Mary Jane Hannaford - Wedding Quilt 1922 | Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Mary Jane Hannaford
Wedding Quilt 1922
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Mary Jane Hannaford was an English immigrant from Devon, arriving with her parents and brother in Australia in 1842, aged just 2. Although not married, Mary Jane had a daughter in 1869 and subsequently 9 grand children for whom she made quilts. Mary Jane did not start making quilts until she was in her eighties (1920's). All of her quilts feature free form applique and tell stories about patriotism, religious faith, and the love of Australian wildlife and flowers.

Hexagon Quilt 1950 by Flora Eggers | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Flora Eggers
Hexagon Quilt 1950
English paper pieced hexagons.
Collection of Dr Annette Gero
Hexagon Quilt 1950 by Flora Eggers | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016

The quilts range from pristine condition to stained and tattered from use. Personally I was amazed by the use of color and fabric in the quilts, attention to detail, resourcefulness, as well as the abundance of quilts that were made using the English paper piecing technique.

Sailor's Tumbling Block Quilt 1946 - Unknown Maker | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Sailor's Tumbling Block Quilt 1946 - silk.
Unknown maker.
Collection of Dr Annette Gero.
English paper pieced. 
Sailor's Tumbling Block Quilt 1946 - Unknown Maker | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016

Many of these quilts still had paper templates in them, some peeking through the worn fabric layer, often featuring newsprint.

Hexagon Quilt by Sarah Wall (nee Litherland) | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Sarah Wall (nee Litherland)
Hexagon Quilt 1811
Collection of Dr Annette Gero.

Diamond Quilt 1944-45 by Elizabeth Mary Evans | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Elizabeth Mary Evans
Diamond Quilt 1944-45
Private collection.
Diamond Quilt 1944-45 by Elizabeth Mary Evans | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016

These quilts are just a snippet of what is on display as part of the Making the Australian Quilt exhibition at the Ian Potter Center (NGV Federation Square), and whilst there many examples of fine work and a great variety of techniques and styles I fear my eye may have been overly trained on those works that immediately drew my attention. 

Log Cabin Quilt by Jeannette Dick from the collection of Dr Annette Gero | Making the Australian Quilt
Jeannette Dick (later Thomas)
Log Cabin Quilt 1867
Collection of Dr Annette Gero.

Federation Square - Melbourne
but hurry! Ends 6th November 2016

Hexagon Quilt 1942-44 by Elizabeth Mary Evans | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Elizabeth Mary Evans
Hexagon Quilt 1942-44
Collection of Elaine McKee, NSW.

If you live local I hope you too take this opportunity to view this unique selection of Australian quilts. For those of you near and far who are not able to make it, I hope you have enjoyed a view through the lens of my camera.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita
Tolman Quilt 1850 by Mary Chubb Tolman | Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 | © Red Pepper Quilts 2016
Mary Chubb Tolman
Tolman Quilt 1850 - 330cm x 265cm.
English paper pieced.
 120 stitches/hexagon - 6063 hexagons.
Private Collection.

RELEVANT LINKS:
Exhibition Book: Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 by Annette Gero and Katie Somerville.
The American Folk Art Museum: Super Stars Quilt Exhibition 2010.
The American Folk Art Museum:  alt_quilts Exhibition 2013

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COPYRIGHT: The photos used for this blog post are my own photos of the exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

21 comments:

  1. Thank you Rita - this is a great way to have a look at some of these quilts for those of us unable to see them in person. I find Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts fascinating, especially as she didn't start quilting until she was in her eighties. Her biography would be an interesting read....

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  2. Thank you for sharing, Rita. Amazing works of art!

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  3. Beautiful eye candy. Really enjoyed it. The message I receive from your pictures is do your own thing and love it!

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  4. I went to the exhibition last Sunday & I am so pleased that the NGV exhibited these amazing quilts. I too was very drawn to Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts, loved how she appliqued her little stories into her quilts. Thank you for sharing your photos.

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  5. Truly incredible! Thank you for sharing these exquisite quilts and the stories about the women who made them. I especially liked Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts, and I'm amazed that she started making them in her 80s. What a remarkable woman!

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  6. WOW! Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts are fabulous! I guess I'll be making one like that soon.

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  7. Truly works of art. Thank you so much for share those pics.

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  8. Rita, these are truly amazing! What a treat that it was held in your home town. Thank you for sharing these beauties!

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  9. I saw this in September - it is spectacular. I kept thinking about the people who made them and what their lives would have been like. The book is fabulous too and might be worth splurging on if you are keen to see it, but can't make it. Racquel

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  10. Many of my Perth friends and I have travelled all the way to Melbourne to see the exhibition, and it was well worth it.

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  11. Thank you for taking us along to the exhibition. Your photos are always excellent. I especially like your detail,shots. I'm always amazed what these women and men could do with the available fabric resources. And no Electricity!

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  12. Wow! Loved it! Such rich artworks and history certainly need to be shared with the world! Maybe it will become a traveling exhibit? Thank you for documenting and sharing, Rita.

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  13. These are fantastic quilts. thank you so much for sharing these quilts and these women. I just have had no time over the past 3+ years to seek out such incredible information, and I love history.
    I have a book of American History f Quilting that my mom gave me.
    I just love looking at these wonderful pieces. Goodness, the work involved. I am completely drawn to Mary Jane Hannaford's "free style" quilting, it is so natural and completely dedicated to time.
    All of these quilts are beautiful.
    Thank you loads for sharing

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  14. Thank you so much for posting pictures of these quilts. I loved them all. I saw an antique quilt at an exhibit recently that I wanted to take a picture of but wasn't allowed. Glad you didn't have that problem.

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  15. This makes my heart sing. I love thinking about the people who made these quilts and what their lives must have been like. Thanks so much for sharing this.

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  16. They are all so beautiful ♥

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  17. Thank you for sharing these. Amazing to think they have been lasted so long. Hope this exhibition comes to NZ.

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  18. Thankyou for posting these photos and telling us a bit about the quilts. I'd love to have see this exhibition but couldn't so really nice to 'see' it via your post

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  19. Thank you for sharing this bit of quilting history with us! Amazing work!

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