The Rajah quilt is one of Australia’s most important textiles according to the National Gallery of Australia. It is an extraordinary work of art which was made by the hands of many convict women in abject conditions on the ship Rajahwhilst sailing for Van Dieman’s Land in 1841.
Its story is one of hope and persistence in colonial life. The Rajah quilt has miraculously endured the ravages of time and physical decay to provide us with a tangible link to this country’s fragile early society and the women who transcended their conditions to work together in the service of art. Source: https://nga.gov.au
The dedication panel on the lower edge of the quilt reads:
TO THE LADIES/of the/Convict ship Committee/This quilt worked by the convicts/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 as a proof that/they have not neglected the Ladies/kind adminitions of being industrious/June 1841
The Rajah quilt is representative of the determination and endurance of all those early pioneers who sailed through tumultuous conditions to journey to Australia including to Port Phillip.
Contributed by Dianne Wheeler PPPG member No. 1505