A life-sized replica of one of Tasmania’s most significant convict-era treasures will give communities across the state the chance to experience the story of the Rajah Quilt, 185 years after it first arrived in Hobart.
The replica was symbolically accepted on behalf of the people of Tasmania by Governor Caroline Wells at Government House this week in a ceremony marking the anniversary of the original quilt’s arrival.
Quilter Anne Thompson, who secured a licence from the National Gallery of Australia to create the true-to-size replica, said seeing the original inspired her to ensure more Tasmanians could experience its story.
“I actually saw the original in 2024 and I just thought how wonderful this piece of art was and it’s the only surviving full quilt made by convicts on a convict ship anywhere in the world,” Thompson told Pulse.
The original Rajah Quilt was created in 1841 by 29 convict women aboard the ship Rajah as they travelled from England to Van Diemen’s Land.
The women used almost 3,000 pieces of fabric to create the three-and-a-half metre by three-and-a-half metre quilt, which was presented to Lady Jane Franklin, wife of then-Lieutenant Governor Sir John Franklin.
The quilt was later lost for almost 150 years before being rediscovered in an attic in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1987.
The original is now held by the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra and is rarely displayed due to its fragile condition, prompting the creation of the replica.
Thompson secured the licence to reproduce the quilt, with the requirement it be shared with the people of Tasmania.
She said the imperfections in the quilt were part of what made it special.
“There are little bloodstains and there are mistakes in the quilt, but that makes it all the more human,” Thompson said.
The replica will be exhibited around Tasmania, with displays planned in Hobart and as the featured exhibit at the Tasmanian Craft Fair in Deloraine later this year.
Thompson said she hoped the replica would help more Tasmanians connect with the story of the women who created the quilt.
Her husband Rob said the quilt’s artistic and historical significance was difficult to measure.
“I would just say it is absolutely unique,” he said.
“It’s a stunning work of art, in its own right. But the historic value is, it can’t really be calculated.”
The couple hopes the replica will become a valuable educational resource for Tasmanian students.
“Anne and I are hopeful that and we’re going in this direction, that it will form a major educational item in the syllabus of the kids in Tasmania,” Rob said.
