Rajah Quilt by Unidentified women of the HMS Rajah convict ship, Kezia Hayter - 1841 - 325 × 337 cm National Gallery of Australia Rajah Quilt by Unidentified women of the HMS Rajah convict ship, Kezia Hayter - 1841 - 325 × 337 cm National Gallery of Australia

Rajah Quilt

Patchwork, appliqué, and embroidery on cotton • 325 × 337 cm

  • Unidentified women of the HMS Rajah convict ship - 19th century Unidentified women of the HMS Rajah convict ship

    1841

  • Kezia Hayter - 1818 - 1885 Kezia Hayter

    1841

This is one of Australia's most significant historical textiles—a work created by women convicts during their 1841 voyage of deportation from England to Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) aboard the Rajah ship. Made from more than 2,800 pieces of fabric, the quilt bears an embroidered inscription thanking the women of the British Ladies Society for Promoting the Reformation of Female Prisoners, led by prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, for their support and encouragement. 

The quilt was likely organized by Kezia Hayter, a prison reform worker who accompanied the voyage and encouraged the women to sew together using materials provided before departure. Today, traces of its makers remain visible—not only in the intricate patchwork and embroidery but even in the tiny bloodstains left by pricked fingers. 

P.S. We tell this amazing story and feature this quilt in our 2027 Desk Calendar. Full of art and beauty, it will enlighten your weeks of the next year! Check it out in the DailyArt Shop.

P.P.S. Quilts can tell stories, too. Meet Harriet Powers, one of the most remarkable quilt makers of the 19th century.