This selection of rarely-seen antique quilts from The Annette Gero Collection were handmade by men serving in the military during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Soldiers from the Prussian, Napoleonic and Crimean Wars created intricate and skilfully designed quilts from coloured scraps of military uniforms, incorporating sophisticated geometric designs without any patterns to follow. Some have over 15,000 pieces of one-inch squares; others are pictorial and copied from famous paintings. Many celebrate life and victory or defeat. Their illustrated stories full of facts, war history and patriotic legends.

India or England, Soldiers patchwork quilt, c.1855 (pre-1881), coloured felted wools from uniforms, beadwork, textural appliqué border, 208 × 216cm. The Annette Gero Collection. Courtesy The David Roche Foundation House Museum, South Australia
The David Roche Foundation House Museum
15 February to 18 May 2024
South Australia