Certificate

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Certificates
Date: 1947
Place: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Afghanistan
Materials: Ink, Paper
Collection: Nettie McColive collection
Accession number: 2000.0009.0144

Description

Certificate on white card with black printed text "SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF MANUFACTURES / ROYAL ADELAIDE EXHIBITION / MARCH 21st to MAY 17th 1947 / Certificate of Merit / AWARDED TO / MRS W.L. McCOLIVE / FOR AFGHAN RUG - WOOL / GROUP VI / Section C. Class 359 Division I Entry 1423". A border is created around the text by images of industry and manufacturing. There is a hole through the top left corner of the certificate.

About the collection

Needlework has been an important creative outlet for women throughout Australian history. This work has often been denigrated due to the (gendered) divide between high and low culture which regards domestic work as trivial, feminine and unworthy of the title "Art". A reassessment of history informed by womens' history and feminism has led to domestic needlework being acknowledged as more than simply functional labour. The social role of this type of work is now better appreciated making it a vital aspect of domestic material culture. This collection consists of objects relating to the life of Minetta (Nettie) McColive (nee Huppatz). Mrs McColive's quilts form the centre piece of the collection. Three of these were made in the 1930's, the Farm Life Quilt, Wildflowers Quilt and the International Quilt. Also featured in the collection are certificates, photographs and d'oyleys. This collection helps to document issues such as women in rural Australia, quilting and needlework, education in the outback, community or commemorative quilting, shows and competitions. Mrs McColive's work has been the subject of considerable interest both in South Australia as well as in the general quilting community. Her work is featured in two books, Jennifer Isaac's The Gentle Arts and Margaret Rolfe's Patchwork Quilts in Australia. Her work has also featured in exhibitions such as the Quilt Australia '88 exhibition as well as an exhibition held in Prospect showcasing the work of local artists.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:26:27 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-09-30. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.