| National Museum of American History

Thirty 10-inch blocks were carefully crafted of velvet and plush fabrics to create this crazy-patchwork parlor throw. All types of velvets are represented; plain, cut, embossed, striped, silk with velvet stripes, and velvet ribbon. The effect is of a three-dimensional surface.

Description: Thirty 10-inch blocks were carefully crafted of velvet and plush fabrics to create this crazy-patchwork parlor throw. All types of velvets are represented; plain, cut, embossed, striped, silk with velvet stripes, and velvet ribbon. The effect is of a three-dimensional surface. Each block is constructed on a cotton foundation and enhanced with various embroidery stitches. The throw has a cotton fiber filling. The lining or backing fabric is a challis or delaine, roller-printed with a floral motif. The throw is bound on all sides with a straight strip of black silk satin fabric. The fabrics used in this piece represent the range of velvets and plushes (silk pile fabrics) available to the upper middle classes in America.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1880-1900

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T12601
accession number: 220211
catalog number: T12601

Sarah Elizabeth Smedley Henderson carefully crafted this silk parlor throw with a date of 1883. It was donated to the Collection in 1939 by her sister, Blanche Smedley-von Daur.

Description: Sarah Elizabeth Smedley Henderson carefully crafted this silk parlor throw with a date of 1883. It was donated to the Collection in 1939 by her sister, Blanche Smedley-von Daur. Along with a third sister, Matilda Smedley, Sarah and Blanche were active in establishing the American National Institute in Paris.; While living in Paris in the early 1890s, Matilda organized a successful program to assist young American women who were studying in France. She returned from France in the mid-1890s to expand this work. From modest beginnings, an Institute was established to aid struggling American art students in Paris. It was estimated in 1895 that over 3000 young women were studying in Paris. Matilda was the resident director of the Institute, which helped with living accomodations and provided a meeting place for the students. In 1908 bill was introduced in Congress to convert the New York-incorporated American National Institute to a Federal corporation, although the bill never became law.; Plain-, pattern-woven, ribbed, watered and printed silks as well as velvet and plush fabrics, are found on this parlor throw. The crazy-patchwork frames a center square of pansies printed on velvet. Typical embroidered motifs, mainly floral, some painted motifs, and a Kate Greenaway printed vignette decorate the patches. The date, 1883, and a few initials are embroidered on the throw. Feather, straight, buttonhole, French knot, satin, stem, detached chain, chain, and herringbone stitches embellish the crazy-patchwork. It is lined with a printed wool fabric of plumed leaves and flowers in an imitation of a warp-print fabric. A dark red velvet 4-inch border completes the throw.; Sarah born about 1866, and her sisters Blanche and Matilda were from Ireland. Sarah, according to the 1920 census, immigrated to the United States in 1886. Blanche and Matilda are shown on the passenger list of the ship Etruria that arrived in New York from England and Ireland in October 1886. Sarah married William Henderson about 1890. The couple had three children, William, James and Sarah Evelyn. It is not clear whether the date, 1883, that is found on the parlor throw is necessarily the date it was made, or a date significant for some other reason, as is sometimes the case.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1880-1890
date: 1883

maker: Henderson, Sarah Elizabeth Smedley

ID Number: TE.T08319
accession number: 152313
catalog number: T08319

In 1883,Fidelia Dickinson created this parlor throw, a veritable textile sampler of silk fabrics from 1783 to 1883. She made it as a wedding present for her daughter Anna, who married Isaac Newton Knapp on December 5,1883.

Description: In 1883,Fidelia Dickinson created this parlor throw, a veritable textile sampler of silk fabrics from 1783 to 1883. She made it as a wedding present for her daughter Anna, who married Isaac Newton Knapp on December 5,1883. Not only did Fidelia collect all the fabrics, but she made a key to the origins of each.; In 1931 her grandson, Arthur, wrote: “I have recently inherited a patchwork quilt made in 1883. I believe that it is an exceptional example of the quilt work of the time. It is in a perfect state of preservation and the exact history has been preserved of some forty pieces in it. The oldest piece is dated 1783. . . . I would be pleased to give this quilt to the National Museum for preservation, if you are interested.”; Twenty-eight 8 ½-inch crazy-patched blocks are set off by a 5 ½-inch red velvet strip at the top and bottom. Four corner blocks are pieced in fan patterns, a motif often found on throws of the period. In addition there are embroidered motifs of a butterfly, spider web, and flowers. One badge or ribbon was worn by John Northend, Fidelia's son-in-law, on Connecticut’s “Battle Flag Day” in 1879. “Lovers Delight” is stamped on another patch.The throw is lined with a machine-quilted dark red silk and tied every 4 ½ inches with small silk ribbon bows.; The distinguishing feature of this parlor throw is an embroidered number found on various patches. These numbers correspond to a detailed explanation of their source that was included with the donation. Thirty-six of the forty numbered pieces are from items worn on the occasion of their own weddings by relatives and friends of the bride or groom. Some examples are: “Wedding dress of Fidelia S. Hall (who made this quilt). Married Abner Wolcott Dickinson. February 28, 1844.” “Wedding vest of Abner Wolcott Dickinson.” “Wedding dress of Mary Elizabeth Dickinson. Married John Northend, May 6 [22], 1877. A sister.”; The oldest piece was from a “Wedding dress of Eunice Hills. Married Timothy Hall, M.D. April 3 1783 in East Hartford, Connecticut.” There was even a piece of Anna’s gown described as “Wedding dress of Anna Dickinson. Married Isaac Newton Knapp. December 5, 1883. Afterwards part of the wedding trousseau of Bessie Knapp Pierce [their daughter] in 1909.” Items from parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, cousins, and friends are included. The wedding present that Fidelia crafted for her daughter is a textile version of a family tree.; Fidelia S. Hall was born July 12, 1824, in East Glastonbury, Hartford, Conn. She was the daughter of Betsy Wells (1802-) and Austin Hall (1798-1851). Fidelia married Abner Wolcott Dickinson (1820-1903) on February 28, 1844. They lived in Connecticut and raised nine children. Daughter Sarah Anna (referred to as Anna), was born February 18, 1854. Anna taught school before her marriage to Isaac Newton Dickinson (1851-1930) in 1883. They had five children and lived in Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Fidelia died March 20, 1909, and is buried in the Wassuc Cemetery, New Britain, Hartford, Conn. Anna died August 15, 1931, in Paris, France, and is buried in Washington, D.C.; Fidelia fashioned her wedding present to her daughter not only as a lovely item for Anna's home, but also as a very personal textile document connecting Anna to her family and friends.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1883

maker: Dickinson, Fidelia S. Hall

ID Number: TE.T06963
accession number: 116760
catalog number: T06963

The initials “G.W.B.” decorated with devils are embroidered on this parlor throw which also has naval and patriotic motifs. It was the gift of Mrs.

Description: The initials “G.W.B.” decorated with devils are embroidered on this parlor throw which also has naval and patriotic motifs. It was the gift of Mrs. George Washington Baird to the Collection in 1926, through George Washington Baird, Rear Admiral, U.S.N., as the executor of his wife’s will.; The silk and velvet parlor throw is heavily embroidered with many painted and embroidered patches. Flowers, birds, butterflies, and fans are typical of motifs found on similar crazy-patchwork of the period. It is the choice and use of the motifs that makes each quilt unique. A printed picture of a sailor, American flags, and commemorative ribbons make this particular one special.; The silk, satin, and ribbon crazy-patchwork is framed by an 8-inch blue velvet border. Detached chain, French knot, satin, chain, buttonhole, feather, couched herringbone, stem, straight, and cross stitches embellish the parlor throw. It is lined with a maroon silk.; The ribbons incorporated into the crazy-patchwork possibly came from events that had significance for the Bairds. One silk ribbon, produced in 1876 at the time of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, has the image of George Washington and the inscription: “THESE UNITED COLONIES ARE AND OF RIGHT OUGHT TO BE FREE & INDEPENDENT STATES / IN COMMEMORATION of the Centennial of AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.” These souvenir ribbons or bookmarks were produced by B. B. Tilt & Son of New Jersey, who had an exhibit of their work in the Machinery Hall at the Centennial. Benjamin B. Tilt, an English immigrant, established the Phoenix Manufacturing Company, specializing in silk products.; Another silk ribbon, “Souvenir of THE WORLD”S INDUSTRIAL AND COTTON Centennial EXPOSITION / NEW ORLEANS / 1884 1885” may have come from a visit to that event. In 1884 the World’s Fair that was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, focused on the role New Orleans played in the handling and export of cotton. The centennial marked the anniversary of the earliest known record (1784) of a shipment of cotton from Louisiana to England. The ribbon has images of a cotton plant, the American eagle, flags, and a pelican feeding her young. It was also a product of the Phoenix Manufacturing Company of Paterson, N. J.; A black silk ribbon with “U.S.S. ALBATROSS” on it may have had particular significance as George W. Baird supervised the construction of the steamship USS Albatross in the 1880s. It was commissioned in 1882. The steamship was designed for marine research and was assigned to the U.S. Fish Commission. George Baird contributed to various designs for interior appliances, ventilation, and other engineering innovations that contributed to the USS Albatross’s use as a floating scientific research station until the 1920s. A patch near the "U.S.S. ALBATROSS" ribbon is a printed-on-silk picture of a sailor climbing a mast, further honoring naval connections.; George W. Baird, according to a letter he wrote to Burke McCarty in 1921, was an acquaintance of John Wilkes Booth. His letter is cited in The Suppressed Truth about the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He wrote: “My acquaintance with John Wilkes Booth was not at all intimate. I met him in New Orleans in the winter of ’63 and ’64, when he was playing in the theatre there in ‘Marble Hearts” and he was splendid in his part. My acquaintance was what may be called a bar-room acquaintance. Was introduced to him by a young officer of my ship the ‘Pensacola’ . . . . Booth seemed to be a congenial fellow with a sense of humor and I thought was very temperate in his habits. . . . I admired him, his voice, power of declaiming. I took drinks with him at the Franklin House, Custom House Street, a place frequented by army and navy officers. He seemed to me to have no interest in the [Civil] war. It was hard to understand. I had not seen him but once in Washington and that about three weeks before the murder of the President.”; George goes on to write of his experiences of the night Lincoln was shot, April 14, 1865. When told of the incident while calling on a young lady he “. . . left at once; saw policeman at the corner whom I interrogated and he confirmed the story. I inquired as to the appearance of the assassin and he not only gave a description that fitted but said he resembled me, and I thought that I had better hurry to my boarding house. . . . nothing could induce me to appear on the streets again that night.” Later George’s involvement with Booth continued: “I was detailed to make a series of experiments in the Navy Yard, and after Booth’s body was brought to the Navy Yard and lay on board the ‘Montauk’ this happened. I was called on board the Montauk by Lieut. W. Crowninshield, to identify the body of John Wilkes Booth, which I did.”; Lyle J. Baird, the donor, was born in 1852 to Joseph and Martha Prather of Washington, D.C. She married George Washington Baird in 1873. On both the 1900 and 1910 censuses, they were living in Washington, D.C. No children were indicated on either census. Lyle was a member of the D.A.R. She died on Jan. 6, 1926.; George (1843-1930), who was born and educated in Washington, D.C., entered the navy in 1862 as an assistant engineer, serving in Louisiana during the Civil War. He is known both as an inventor and author of several articles related to ship design. He is also credited with supervising the installation of electric lighting in the White House in 1891. George retired in 1905 with the rank of rear admiral. Lyle died January 6, 1926, and George on October 4, 1930, in Washington, D.C. Lyle noted in her will that her parlor throw with the G.W.B. initials should go to the Museum, and George honored that request.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1885-1890

ID Number: TE.E377368
accession number: 90658
catalog number: E377368

In the late 1880s, track for the Cumberland Valley Branch of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad was being laid near the Siler, Kentucky, home of Mary Frances Steele Harris. It was one of many short lines that carried coal down the mountains to connect with the main line.

Description: In the late 1880s, track for the Cumberland Valley Branch of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad was being laid near the Siler, Kentucky, home of Mary Frances Steele Harris. It was one of many short lines that carried coal down the mountains to connect with the main line. According to family members, Mary Harris sold butter, eggs, and milk to the railway workers, which enabled her to purchase fabrics for making quilts. In this cotton quilt, she combined variations of “Carpenter’s Wheel” and “Crown of Thorns,” pieced patterns with quilted arcs and squares.; The quilt is comprised of twenty 10 ½-inch blocks and saw-toothed connecting arcs. The fabrics Mary used to create her pattern were plain-weave red, white, and green (now tan) cottons. Quilted arcs, parallel lines, and grids, 7 or 8 stitches per inch, completed the quilt.; Mary Francis Steele was born in Siler, Knox County, Kentucky, in 1861. Her father was Harrison Holmes Steele, her mother ( ? Barton) died when Mary was a young child. On November 30th, 1882, Mary married William Harvey Harris at the Harrison Steele home. By 1894 they had three children. Frances B. Steele is noted on the tombstone of her husband as wife of William Harvey Harris (1867-1927), but no dates were given for her. Mary’s “Butter and Eggs” quilt is a reminder of the ingenuity of rural women to use their entrepreneurial skills to obtain the materials to create objects of beauty for their homes.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1885-1895

maker: Harris, Mary Frances Steele

ID Number: 1991.0358.01
accession number: 1991.0358
catalog number: 1991.0358.01

Anna (Mrs. Henry C. Slaymaker) and her two sisters, Mary (Mrs. William Boothe) and Lucy (Mrs. Thomas Speiden) worked on this slumber throw top that was never completed.

Description: Anna (Mrs. Henry C. Slaymaker) and her two sisters, Mary (Mrs. William Boothe) and Lucy (Mrs. Thomas Speiden) worked on this slumber throw top that was never completed. Anna’s needlework is also represented by two samplers, embroidered when she was 9 and 10, that are in the Textile Collection.; Twenty blocks, 12 or 13 inches each, are pieced using silks, satins and velvets. Except for two blocks with simple embroidery, they are undecorated. The combination of geometric and crazy-patch piecing gives interest to this unfinished top.; Anna was born on October 2, 1842, to John and Mary P. Stabler Leadbeater in Alexandria, Virginia. John, her father, was the owner of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary in Alexandria. Anna married Henry C. Slaymaker, a Confederate Civil War veteran, on November 6, 1866, and they had three children (Isabel, Henry C. Jr., and Frank).; The donor, Mrs. Clarence Milton Yohn, included a note about Anna's grandfather, Lt. Henry C. Slaymaker. “[He] was only 16 when he served as a civilian informer in 1861 and 1862, carrying messages from Alexandria and Washington, D.C., quilted in his waistcoat and pretending hunting excursions in the woods in order to get to his cousin, Gen. Robert E. Lee. He was about to be hanged in 1862, when he escaped to join the Confederate Army under age.” After the Civil War, Henry Sr. established a dry goods business, but died at 36 of consumption on February 28, 1880. Anna died on February 15, 1906.; Anna’s sister Mary was born in 1839 and married Capt. William Boothe (1818-1894). She died in 1914. Lucy, the third sister, was born about 1838 and married Thomas Speiden. The three sisters were from the family who founded the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop, which was operated by family members from 1796 to 1933, when it became a pharmacy museum. The buildings, which date to the early 1800s, have withstood four wars and a major city fire, and currently house the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Alexandria, Virginia.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1885-1900

maker: Leadbeater, Mary Grace; Leadbeater, Lucy; Leadbeater, Anna

ID Number: TE.T12613
accession number: 235642
catalog number: T12613

"Memorial to the Constitutional Prohibition Ammendment 1888", is found on a red satin triangle on a corner of the lining.

Description: "Memorial to the Constitutional Prohibition Ammendment 1888", is found on a red satin triangle on a corner of the lining. In 1888 the Prohibition Party was beginning to achieve national strength in the presidential elections.; Founded in 1869, for the purpose of prohibiting the sale and manufacture of liquor, the Prohibition Party finally achieved the goal in 1919 with the ratification of the 18th Amendment. The 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment. Although the party still exists, it does not have the following it had in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This parlor throw was made at the height of the Prohibition Party’s popularity.; A 14-inch center block of red velvet with painted water lilies is framed by two rows of painted or embroidered 7-inch satin blocks. The use of three colors (amber, blue and black), set alternately, provides a balanced overall aesthetic. An 8 ¼-inch red velvet border completes the throw. The lining is red satin, machine-quilted in a triple diagonal grid. Five of the black satin squares have painted religious inscriptions: “Hope;” a Bible with “Tried and Proved;” “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;” Be of the same mind one toward another;” and, a cross with “Et Teneo et Teneor.” The last, meaning "I hold and am held," may have referred to the motto of a Baptist college founded by Charles Haddon Spurgeon in the 1860s. The floral and bird motifs, the spider web, and others are similar to those found on crazy patchwork of the late 19th century.; Although the maker is not known, the sentiments expressed are indicative of the types of inscriptions on decorative items that might be found in many homes during that era.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1888

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T11462
accession number: 211904
catalog number: T11462

Jewett Washington Curtis, a career soldier in the U.S. Army, pieced this brilliantly-colored wool bedcover. Its geometric design incorporates the dates “1889” and “1893.” Each corner has a 44-star flag.

Description: Jewett Washington Curtis, a career soldier in the U.S. Army, pieced this brilliantly-colored wool bedcover. Its geometric design incorporates the dates “1889” and “1893.” Each corner has a 44-star flag. The central focus, a star, is flanked by five borders on each side and two mirror-image borders at the top and bottom. The entire quilt is pieced of 7/8-inch diamonds consisting of plain- and twill-weave wool. The still-vibrant colors contribute to the overall effect. Needlework was encouraged in the military as an activity for either relieving boredom in lonely postings or as part of physical therapy during hospital stays.; Jewett Washington Curtis was born in Vermont, on March 7, 1847. In 1862, at the age of 14, he enlisted as a musician in Company K, 104th Regiment New York Infantry for a term of three years. He was hospitalized for a short time at Gettysburg in July 1863. He returned to his unit and was discharged in 1865 near Petersburg, Virginia. About five years later, in 1870, he re-enlisted at age 23 in Company B, 11th Regiment U.S. Infantry. Other than a few years between 1886 and 1889, Jewett served in the U.S. military with various units until his retirement in 1899. He died on March 20, 1927 in Walcott, New York.; In a 1922 letter from the State Soldiers Home in Orting, Washington, where Jewett was then living, he summarized his military career. “I enlisted on 8th of March 1862 was assigned to Co K 104th Voll. Infantry as a drummer. Served 3 years was discharged on the 8th day of March 1865 at Pellerburg [Petersburg], Va. I enlisted in the Regular ? Army in 1870 served 24 years was retired from the regular ? Army in 1899 my retired pay as a sergeant is 46 50/100 a month. I am not allowed a pension while on the retired list. Will you please inform me what I will have to do (?) that I may be entitled to a Civil War pension . . . . I have been in two Indian engagements The Souix [Sioux] War in 1877 and the Nes [Nez] Perce War of the same year.” He was unable to apply for a pension based on Civil War service while he was on the retired list.; On June 16, 1895, while he was still serving in the military, Jewett married Mary Putnam (1876-1904) in Mill Plain, Washington. Clark Edward Curtis was born on March 22, 1896, two other children died young. According to the family, after his mother died in 1904, Clark lived with various relatives and wasn’t close to his father. He too at the age of 14 set out on his own and eventually joined the army in World War I. Clark didn’t keep in touch with his father, but when Jewett died he received a trunk with his father's things. This quilt was among the belongings in the trunk. It was assumed by the family that the quilt was made in Skagway, Alaska, one of the places that Jewett was stationed during his career. According to military records, Jewett spent several months in 1885 and 1891 in hospital for rheumatism, and 1892-1893 recovering from a finger amputation. He may have learned needlework skills while convalescing.; At the time of donation, Clark E. Curtis wrote: “It is a eight foot by eight foot blanket . . . . My father Mr. Jewett W. Curtis made it; on the top of the blanket is the date he started 1889, and at the other end is the date he finished 1893. It is all hand stitched with over 400,000 stitches in it . . . . This blanket has been in several state fairs and won many ribbons. . . . I do remember, however, the Portland [Oregon, 1905 Louis and Clark Centennial Exposition] and Seattle [Washington, Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition] World Fairs, where it won first place ribbons, at which time I was just a very small child. . . . I would like to get my father’s hand made blanket where it belongs, in an institution for all to enjoy.” Jewett Washington’s precisely pieced and prize-winning bedcover is a stunning example of needlework done by a man.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1889-1893

maker: Curtis, Jewett Washington

ID Number: 1984.0406.01
catalog number: 1984.0406.01
accession number: 1984.0406

This banner is one of two made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the Ladies Society of the First Presbyterian Church, New York City, as a fundraising project.

Description: This banner is one of two made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the Ladies Society of the First Presbyterian Church, New York City, as a fundraising project. The donor, Emilie Noakes Manley, referred to them as “Autograph Quilts” as they contain many signatures of prominent political personages of the period.; The banners belonged to her husband’s grandmother, Margaret Clarke Goodall Bradley, and were donated in her memory. According to family information, this banner was raffled as a fund raiser, possibly for an 1893 addition to the church by the firm McKim, Mead & White. Although Margaret Bradley did not win the raffle, the banner was presented to her because of “her efforts for the projects.”; This banner has a black satin ground with an appliquéd American flag made of red and white satin with a blue and white printed field of stars. Inked signatures of Benjamin Harrison (president 1889-1893) and his cabinet are on the flag. Near the flag are the embroidered words, "Liberty Union E pluribus Unum." In the center of the banner is an appliquéd blue circle embroidered with white stars surrounded by 44 red and white rays representing the number of states in the early 1890s. The rays are embroidered, following the lines of the original signatures, with the names of state governors, including those of Idaho and Wyoming both of which joined the Union in 1890.; The patriotic center is enhanced with appliquéd and embroidered flags of 48 nations. The embroidered insignia of 86 G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) posts or units are on a 10-inch black satin border. Between two of the G.A.R. insignia is an embroidered Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, and the inscription “BROOKLYN BRIDGE.” Across the top are 42 thin metal rings, an indication that it was meant to be hung. It is lined with light blue-green silk.; The Grand Army of the Republic was founded in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866 by Benjamin F. Stephenson. Membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, or Marine Corps who had served between April 12, 1861, and April 9, 1865. Its peak membership was at more than 400,000 in 1890, about the time this banner was made. It lobbied Congress to establish veterans' pensions, supported voting rights for black veterans, and supported Republican political candidates. The organization ended in 1956 with the death of the last member to have served in the Civil War.; The donor recalled in a letter that she remembered hearing that the banner was “a money-making project, and all the ladies of the church participated in the assembling of the ‘Autograph-Swatches’ and the stitching and embroidery. The signatures on the flags were probably members and friends of the congregation (and possibly charged a small fee for the privilege) and when the quilts were completed they were raffled off.”; Margaret J. Clarke was born December 1858 to John and Matilda McKinney Clarke in New York City. Her parents were born in Ireland. She married Edward F. Goodall on September 18, 1877. He was killed by a train in 1880 and she married Samuel Bradley on February 25, 1885. She died November 21, 1929, in New York.; Margaret's daughter Louise, from her first marriage, married John Gordon Noakes. Their son, Donald Gordon Noakes, married Emilie, the donor. He died in 1948 and Emilie later married John Manley. In 1979 she gave the quilts to the National Museum in honor of the family and Margaret Clarke Goodall Bradley. Another granddaughter, Marjorie Blampied, wrote that the quilts “. . . most certainly are where they belong . . . where they will be treasured and appreciated.”
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1890-1893

maker: unknown

ID Number: 1979.1019.01
catalog number: 1979.1019.01
accession number: 1979.1019

In 1897, the year this quilt was begun, women's fashion was for long skirts as seen in the corner block of Edna Force Davis’s elaborately embroidered parlor throw.

Description: In 1897, the year this quilt was begun, women's fashion was for long skirts as seen in the corner block of Edna Force Davis’s elaborately embroidered parlor throw. Over thirty years later in 1929, when Edna finished her project, the fashion had changed and skirts were now much shorter, as her embroidered figure on the opposite corner block indicates. In 1965 Hazel Davis, Edna’s daughter, donated her mother's wool parlor throw on which Hazel's own initials, “HLD,” appear.; Edna used wool for the many patches on this throw. She basted patches to an interlining of ticking; the edge of each patch was folded under, and joined with embroidery using wool yarns. The parlor throw was further embellished with many floral motifs. Other designs include birds, butterflies, sleeping babies, an anchor and chain, a rabbit, fans, and spider webs. Many of these were popular designs; others may have had meaning. Two motifs, an Odd Fellows symbol and a violin, were included---Edna’s husband played the violin and was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a benevolent fraternal organization.; Most of the embroidery is done with wool, mainly a soft 2-ply wool often referred to as “zephyr yarn.” Edna used satin, chain, stem, back, French knot, daisy, straight, weaving, seed, buttonhole, herringbone, and cross stitches to achieve her designs. “Edna Force Davis” is prominently embroidered in the border, completed in the 1920s, that frames the crazy-patch center. The lining is pink wool.; While many of the motifs and stitches are typical of fancy needlework of the period, Edna personalized her parlor throw with original designs, significant dates, and initials, as well as an embroidered verse. Phrases and short verses that had special meaning, such as the one below, are frequently inked or embroidered on needlework objects.; “There is so much good in the worst of us,; And so much bad in the best of us,; That it scarcely behooves any of us; To talk about the rest of us.”; This verse is often attributed to Edward W. Hoch (1849-1925), the seventeenth governor of Kansas, who merely printed it in the Record Marion, Kansas, of which he was editor. It appears in early 20th-century poetry books and anthologies and its origins are not known.; Edna Force was born July 27, 1871, in Hunterdon County, N. J. She married James Bennett Davis (1865-1935) of Fairfax County, Va., on February 15, 1893. They had two children, Hazel and Carl, and lived in Fairfax, Va. Edna died January 12, 1952, and is buried in the Pohick Cemetery, also in Fairfax. Her needlework skills and design sense make this crazy-patch parlor throw a unique addition to the Collection.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1897-1929

maker: Davis, Edna Force

ID Number: TE.T13779
accession number: 263526
catalog number: T13779

This neatly made example of a “Hawaiian Flag” quilt was presented to Rosina Kalanikauwekiulani Ayers on the occasion of her marriage to Dr. Robert Henry Dinegar in 1898.

Description: This neatly made example of a “Hawaiian Flag” quilt was presented to Rosina Kalanikauwekiulani Ayers on the occasion of her marriage to Dr. Robert Henry Dinegar in 1898. “Hawaiian Flag” quilts generally are not used, but rather are valued as a treasured heirloom and displayed as such or given to esteemed friends or family on significant occasions.; Although the Hawaiian flag first appeared in the early part of the nineteenth century, only later did the flag motif become characteristic of a distinct type of Hawaiian quilt. The design became popular after 1893 when the American settlers replaced the monarchy and Queen Lili‘uokalani abdicated the throne. Quilters incorporated the Hawaiian flag and coat-of-arms motifs on their quilts to honor their heritage and show loyalty to the Hawaiian nation and monarchy.; The four pieced Hawaiian flags on this quilt are arranged around appliquéd and embroidered details from the royal crown and coat-of-arms, including the two guardians of King Kamehameha I (1756-1819), the first king of Hawaii. “HAWAII PONOI / UA MAU KE EA O KA‘AINA IKA PONO” (THE LIFE OF THE LAND IS PERPETUATED BY RIGHTEOUSNESS) is appliquéd in the center. It is a motto that appears on the state seal and is attributed to King Kamehameha III (1813-1854). Quilting, typical of Hawaiian Flag quilts, consists of chevrons, diagonal lines, and grid on the flag sections, with echo quilting in the center.; Rosina Georgetta Kalanikauwekiulani Ayers (family name Manaku) was born January 12, 1877, in Lahaina, Maui. She was a descendent of King Kamehameha I, who established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. In 1898, Rosina married Robert Henry Dinegar (1870-1930) and they had two children. Robert Dinegar received his medical degree from New York University Medical College in 1892 and a few years later moved to the Hawaiian Islands as a government and plantation physician. Among other accomplishments, he is credited with reducing the death rate at plantations from a hundred a year to ten. In 1909 he moved his family to Albany, New York, where he continued to practice medicine. Robert died, age 59, in 1939 and Rosina died in May 1966. Her daughter, Adelaide McDonough, graciously donated her mother’s Hawaiian coat-of-arms quilt in 1978. Her note with the donation stated that her mother “. . . was always proud of her lineage & I know would be happy that these artifacts [her quilt] are in the Smithsonian Institution.”
Location: Currently on loan

date made: 1898

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T18486
accession number: 1978.0788
catalog number: T18486

Lura B. Thomas made this quilt for her 10-year-old granddaughter, Lura Woodside, in 1898. It was part of the contents, donated in 1953, of Lura Woodside’s late 19th-century child’s bedroom in Malden, Mass.

Description: Lura B. Thomas made this quilt for her 10-year-old granddaughter, Lura Woodside, in 1898. It was part of the contents, donated in 1953, of Lura Woodside’s late 19th-century child’s bedroom in Malden, Mass. Furnishings, children’s clothing and playthings were among the items donated. Like the quilt, most of the clothes and doll dresses were also made by Lura Thomas, who had been a professional dressmaker.; Lura Thomas pieced this quilt of triangles utilizing many different roller-printed and woven checked, plaid, and striped cotton fabrics. Two 2 1/2-inch triangles are joined into a square, and the squares are joined so that the triangles of the same print form a diagonal row. In the center of the quilt “Lura 98” is embroidered in yellow. The quilt has a cotton lining and filling. It is quilted in a chevron pattern at 7 stitches per inch.; The donor, Lura Woodside, was born in East Boston in 1887, and grew up in Malden, Mass. She married Charles Watkins in 1910. An antiques collector and authority on New England ceramics and glass, she published several books and scholarly articles. She was a founder of the Middleton (Massachusetts) Historical Society, and the Lura Woodside Watkins Historical Museum was named in her honor. She died in 1982. Her quilt, made by her grandmother, represents her lifelong interest in history and the sharing of that interest through her many museum donations.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1898

maker: Thomas, Lura B.

ID Number: TE.E393391
accession number: 197232
catalog number: E393391

According to her niece, Mrs. Vane Hoge, this “Log Cabin” or “Barn Raising” comforter was made by her aunt, Flossie B. Price.

Description: According to her niece, Mrs. Vane Hoge, this “Log Cabin” or “Barn Raising” comforter was made by her aunt, Flossie B. Price. Flossie stitched it together from fabrics saved from the family’s clothing.; The eighty blocks, each 8½-inches square, have dark red centers and are hand-pieced, but machine-joined to one another. Flossie used plain-weave, twilled, pattern-weave, crepe, striped, and plaid wools. She also used plain-weave, plaid, pattern-weave, and printed cotton flannel. Checked wool/cottons and plain-color silk/cottons were also used to achieve the dramatic light and dark effect. A lining of printed wool and an interlining of wool and cotton fabric provided the comforter with additional warmth. Ties made of red, pink, and aquamarine wool yarn at the corners and center of each block accent the overall design.; Flossie B. Price lived from 1882 to 1960. Her home was in Marion, Ohio. Her early twentieth-century comforter is a dramatic variation of the “Log Cabin” pattern, utilizing a wide variety of fabrics.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1900-1925

maker: Price, Flossie

ID Number: TE.T15591
accession number: 295255
catalog number: T15591

Quilted in Ohio in the first half of the twentieth century, this is a Mennonite or possibly Amish version of the “Sawtoothed Bars” pattern. It is two-toned, made of plain-woven red and green cottons.

Description: Quilted in Ohio in the first half of the twentieth century, this is a Mennonite or possibly Amish version of the “Sawtoothed Bars” pattern. It is two-toned, made of plain-woven red and green cottons. Outline quilting was done on the sawtooth triangles, and all other areas were quilted in a diagonal grid with grey-green cotton thread.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1900-1950

quilter: unknown

ID Number: 1985.0029.02
catalog number: 1985.0029.02
accession number: 1985.0029

This is one of two banners or wall hangings made in the late 19th-early-20th century by the Ladies Society of the First Presbyterian Church, New York City, as a fundraising project.

Description: This is one of two banners or wall hangings made in the late 19th-early-20th century by the Ladies Society of the First Presbyterian Church, New York City, as a fundraising project. The donor referred to them as “Autograph Quilts” as they contain many signatures of prominent political personages of the period. The banners belonged to her husband’s grandmother, Margaret Clarke Goodall Bradley, and were donated in her memory. This banner, made about 10 years after a similarly designed banner, was also raffled as a fundraiser, possibly for a 1919 addition of a chancel to the church. Although she did not win the raffle, it was presented to Margaret Bradley because of “her efforts for the projects.”; Similar in design to an earlier (about 1890) banner made by the same group, it has a black satin ground with an appliquéd American flag made of red silk and white satin ribbon and a printed 46-star flag. Inked signatures of Theodore Roosevelt (president 1901-1909) and his cabinet members are on the flag. The center 6 ¾-inch blue silk circle is embroidered "E PLURIBUS UNUM.” It is surrounded by 47 rays representing 46 states (one ray is empty). Utah and New Mexico had joined the Union since the earlier banner had been made. Made of red and white silks, each ray has the name of a state and inked signature of the governor at that time.; The patriotic center is enhanced with appliquéd and embroidered flags of many nations. Some of these have pencil or ink signatures, over 300 in total. Seven metal rings are sewn to the banner's top edge, an indication that it was meant to be hung. It does not have a lining.; The donor recalled in a letter that she remembered hearing that the quilts and banners were “a money-making project, and all the ladies of the church participated in the assembling of the ‘Autograph-Swatches’ and the stitching and embroidery. The signatures on the flags were probably by members and friends of the congregation, (and possibly charged a small fee for the privilege) and when the quilts were completed they were raffled off.”; Margaret J. Clarke was born December 1858 to John and Matilda McKinney Clarke in New York City. Her parents were born in Ireland. She married Edward F. Goodall on September 18, 1877. He was killed by a train in 1880 and she married Samuel Bradley on February 25, 1885. She died November 21, 1929, in New York.; Margaret's daughter Louise, from her first marriage, married John Gordon Noakes. Their son, Donald Gordon Noakes, married Emilie, the donor. He died in 1948 and Emilie later married John Manley. In 1979 Emilie Noakes Manley gave the quilts to the Museum in honor of the family and Margaret Clarke Goodall Bradley. Another granddaughter, Marjorie Blampied, wrote that the quilts “. . . most certainly are where they belong . . . where they will be treasured and appreciated.”
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1905-1910

maker: unknown

ID Number: 1979.1019.02
catalog number: 1979.1019.02
accession number: 1979.1019

This redwork embroidered counterpane was most likely made as a fund raiser for the Clarksville Reformed Church. It is dedicated to “Rev. Boyce Pastor.

Description: This redwork embroidered counterpane was most likely made as a fund raiser for the Clarksville Reformed Church. It is dedicated to “Rev. Boyce Pastor. Peggy His wife, Rex Their dog.” According to further inscriptions on the quilt, the occasion was the “Clarksville Reformed Church Fair Dec. 8th 1922.”; A twelve-petal daisy is the motif of the forty-eight blocks, the petals providing spaces for over 500 embroidered names. First, the names were written in pencil, and then embroidered with red cotton. In a few instances, a different name is embroidered over the original penciled name. One block utilized the spaces for advertising: “Priced / Lowest / The / Transportation / Economical / Motor Cars / Chevrolet / Wright / Gardner / Automobile / Equipped / Fully.” Presumably a small donation, maybe ten or twenty-five cents, assured one’s name embroidered on the counterpane. Further funds may have been secured by a raffle at the December fair. Or it may have been given to Pastor Boyce as a token of appreciation. Quilts or counterpanes such as this are still used, as they have been for more than 150 years, to raise funds for worthy causes.; The Clarksville Reformed Church was established in 1853, when a building was erected to serve the congregation. Sadly, this church was destroyed by fire on a cold February Sunday in 1912. The congregation rallied to rebuild and less then a year later, in January 1913, they were able to hold services in a new church. Clarksville in the 1920s, when this counterpane was made, was a small village in Albany County, New York. Reverend Boyce was the pastor for the Clarksville Reformed Church from 1919 to 1926 and also the Reformed Church in Westerlo, New York. In the 1950s Clarksville was still a small village and it became increasingly difficult to support the church. Another church in Clarksville, the Methodist Episcopal Church, also faced similar problems, and the solution was to merge the two. By the mid-1960s, a new church was dedicated whose sign incorporates the two bells from the older churches, symbolizing the origins of the new Clarksville Community Church.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1922

maker: unknown

ID Number: 1995.0011.02
accession number: 1995.0011
catalog number: 1995.0011.02

This twentieth-century-quilt, made in 1934 by Ada Jones of Fyffe, Alabama is unique in many ways. The top is pieced of machine-knitted sock tops that were made as separate items to be sewn onto women’s socks.

Description: This twentieth-century-quilt, made in 1934 by Ada Jones of Fyffe, Alabama is unique in many ways. The top is pieced of machine-knitted sock tops that were made as separate items to be sewn onto women’s socks. The designs in the sock tops are composed of dots, squares, diamonds, and other shapes.; W. B. Davis, the oldest hosiery factory in Fort Payne, Alabama, made sock tops and sold them by the pound. The factory survived the Depression and tried to make Fort Payne the sock capital of the world. Ada’s sister-in-law, Ruby Mae Jacoway Chitwood, worked at the factory and acquired the tops after they were no longer needed in the mill’s showroom. Ada assembled and then hand-stitched the sock tops into strips to create a delightfully designed top for her quilt.; The lining of the quilt is printed cotton from fabrics distributed by the Agricultural Extension Office, Auburn, Alabama, in a New Deal self-help program to aid farm women. The filling is ginned cotton from cotton grown on the family farm. In 1963, one of the donors, Jimmie Sibert Jones, added a printed cotton border to protect the quilt's fraying edges. This fabric was from unused fertilizer sacks that were given to her by the E. Brooks Gin and Fertilizer Company of Fyffe, Alabama. On a fabric label stitched to the lining is printed in ink, “MADE BY / ADA CHITWOOD JONES / DONATED BY / JIMMIE SIBERT JONES.”; In 1994 when the quilt was given to the Smithsonian, the donor wrote: “The quilt was made in 1934 under the New Deal a government organized form of self help. . . . the government issued surplus cotton fabric to be used in the homes for bed linen and other items. . . . top part is made from ladies sock tops of new material with stylish colors and designs of the thirties. . . . in this era the tops were knitted and then sewn to the sock . . . . My mother-in-law, who is now ninety years of age, received two pieces of the fabric and made two quilts. She gave the quilts to me when I married in 1945. The other quilt is now in the State of Alabama Department of Archives and History.” Ada Chitwood Jones, born in 1903, died in 1997 a few years after the donation. She is buried in Mountain View Memory Gardens, DeKalb, Alabama.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1934

maker: Jones, Ada Chitwood

ID Number: 1994.0169.01
accession number: 1994.0169
catalog number: 1994.0169.01

Olive Bender made this quilt for her son and daughter-in-law as a Christmas gift in the 1940s. Her grandson, David Bender, later donated the quilt.

Description: Olive Bender made this quilt for her son and daughter-in-law as a Christmas gift in the 1940s. Her grandson, David Bender, later donated the quilt. He recalled that his grandmother would work on quilt patches during the warm months, and then, in the winter, quilt on frames she would set up in the dining room of her Ohio farmhouse.; Nine 16”-inch blocks, appliquéd and embroidered in the “Water Lily” pattern, are set in pink and white sashing. The lily buds, leaves, water, lily pad, and flower details are embroidered. Various patterns quilted at 7 stitches per inch and scalloped edges complete the overall quilt design.; Popular in the 1920s to 1940s, the “Water Lily” motif was available in kit form or as a paper pattern. Quilt historian, Cuesta Benberry, traced this pattern to the Rainbow Quilt Block Company owned by William Pinch. His company perfected a printing process that stamped colors on muslin squares indicating the color of embroidery threads needed to complete the motif and gave the company its name, Rainbow. William Pinch (1880-1972), a professional photographer, created as many as 1,000 designs for his company. Advertised in flyers, newsletters and catalogs, the kits and patterns could be purchased by mail or in retail stores making them available to small towns and rural areas.; Olive Mae (nee Fairall) Bender was born February 13, 1892, in Frazeysburg, Ohio. She died April 18, 1971, in East Sparta, Ohio. Her quilt is an example of mid-20th-century quilting and of a design available from the Rainbow Quilt Block Company, one of many companies that promoted quilting from the 1920s on by publishing patterns and providing quilting kits.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1935-1945

maker: Bender, Olive Mae Fairall

ID Number: 1996.0223.01
accession number: 1996.0223
catalog number: 1996.0223.01

In the early 1940s Welthea B. Thoday sent squares of white cotton fabric to friends, family members, and coworkers and asked that each make a block for a World War II quilt.

Description: In the early 1940s Welthea B. Thoday sent squares of white cotton fabric to friends, family members, and coworkers and asked that each make a block for a World War II quilt. Many of the blocks she collected contain significant dates and slogans that were popular during the period, such as “Keep em Flying” or “AMERICA IN THE AIR ON LAND ON SEA” or “Save Paper – Tin – Grease.” Other quilt blocks depict the Four Freedoms, flags, and other iconic symbols.; In a small booklet, “Record of World War II Historical Quilt,” Welthea Thoday identified and sketched each of the quilt square contributions and noted the significance and symbolism of the designs. The World War II Friendship Quilt was exhibited at several 1976 Bicentennial events.; The colors red, white, and blue dominate on this patriotic commemorative quilt. First planned in the early 1940s, the quilt was completed in the 1970s. Welthea made the central panel, copying the design from a three-cent postage stamp that was introduced on July 4, 1942. It depicts an American eagle with its wings outstretched to form a large “V” (for Victory). The eagle is surrounded by thirteen stars and a “Win the War” banner is unfurled across its breast. Around this central panel, Welthea arranged thirty-two of the pieced, appliquéd, and embroidered blocks that she had received from friends and family. Placement of the four red-and-white symbolic squares in the corners (the cross, feather, “V” and star) gives a sense of order to the other twenty-eight individually designed blocks.; Born in 1896 in Scituate, Massachusetts, Welthea B. Thoday began her career as a stenographer for a Boston automobile insurance company in 1914. In 1928 she entered the field of advertising and was one of the first women to do announcing and writing for a radio sales program. She retired at the age of 74, after twenty years as a textile editor for a Boston textile publishing company.; When Welthea was 100 years old, she was interviewed by her niece, Susan McKanna. In the taped interview, she discussed the original idea for the quilt, recalling the many government programs that were being promoted during World War II and the idea that it would be “nice to make a record of them.” In 1998, at the age of 102, Welthea Thoday died. Preserved in needle and thread, pen and ink, her World War II Friendship Quilt and the booklet “Record of World War II Historical Quilt,” together provide a vivid commentary on the period.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1965-1975

quilter: Thoday, Welthea B.

ID Number: 1996.0148.01
accession number: 1996.0148
catalog number: 1996.0148.01

The popularity of the 1937 Walt Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on a German fairy tale, inspired this quilt pattern. The movie has been re-released many times.

Description: The popularity of the 1937 Walt Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on a German fairy tale, inspired this quilt pattern. The movie has been re-released many times. In 1972 Lehman Brothers published a pattern, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” that is very similar to this quilt. It was advertised as “a perfect quilt for your favorite child. White bearded dwarves [sic] dressed in bright suits, and colorful trees and flowers surround Snow White and the cottage.”; From the early 20th century, kit quilts have been available in the market to save time and/or provide the quilter with assistance in design or color choices. This quilt was made from a kit as evidenced by stamped lines that are still visible along some edges.; The quilt is appliquéd with motifs that include a stylized cottage, trees, and dwarfs, and, of course, Snow White. All of the dwarfs have coral-colored caps and boots, blue tights, yellow shirts, green vests, and white beards. Details are embroidered with satin, outline, daisy, and French knot stitches. The figures are outlined in quilting stitches, 4 stitches per inch. The 7 ½-inch border is quilted with flowers and diagonal lines. The “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” pattern, based on a well-known children’s story and animated movie, made a special quilt to brighten a child’s room.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1975-1995

ID Number: 1996.0013.01
accession number: 1996.0013
catalog number: 1996.0013.01

Elspeth Duigan crafted this fine example of a white-work quilt in 1849. She divided the center into 8 large and 4 small squares each enclosing stuffed floral motifs.

Description: Elspeth Duigan crafted this fine example of a white-work quilt in 1849. She divided the center into 8 large and 4 small squares each enclosing stuffed floral motifs. According to family information, she quilted the initials “E.D.” in one of the corner squares and it incorporates the date “1849” with the edge of the square a “1”, the “E” is also an “8,” the “4” is represented by the “D” (the fourth letter of the alphabet), and “9” is the top part of the “D”. The lining is a very thin cotton layer, and the motif stuffing is cotton and cotton cord. All the motifs are outlined in quilting. The background is quilted with parallel diagonal lines 3/16-inch apart, 13-14 stitches per inch.; Elspeth Duigan was born in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1831. She married Mr. Thompson in Jamestown and later they moved to Lexington, Kentucky. During the Civil War they moved further West to Lexington, Missouri. Elspeth died in 1894.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1849

maker: Duigan, Elspeth

ID Number: 1981.0682.01
catalog number: 1981.0682.01
accession number: 1981.0682

Elizabeth Smedley made this silk quilt for the trousseau of her niece, Elizabeth Webster Smedley. She married Walter Brinton at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1891. Off white, grey, and tan are used to set off the simple design.

Description: Elizabeth Smedley made this silk quilt for the trousseau of her niece, Elizabeth Webster Smedley. She married Walter Brinton at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1891. Off white, grey, and tan are used to set off the simple design. Chevron pattern quilting is used for the vertical bands, and the border is quilted in a cable pattern. The whole imparts a quiet elegance typical of Quaker quilts of the 19th century.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1890-1891

maker: Smedley, Elizabeth Webster

ID Number: 1984.1059.01
catalog number: 1984.1059.01
accession number: 1984.1059

Eliza Bennis appliqued her initials “EB” and date “1795” in the center of the outer border of this counterpane. Although in fragile condition, this appliqued and embroidered textile is noteworthy.

Description: Eliza Bennis appliqued her initials “EB” and date “1795” in the center of the outer border of this counterpane. Although in fragile condition, this appliqued and embroidered textile is noteworthy. The center panel (21+” high x 28+” wide) is an early Irish printed fabric known as “Irish Volunteers” or “Volunteer Furniture.” The copper-plate design, probably drawn by Gabriel Beranger, is a representation of a Provincial Review in Phoenix Park (June 1782) near Dublin. It was printed by Thomas Harpur at Leixlip, Ireland. This particular fabric may have held significance for Eliza as her husband, in 1779, was instrumental in the formation of a Limerick corps of Irish Volunteers.; Elizabeth (Eliza) was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1725, daughter of Isaac and Alice Patten. Eliza married Mitchell Bennis (1720-1788) in 1745. They had four children that reached adulthood. Eliza is significant in the history of Methodism and corresponded with John Wesley, among others. Journal of Elizabeth Bennis 1749-1779, begun in her 20s, is an accounting of her spiritual progress after she joined the Methodist Society. In her later years she emigrated from Limerick to Philadelphia and possibly brought the “Irish Volunteers” fabric or counterpane with her. She died in 1802. In 1809 her son, Thomas, published a book of her correspondence.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1795

maker: Bennis, Eliza

ID Number: 1985.0034.01
catalog number: 1985.0034.01
accession number: 1985.0034

Wilhelmina Dollinger Endlich, crafted this quilt for her daughter, Evelyn, when Evelyn was about ten years old. Wilhelmina appliqued and embroidered the eight hoop-skirted, sunbonnet-wearing and parasol-carrying figures.

Description: Wilhelmina Dollinger Endlich, crafted this quilt for her daughter, Evelyn, when Evelyn was about ten years old. Wilhelmina appliqued and embroidered the eight hoop-skirted, sunbonnet-wearing and parasol-carrying figures. Different print and color-schemes were used for each figure. Variations of this design were popular throughout the 20th century. The blocks are separated by 2 1/4-inch sashing. The quilt was sent out to be quilted.; Wilhelmina Dollinger was born in Philadelphia in 1904 and married in 1922. She became a registered nurse after she married, graduating in 1928 from the Roxborough Memorial Hospital. During World War II she worked for the signal corps as a nurse with a later career was as an industrial nurse. She died March 12, 1964.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1940-1947

maker: Endlich, Wilhelmina

ID Number: 1985.0771.02
catalog number: 1985.0771.02
accession number: 1985.0771

National Quilt Collection

1880 - 1900 "Crazy-patchwork" Parlor Throw

1883 Sarah Henderson's Parlor Throw

1883 Fidelia Dickinson's Parlor Throw

1885 - 1890 Lyle Baird's Crazy-patched Parlor Throw

1885 - 1895 Mary Harris's "Butter and Eggs" Quilt

1885 - 1900 Leadbeater Sisters' Crazy-patch Parlor Throw

1888 Prohibition Amendment Parlor Throw

1889 - 1893 Jewett Washington Curtis's Pieced Bedcover

1890 - 1893 Presbyterian Ladies Society Autograph Banner

1897 - 1929 Edna Force Davis's Wool Crazy-patchwork Parlor Throw

1898 Rosina Kalanikauwekiulani Ayers's "Hawaiian Coat-of-Arms" Quilt

1898 Lura Watkin's Pieced Quilt

1900 - 1925 Flossie B. Prices's "Log Cabin" Comforter

1900 - 1950 Mennonite "Sawtoothed Bars" Quilt

1905 - 1910 Presbyterian Ladies Society Patriotic Banner

1922 Clarkesville Reformed Church Embroidered Counterpane

1934 Ada Chitwood Jones's "Sock Top" Quilt

1935 - 1945 Olive Bender's "Water Lily " Quilt

1965 - 1975 Welthea Thoday's World War II Friendship Quilt

1975 - 1995 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" Child's Quilt

1849 Elspeth Duigan's White-work Quilted Counterpane

1890 - 1891 Elizabeth Smedley's Silk Quilt

1795 Eliza Bennis's "Irish Volunteers" Counterpane

1940 - 1947 Wilhelmina Dollinger Endlich's Child's Quilt