| National Museum of American History

This child or crib quilt was made for William Barnard in 1874. He was born in September 1874 and died in December 1890. The quilt was made either by his mother, Ruth Ann Pettibone Barnard (1852-1945), or grandmother, Eliza Hackley Pettibone (1821-1913).

Description: This child or crib quilt was made for William Barnard in 1874. He was born in September 1874 and died in December 1890. The quilt was made either by his mother, Ruth Ann Pettibone Barnard (1852-1945), or grandmother, Eliza Hackley Pettibone (1821-1913). Or it may have been a joint project. Ruth Ann lived in Washington D.C. and her mother, Eliza, in Crown Point, Indiana.; Nine-patch blocks, 3 ½-inch square, are pieced with printed red and white and plain white cottons. These alternate with plain white blocks. The printed red and white fabrics are roller-printed with a variety of designs. The simple Nine-patch quilt shows wear and use, but was kept in the family until it was donated in 1961.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1874

maker: Barnard, Thomas; unknown

ID Number: TE.T12678
accession number: 237318
catalog number: T12678

Patience Ramsey pieced this quilt with four-pointed stars set with white diamonds, a pattern published in Godey’s Lady’s Book in March 1851.

Description: Patience Ramsey pieced this quilt with four-pointed stars set with white diamonds, a pattern published in Godey’s Lady’s Book in March 1851. Although no name was given to the design in the magazine, in recent times it is known as “Job’s Troubles.” The roller-printed cottons used for the quilt date from the 1850s.; Patience Ramsey was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, in 1832. She married William Gutshall and they had thirteen children. She died in 1880. This quilt and another in the Collection were donated by her granddaughter about 100 years after Patience stitched them.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1870

maker: Ramsey, Patience

ID Number: TE.T13211
accession number: 250982
catalog number: T13211

This “Ocean Wave” quilt was begun by Mary Ann Bishop of Wilkesville, Vinton County, Ohio, in 1875 and quilted in 1888. Roller-printed cottons with a few woven checks and plaids were pieced for the patterns that set off the quilted plain, cream-colored cotton centers.

Description: This “Ocean Wave” quilt was begun by Mary Ann Bishop of Wilkesville, Vinton County, Ohio, in 1875 and quilted in 1888. Roller-printed cottons with a few woven checks and plaids were pieced for the patterns that set off the quilted plain, cream-colored cotton centers. A saw-tooth strip of red cotton appliquéd to the 6-inch border frames the “Ocean Wave” pattern. Quilted, at 9 stitches per inch, with straight lines on the pieced sections, the feathered circles and feathered leaves provide a surface texture to the quilt. Two gradually curved S-shaped wooden templates, also donated to the Collection, were used for pencil marking the quilting pattern.; Mary Ann Gotschall was born July 7, 1819. She married Hiram H. Bishop (1818-1897) on January 31, 1842 in Harrison County, Ohio. He received his medical training at Starling Medical College in Columbus, Ohio in the late 1840s. Lyne Starling (1784-1848) was the founder of the hospital and medical school, a new concept at that time of providing medical education and patient care in one facility. During the Civil War, from June 1864 to March 1865, Hiram was contracted as an Acting Assistant Surgeon at the Totten General Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky. In March of 1865, when he left, the hospital had over 6,500 patients and fewer than 100 surgeons.; Mary and Hiram reared four children; John (b. 1843), Naomi (b. 1845), Mary (b. 1848), and Luie (b. 1860). Mary Ann died March 9, 1915, and is buried in the Wilkesville Cemetery. Mary Ann Bishop’s quilt in the “Ocean Wave” pattern is one of three quilts in the Collection that were donated by her granddaughter, Maude M. Fierce, in 1936 and 1937.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1875-1888

maker: Bishop, Mary Ann Gotschall

ID Number: TE.T07851
accession number: 141189
catalog number: T07851

This quilt tells two stories. The original quilt consists of pieced vertical strips of block- and roller-printed cottons dating from the 1830-1850s.

Description: This quilt tells two stories. The original quilt consists of pieced vertical strips of block- and roller-printed cottons dating from the 1830-1850s. It was filled, lined with a plain woven brown cotton, and quilted.; An “Eight-pointed Star” pattern was used for a new top to cover the original, older, worn out quilt. Seven-inch “Star” blocks are set diagonally with 7-inch squares of printed cottons; framed with a 4-inch border of striped cotton. This top consists of roller-printed cottons of geometrics, florals, and stripes. The “new” top was quilted to the “older” quilt, but in a different pattern. Both are quilted at 7 stitches per inch. The edges of the older quilt were cut off and a binding of ¾-inch straight strips of 4 different roller-printed cottons is seamed to the front, whipped to the lining. The quilt is an example of recycling an older quilt by adding a more fashionable new top.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1830-1880; 1860-1880

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17324.000
catalog number: T17324.000
accession number: 321804

Catherine Hutchins used 4,872 fabric scraps to piece 168 six-inch blocks for her “Log Cabin” Quilt. Plain, plaid, printed, and pattern-woven wool and cotton fabrics were utilized. Each of the blocks has a red center.

Description (Brief): Catherine Hutchins used 4,872 fabric scraps to piece 168 six-inch blocks for her “Log Cabin” Quilt. Plain, plaid, printed, and pattern-woven wool and cotton fabrics were utilized. Each of the blocks has a red center. She effectively assembled the varicolored light and dark fabrics to create an overall pattern of light and dark 8 ½-inch squares. The lining consists of 6-inch strips of the same floral-patterned roller-printed cotton with three different ground colors.; Catherine Huff, grandmother of the donor, was born in 1813. She married Stephen Hutchins (1814-1903) and lived in Cape Porpoise (Kennebunkport), Maine. She died in 1903.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1899

maker: Hutchins, Catherine Huff

ID Number: TE.T08473
accession number: 158248
catalog number: T08473

This unfinished quilt top, which resembles a “Tic Tac Toe” game, was made by Mary La Follette of Primrose, Wis. Two different 8-inch block patterns were used to create the quilt top---an X and a hollow octagon.

Description: This unfinished quilt top, which resembles a “Tic Tac Toe” game, was made by Mary La Follette of Primrose, Wis. Two different 8-inch block patterns were used to create the quilt top---an X and a hollow octagon. Ninety-nine blocks, pieced with roller-printed cottons, are framed by a 1 ¾-inch white border. In 1974, Mary’s granddaughter donated this quilt top that had been in the family.; Mary Ferguson was born in November 1818 in Indiana. She married Alexander Buchanan in 1840, but he died in an accident before their first child, Ellen, was born. In 1846 Mary married Josiah La Follette. After a few years in Indiana they moved in 1849 with their children Ellen (b. 1841), and William (b. 1847) to Primrose County, Wis. They farmed, and two more children Josephine (b. 1853) and Robert Marion (b. 1855) were born. Another son, Marion, born in 1850, died as a toddler in 1853. Mary’s husband, Josiah, died in 1856, a few months after Robert was born. After Mary became a widow for the second time, she worked the farm with her children until 1862, when she married John Saxton (1792-1873). In 1873, after his death, she moved to Madison, Wis, where she died April 21, 1894.; It was her youngest son, Robert or “Fighting Bob” La Follette who became well known in politics. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1885-1891), governor of Wisconsin (1901-1906) and U.S. Senator (1906-1925). He died in Washington, D.C., in 1925.; Among many qualities, Mary was known for her industry, strong character, and active participation in the pioneer life of Primrose, Wis. The quilt top is a reminder of one of her skills, that as a seamstress. Her obituary in the Mt. Horeb Times of April 1894 stated “The brilliant career of her youngest son, from this period on, and the esteem in which her other children were held, must have been a source of pride and comfort to her in her old age.”
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1875

maker: La Follette, Mary

ID Number: TE.T17173
accession number: 313380
catalog number: T17173

An elaborate eagle and an American flag block adorn this patriotic example of a mid-19th-century album quilt. Baskets of fruit and flowers, wreaths, and cornucopias, all typical motifs of the period, complete the quilt.

Description: An elaborate eagle and an American flag block adorn this patriotic example of a mid-19th-century album quilt. Baskets of fruit and flowers, wreaths, and cornucopias, all typical motifs of the period, complete the quilt. Some of the most extravagantly decorated blocks appear on a distinctive group of presentation quilts that were made in or near Baltimore, Maryland, and are now popularly known as Baltimore album quilts.; The quilt contains both hand and machine quilting. A two-thread chain-stitch machine was used to outline some of the appliquéd motifs and anchor the bias binding on the edges. The background was hand-quilted with feather plumes, clamshells, and diagonal grid patterns, 8-9 stitches per inch.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1845-1852

quilter: unknown

ID Number: TE.E363155
accession number: 117457
catalog number: E363155

This well-worn, white-work quilt bears an inked inscription: “Picked up by Horatio G. Coykendall Lieut. And Adj. 18th Wis.

Description: This well-worn, white-work quilt bears an inked inscription: “Picked up by Horatio G. Coykendall Lieut. And Adj. 18th Wis. Infty in South Carolina during Shermans March to the sea.” Donated by his granddaughter in 1970, she wrote: “My grandfather was a captain serving until Sherman and was on Shermans march thru Georgia to the sea. This quilt was picked up on this campaign and he has written in one corner this fact.”; The quilt is stuffed and corded. A center motif of crossed sprays of narrow-leaved vines is encircled by a meandering vine with leaves and clusters of berries. A 12-inch band of diagonal grid quilting frames the design.; Horatio G. Coykendall was born December 7, 1840, in Peoria County, Illinois. He served in several Illinois and Wisconsin military units during the Civil War. According to a Memoriam published by the Military Order of Loyal Legion of the United States Minnesota Commandery (Circular No. 7 Series 1906), he fought in many campaigns including Lexington, Shiloh, and the siege of Vicksburg. After the war he was involved in railroad building and was described as a man “of an iron will and great energy of character, which made for success in business . . . In the home life he was exemplary, kindly and sympathetic, a consistent Christian and worthy citizen.” He died at Rochester, Minnesota, March 22, 1906.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T15263.00S
catalog number: T15263S
accession number: 292228

A quilted inscription at the base of the flowering tree on this quilt reads “Violet E. L. Alexander / June 10 / 1830.” The central focus of this quilt, a flowering “Tree of Life” motif, is appliquéd on a 40-inch square of white cotton.

Description: A quilted inscription at the base of the flowering tree on this quilt reads “Violet E. L. Alexander / June 10 / 1830.” The central focus of this quilt, a flowering “Tree of Life” motif, is appliquéd on a 40-inch square of white cotton. Other motifs of palm trees, flowers, and long-tailed birds are appliquéd on white cotton triangles to fill out the center section. This is framed by 3-inch and 7-inch borders that are made of roller-printed floral and geometric stripes. The two borders are separated by a 3¾-inch plain white border. The corner motifs and some parts of the central tree are cut from block-printed cotton produced at the Bannister Hall print works near Preston, England.; The quilting pattern, 8 stitches per inch, consists of diagonal lines, ¼-inch apart, over the entire center and on the printed borders. Clamshell quilting is found on the plain white border. The fine quilting and use of costly chintz fabrics printed in England make it a typical example of a medallion quilt, popular in the early nineteenth century, and often found in the American South.; Violet Elizabeth was the daughter of William Bain Alexander and Violet Davidson. Violet was born January 9, 1812. She was one of fourteen children (seven girls and seven boys) who grew up on a prosperous estate in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. On December, 27, 1831 she married Dr. Isaac Wilson, who both farmed and maintained an extensive medical practice. The couple had six children, five sons and one daughter. Two sons lost their lives in the Civil War, two others farmed in the county, and another practiced medicine. Violet died at age 33 of erysipelas, a bacterial infection, during an epidemic in 1845. This quilt was made just prior to her marriage. According to information from the donor, Dr. John E. S. Davidson, the quilt may have been made by his mother, Jane Henderson (Mrs. Edward Constantine Davidson), a friend or relative of Violet.; Note: The name Violet appears and reappears in the family. She may have gone by the name “Elizabeth,” as some sources cite.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1830

maker: Alexander, Violet Elizabeth Lee

ID Number: TE.T14673
catalog number: T14673
accession number: 279890

This quilt top of unusual design, composed of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century fabrics, was acquired for the Collection in 1974.

Description: This quilt top of unusual design, composed of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century fabrics, was acquired for the Collection in 1974. A piece of paper that accompanied the quilt top bears the notation: “Lappendehen Mtn West Indies familie Huh Taunay” and, “Taunay family heirloom.”; The quilt top is pieced of elongated hexagons around a center square printed with a chinoisserie design. The hexagonal pieces are joined by minute overcast stitches sewn with linen thread. Still evident are traces of paper templates used to stiffen the hexagons during the piecing process. The judicious placement of the dark-colored hexagon pieces creates larger hexagon shapes in the overall design of the top. The 7-inch border is pieced of smaller even-sided printed hexagons arranged in rosettes against a background of white hexagons.; The cotton fabrics used for the top present a sampler of printing techniques available in the early-nineteenth century. Block-printed, Indian-printed and painted, woven stripe and check, copperplate printed, and roller-printed cottons are all represented. The copper plate prints are from 1780 to 1800 and the block-prints from 1790 to 1810. The Indian cottons date from the late-eighteenthth century. The roller-prints are from the very-early-nineteenth century. A few areas have had replacement fabrics, and a few pieces are completely missing. The furnishing fabric border around the outer edge is block-printed, with penciled blue and yellow over blue enhancements. The array of fabrics used and the hexagonal pieced-work technique make this elegant quilt top an important example in the Collection.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1800-1815

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17179
accession number: 313383
catalog number: T17179

“We hope that restful comfort lingers / Under this work of loving fingers” is the sentiment inked on this parlor throw by Mary “Delia” Lynch.

Description: “We hope that restful comfort lingers / Under this work of loving fingers” is the sentiment inked on this parlor throw by Mary “Delia” Lynch. As Mary grew up in Virginia, married and lived in Illinois and in 1886 moved to California, it is not known precisely where this parlor throw was made. When the donor, Mary’s granddaughter, discovered it in an old trunk in the 1950s, she noted, “It was as new as the day it had been finished years ago for it had not only never been used, it had not even been lined.”; Twenty 13 ¾-inch crazy-patched blocks are framed with a 2 ¾-inch maroon velvet border on this parlor throw. As is characteristic of many silk crazy-patched quilts (parlor throws) of this period, the pieces came from a variety of sources. The donor described the fabrics her grandmother used: “Most of the pieces are from materials of her [Mary Lynch] dresses and the dresses of my mother [Norma Clark] as a child and as a young girl. Among them are several pieces on which my mother painted a musical score [notes for ‘Auld Lang Syne’], a verse, and a spray of flowers.” Although the pieces were collected over a long period of time, it is not known whether Mary brought along the pieces, squares, or finished throw when she moved to California in 1886. The lining of the throw was done in 1968 by the donor a few years after she discovered it in an old trunk after her mother died.; The patches contain initials, and other painted and embroidered motifs often found on patch-work parlor throws. Among these are two 1880 campaign ribbons; one for Republicans James Garfield and Chester Arthur, another for Democrats Winfield Hancock and William English. Commemorative ribbons are another item often found included on crazy patch needlework.; One embossed maroon velvet patch, has the inscription “J.H. WHITEHURST GALLERIES / NEW-YORK / WASHINGTON D.C. / BALTIMORE / RICHMOND / NORFOLK / PETERSBURG / LYNCHBURG.” Most likely this is a case pad that would have been opposite a daguerreotype. It is an unusual example of the source of fabrics gathered to make a throw. Jesse Harrison Whitehurst (about 1820-1875) was one of the earliest and most successful photographers in Virginia. As noted above, he had several commercial studios and the quality of his work is among the best of that era.; All of the patches are enhanced with cross, buttonhole, feather, straight, detached chain, herringbone, star, stem, and French knot stitches--a feature of crazy-patchwork.; Mary Adelia, known as Delia, was born about 1845 to Maria and Grover Young in Richmond, Va. She was a descendent of an early English pioneer, William Claiborne (about 1600-1677), surveyor and settler in Virginia and Maryland. She married Jacob G. Lynch (ca 1842-1886) in Illinois, on January 30, 1867. On the 1870 census, they were living in Cairo, Ill., with their infant daughter, Norma. In 1886, after Jacob’s death, Mary moved to California. From at least 1900, she lived with her daughter Norma and Norma’s husband, Joseph H. Clark, in Oakland, Alameda Co., Calif. Mary died February 9, 1917, and is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.; The donor in a letter expressed this often-noted sentiment: “Because I am the last of my line with no blood relatives, I am eager that this beautiful heirloom piece of American hand-craft should find a home where it can be appreciated, preserved, and cherished.” At the news that the parlor throw had been accepted, the donor “went out to dinner in celebration of the fact that at long last ‘Grandma’s Quilt’ had found a proper home.” Mary Lynch’s parlor throw is a noteworthy addition to the Collection.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1875-1890

maker: Lynch, Mary Adelia Young

ID Number: TE.T14831
catalog number: T14831
accession number: 282325

"There was exhibited at the late Mechanical Fair held at Chicago, Ill., by Mr. C. Taylor, of that place, a quilt composed of 9,800 pieces of silk, each of which was about an inch square and all sewed with exceeding beauty and neatness.

Description: "There was exhibited at the late Mechanical Fair held at Chicago, Ill., by Mr. C. Taylor, of that place, a quilt composed of 9,800 pieces of silk, each of which was about an inch square and all sewed with exceeding beauty and neatness. Its chief charm, however, was the great skill evinced in the ingenious blending of colors, so as to produce a proper effect in the representation of various figures which ornamented it in every part. A brilliant sun shown in the centre, the moon and stars beamed out from one corner, while in another appeared a storm in the heavens, with lowering clouds and flashes of lightning.; Around the border were various designs illustrative of the season and the rapid growth of the western country. At one place appeared a barren heath, with Indians and hunters roaming over it; next, a trading post, as the first entrance of civilization; next, a military station, with the glorious banner of our country streaming from the flagstaff; then a city, and steamboats and vessels gliding in and out of port." "Great Quilt," Scientific American, Volume 5, Number 12, December 8, 1849.; The quilt described in the 1849 Scientific American, may well have been Mary Willcox Taylor's silk quilt made between 1830 and 1850 and brought to the Museum in 1953. Although the pieced and appliquéd quilt was made in Detroit, Michigan it was said that Mary at one time had lived at Fort Dearborn. In one corner of the quilt is depicted a military fort complete with a prominent U.S. flag on a pole. Fort Dearborn was completed in 1804, burned by Indians in 1812 and rebuilt in 1816. It was demolished in 1856 to accommodate the rapidly expanding city of Chicago. Today, a plaque located in the Chicago Loop recognizes the earlier Fort Dearborn.; Mary used many shades of silk, even a few embellished with water-colors to depict the skies from dawn to dusk, sunny to stormy. Vignettes on the outer edges of the quilt are detailed and precise using many different fabrics and techniques. They portray scenes of the growth and changes in Chicago during the first half of the nineteenth century. All the diamond shaped pieces are quilted in an outline pattern. Now, unfortunately too fragile to exhibit, this example of a nineteenth-century pictorial quilt displays the skills and artistic ability of Mary Willcox Taylor.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1830-1850

quilter: Taylor, Mary Willcox

ID Number: TE.T11053
accession number: 197748
catalog number: T11053

Three hundred eighty-four 3 ¾-inch squares of printed and plain white cottons were used to create this quilt top. The plain white squares were all inscribed in ink by many different hands.

Description: Three hundred eighty-four 3 ¾-inch squares of printed and plain white cottons were used to create this quilt top. The plain white squares were all inscribed in ink by many different hands. Several squares are dated “June 1864” and some state a place, “Amherst, Mass.” Most squares contain religious messages, but some secular inscriptions are evident: “Three cheers for the Red, white & blue 1864” “God save Gen. Grant and his brave men” and "A remembrance from the children of Amherst June 1864."; On July 1, 1864, the "Hampshire and Franklin Express" published the following note (p. 2) under "LATEST WAR NEWS":; "Album Bed-quilts"; "The Ladies Soldiers' Aid Society of this village [Amherst, Mass] are making quite a number of small hospital quilts, of patch-work, on every square of which is most neatly written in indelible ink, a sentiment of sympathy, a verse of scripture, or a choice scrap of poetry or prose, and are altogether, very beautiful articles, and cannot fail to be comforting to the wounded soldier to decipher, as he lies on his weary couch of pain."; The pieced top was used to cover an older wool quilt (TE*T14021.00A) and the finished product was sent to a Union army hospital during the Civil War.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1864

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T14021.00B
accession number: 272176
catalog number: T14021B

This silk quilt, delicately appliquéd and embroidered with baskets and sprays of fruit and flowers, was made by Mary Jane Green Moran when she was a young bride in Baltimore, Maryland.

Description: This silk quilt, delicately appliquéd and embroidered with baskets and sprays of fruit and flowers, was made by Mary Jane Green Moran when she was a young bride in Baltimore, Maryland. The blocks are set diagonally and separated by a white silk sashing appliquéd and embroidered with bud-and-leaf vines, echoed by the undulating leafy vine in the border. The silk top is closely quilted, 12 to 15 stitches per inch, to a muslin backing. It was said that 1,001 skeins of silk thread were used in the quilting. A woven and knotted golden-colored silk fringe is stitched to three sides of this example of mid-nineteenth- century needlework.; Mary Jane (Mrs. Dr. Moran) exhibited her needlework at various fairs and exhibitions. Her entries won awards. It was noted in one Maryland Exhibition in 1851 that the silk quilt with scarlet lining she made and exhibited "is entitled to notice for the labor and industry evinced." This quilt in the Collection is a fine example of her work.; At the time of Mary Jane Green’s marriage in 1846 to Dr. Jonathan J. Moran, he was a resident physician at Washington University College Hospital in Baltimore. It was in that capacity that he attended the dying Edgar Allan Poe in October 1849. Dr. Moran in later years wrote several versions of those last hours that he spent with Edgar Allan Poe, and lectured on the topic as well. From the accounts, it appears that Mary Moran also nursed the dying Poe, reading to him as well as preparing his shroud.; After the closing of the hospital in 1851, the Morans moved to Falls Church, Virginia, where they were both active in the community and the Dulin Methodist Episcopal Church. Dr. Jonathan Moran became the first mayor of Falls Church in 1875 and served until 1877. He died in 1888, and Mary Jane died the following year.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1845

quilter: Moran, Mary Jane Green

ID Number: TE.T07140
accession number: 123393
catalog number: T07140

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

This hexagon pieced quilt is either of English or American origin. Two and a half inch hexagons in yellow- and green-ground, roller-printed cottons are arranged in concentric circles, each with a red and white printed center.

Description: This hexagon pieced quilt is either of English or American origin. Two and a half inch hexagons in yellow- and green-ground, roller-printed cottons are arranged in concentric circles, each with a red and white printed center. Nine patches have been replaced, and the binding appears to be a later 19th century fabric. The lining consists of three lengths of plain-woven ivory cotton. The filling is cotton. The quilting pattern outlines each hexagon; 8 stitches per inch. A 7/8-inch (finished) straight strip of twilled polished cotton, seamed to the front, whip stitched to the lining, was used for the binding. This hexagon pieced quilt is an example of a popular technique used for some of the oldest quilt patterns.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17334.000
catalog number: T17334.000
accession number: 321804

An unknown maker crafted this example of contained crazy-patchwork. Twenty 12 ¼-inch blocks are elaborately embroidered and surrounded by a 2-inch black ruffled border. The center of each block has a larger design, either floral or other motif such as a fan or a horseshoe.

Description: An unknown maker crafted this example of contained crazy-patchwork. Twenty 12 ¼-inch blocks are elaborately embroidered and surrounded by a 2-inch black ruffled border. The center of each block has a larger design, either floral or other motif such as a fan or a horseshoe. Birds, ceramics, and Kate Greenaway motifs typical of the era also adorn the throw. Silk, satin, velvet, and ribbon were used for the patchwork, which was lined with black pattern-woven silk. Chenille and silk embroidery threads were used for the many fancy stitches that embellish the throw.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1880-1900

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T13108
accession number: 250072
catalog number: T13108

The “Variable Star” pattern was used for the 7-inch pieced blocks that alternate with 7-inch plain blocks. The pieced blocks have examples of a variety of roller-printed fabrics. Around all four edges of the quilt are ten inch red and blue floral print triangles.

Description: The “Variable Star” pattern was used for the 7-inch pieced blocks that alternate with 7-inch plain blocks. The pieced blocks have examples of a variety of roller-printed fabrics. Around all four edges of the quilt are ten inch red and blue floral print triangles. The initials “S N” are cross-stitched in brown silk on the lining which consists of three lengths of plain-woven cotton. The quilt has a cotton filling and is quilted 6 stitches per inch. No separate binding, the front and lining are turned in and sewn with a running stitch. This quilt is an example of mid-nineteenth century quilting utilizing a variation of the popular star design.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17341.000
catalog number: T17341.000
accession number: 321804

Mary Ann Bishop of Wilkesville, Vinton County, Ohio, made this quilt in the mid-nineteenth century. She utilized plain-woven roller-printed cotton dress fabrics and woven striped, checked, and plaid cottons.

Description: Mary Ann Bishop of Wilkesville, Vinton County, Ohio, made this quilt in the mid-nineteenth century. She utilized plain-woven roller-printed cotton dress fabrics and woven striped, checked, and plaid cottons. Two of the blocks of the “Double Nine-patch” quilt were enlarged by adding strips of printed cotton along two edges. A combination of diagonal-line and feathered “S” curve patterns were used for the quilting. Two gradually curved S-shaped wooden templates, also donated to the Collection, were used for marking the quilting pattern.; Mary Ann Gotschall was born July 7, 1819. She married Hiram H. Bishop (1818-1897) on January 31, 1842 in Harrison County, Ohio. He received his medical training at Starling Medical College in Columbus, Ohio, in the late 1840s. Lyne Starling (1784-1848) was the founder of the hospital and medical school, a new concept at that time of providing medical education and patient care in one facility. During the Civil War, from June 1864 to March 1865, Hiram was contracted as an Acting Assistant Surgeon at the Totten General Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky. In March of 1865, when he left, the hospital had over 6,500 patients and fewer than 100 surgeons.; Mary and Hiram reared four children; John (b. 1843), Naomi (b. 1845), Mary (b. 1848), and Luie (b. 1860). Mary Ann died March 9, 1915, and is buried in the Wilkesville Cemetery. Mary Ann Bishop’s quilt in the “Double Nine-patch” pattern is one of three quilts in the Collection that were donated by her granddaughter, Maude M. Fierce, in 1936 and 1937.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1875

maker: Bishop, Mary Ann Gotschall

ID Number: TE.T07850
accession number: 141189
catalog number: T07850

In 1846 nearly 100 friends and family members contributed signed blocks for an album quilt for Merinda Shedd Wright of Washington, N. H.

Description: In 1846 nearly 100 friends and family members contributed signed blocks for an album quilt for Merinda Shedd Wright of Washington, N. H. Possibly made before she moved West, the inscriptions include the towns of Washington, Peterborough, Stoddard, and Goshen in New Hampshire, as well as Lowell and Cambridge Port in Massachusetts.; The signers were the wives or daughters of farmers, marble cutters, mechanics, laborers, shoemakers, doctors, clergy, merchants, and others who populated the New England area in the mid-19th century. A few worked in the Lowell, Mass., mills. They ranged in age from two to the eighties, often mother and daughter combinations.; Ninety-six pieced 8-inch “Nine-patch” signed blocks are set diagonally with 32 half blocks around the entire border. All are signed, and except for one stamped inscription, all are inscribed in ink. Three blocks are dated 1846. The blocks are separated and bordered with printed cotton sashing. The lower corners of the quilt are cut away to accommodate bedposts.; Merinda Shedd, born May 1811, was the daughter of John Shedd (about 1784-1828) and Lydia Farnsworth (1785-1860). Merinda married Zophar Wright (1805-1880). The couple had seven children. It seems Merinda went West, but no further information about her was discovered. Zophar was listed as living in New Hampshire on the 1850 census (pauper) and 1860 census (basket maker). He remarried in 1877 and again in 1879.; Sarah Shedd (1813-1867), sister of Merinda Shedd, penned the following on the quilt: “Oh! A Sister’s heart is deep - And her spirit strong to keep - Each light-link of early hours.” The lines are from a poem, “The Shepherd-poet of the Alps,” by English poet, Felicia Hemans (1793-1835). Sarah was 15 when, after her father died, she found work in the textile mills of Maine and Massachusetts to help support her mother and educate her brother.; In addition to working in the mills, she became a poet and educator. She wrote for the Lowell Offering , and a book of her poetry, Poems of Sarah Shedd, Founder of the Shedd Free Library was published in 1883.; Educated, independent, and able to pursue her own interests after her mother’s death, she aspired to found a public library for her hometown of Washington, N. H. Her entire estate, $2,500 (over $400,000 today), was left to the Town to establish a library which opened in 1869 as the Shedd Free Library and contained many of her own books. In 1881 a permanent building was dedicated that is still a functioning library, having grown from the original 292 books to over 9000.; Her sister's quilt descended in the Nathan Reed Wright family, but they were not related to Zophar and Merinda Wright. Jane Wright, adopted daughter of Nathan, did sign the quilt, apparently as a friend of Merinda.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1846

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T15195
catalog number: T15195
accession number: 290274

In the mid-1880s Sarah Paul Streeper carefully crafted this velvet parlor throw for her granddaughter, Kate Van Winkle’s, trousseau.Twenty 8 ½-inch blocks frame a center block, 18 1/2-inches square, on this throw. The blocks are joined with a 1 3/8-inch black velvet sashing.

Description: In the mid-1880s Sarah Paul Streeper carefully crafted this velvet parlor throw for her granddaughter, Kate Van Winkle’s, trousseau.; Twenty 8 ½-inch blocks frame a center block, 18 1/2-inches square, on this throw. The blocks are joined with a 1 3/8-inch black velvet sashing. Sarah Streeper used applique, embroidery, and paint to decorate the velvet blocks. The center block has a combination of floral motifs that are also found on the smaller blocks.; Crazy-patchwork is used for one block and other blocks have such motifs as a spider web, fan, and an owl-on-a-branch that were popular on Victorian throws. A letter “A” embroidered on one block may have been for Angeline, Sarah’s daughter and Kate’s mother. The blocks are edged with feather stitching. Stem, buttonhole, satin, couching, French knot and herringbone stitches were used for details. A dark red velvet 4-inch border completes this throw.; Sarah Paul was born September 30, 1813, in Pennsylvania. In 1837, she married Peter Streeper (1812-1876) and the couple had eight children. On the 1880 census, Sarah was living with her youngest daughter, Emily, in Philadelphia. Sarah died there on October 20,1902. She is buried at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Barren Hill, Pa. Her tombstone is inscribed “Aged 89 years and 20 days / Call not back the dear departed / Anchored safe where storms are o’er . . . we left thee / Soon to meet and part no more.”; Kate Van Winkle, for whose trousseau the parlor throw was made, was born September 1, 1866, in Pennsylvania to Kline and Angeline Streeper Van Winkle. Angeline was Sarah’s eldest daughter. Kate married George F. Grieb May 22, 1888. They had three children and also lived in Pennsylvania. Their granddaughter, Johannah Grieb, donated the elegant parlor throw to the Museum in 1953.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1882

maker: Streeper, Sarah P.

ID Number: TE.T11022
accession number: 198031
catalog number: T11022

Deep red and blue 11-inch squares were set diagonally, checkerboard fashion, to create this example of an early 19th century wool quilt. Each square is quilted with a floral or geometric motif.

Description: Deep red and blue 11-inch squares were set diagonally, checkerboard fashion, to create this example of an early 19th century wool quilt. Each square is quilted with a floral or geometric motif. In total twenty-two different patterns, quilted 6 stitches per inch, were used.; Lucy Addison was born in New Hampshire about 1808 or 1809 and married John Shepherd (or Shepard) in 1833. The quilt may have been made in New Hampshire, but according to censuses, after they were married they lived in Phillipston, Worcester County, Massachusetts, the rest of their lives. They had one son, Timothy Addison Shepherd, born in 1836, and it was his descendent, a great-grandson of Lucy and John, who donated the quilt in 1964.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1800-1840

maker: Shepherd, Lucy Addison

ID Number: TE.T13511
accession number: 257167
catalog number: T13511

A floral block-printed fabric was used to make this quilted counterpane. Three panels of cotton, block-printed in brown, red, and pink with penciled blue were sewn with linen thread to create the center. This was framed by a band of trees also block-printed on cotton. "S .

Description: A floral block-printed fabric was used to make this quilted counterpane. Three panels of cotton, block-printed in brown, red, and pink with penciled blue were sewn with linen thread to create the center. This was framed by a band of trees also block-printed on cotton. "S . B 6" is cross-stiched on the lining. It was quilted in a chevron pattern, 9 stitches per inch, and finished with an ivory silk tape binding.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1800-1820

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17338.000
catalog number: T17338.000
accession number: 321804

This well planned quilt was executed using just two different roller-printed cottons. One a floral design in red, blue, and brown on white; the other a stylized floral print in blue, tan, and brown.

Description: This well planned quilt was executed using just two different roller-printed cottons. One a floral design in red, blue, and brown on white; the other a stylized floral print in blue, tan, and brown. The seven-inch octagons are set with 3 ¼-inch pieced squares creating an overall kaleidoscopic effect. Only along the two side edges and part of the top edge are there triangles made of other printed cottons. The lining is a plain-woven ivory cotton, and the filling is cotton. It is quilted at 8 stitches per inch. There is evidence of repairs made, probably due to wear, on the edges.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17329.000
catalog number: T17329.000
accession number: 321804

Textiles

1874 William Barnard's Pieced Crib Quilt

1850 - 1870 Patience Ramsey's Pieced Quilt

1875 - 1888 Mary Ann Bishop's "Ocean Wave" Pieced Quilt

1830 - 1880 "Eight-pointed Star" Pieced Quilt

1850 - 1899 Catherine Hutchins's "Log Cabin" Quilt

1850 - 1875 Mary La Follette's Pieced Quilt Top

1845 - 1852 Baltimore Album Quilt

1840 - 1860 Horatio G. Coykendall's Whitework Quilt

1830 Violet Alexander's "Flowering Tree" Appliqued Quilt

1800 - 1815 Taunay Family's Framed Center Quilt Top

1875 - 1890 Mary "Delia" Lynch's Crazy-patched Parlor Throw

1830 - 1850 Mary Willcox Taylor's Fort Dearborn Quilt

1864 Civil War Album Quilt Top

1845 Mary Jane Moran's Bride's Quilt

1883 Fidelia Dickinson's Parlor Throw

1840 - 1860 Hexagon Pieced Quilt

1880-1900 Crazy-patchwork Parlor Throw

1840 - 1860 "Variable Star" Pieced Quilt

1850 - 1875 Mary Ann Bishop's "Double Nine-patch" Pieced Quilt

1846 Merinda Shedd Wright's "Nine-patch" Album Quilt

1882 Sarah Streeper's Parlor Throw

1800 - 1840 Lucy Shepherd's Wool Quilt

1800 - 1820 Block-printed Quilt

1840 - 1860 Octagon Pieced Quilt