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1886 J.A.L.'s Crazy-patch Parlor Throw
- Description
- “Pleasant dreams to you my friends J.A.L.” is embroidered on a diamond prominently placed near the center of this throw. Sentiments such as this suggest that these throws are often called slumber throws as well as parlor throws. In general, throws were made to display fancy needlework skills and serve as ornament rather than as bedding.
- Often they were made in the crazy-patch style that became fashionable in the last part of the 19th century. This throw utilizes crazy-patched and embroidered plain silk diamonds for the “Tumbling Blocks” pattern, creating an intriguing optical illusion.
- The center, pieced in the “Tumbling Blocks” or “Cubework” pattern, is framed by a 5 ½-inch crazy-patch border edged on each side by a 1 ¾-inch blue satin band. The lining is pink silk with a 1 ¼-inch blue silk band decorated with feather and herringbone stitches around all four edges. Silk, tinsel and chenille embroidery threads were used for the buttonhole, feather, French knot, herringbone double cross, running, stem, detached chain, and satin stitches that embellish this throw.
- An embroidered patch in the border contains a name, “C. D. Whittier,” and date, “1886.” Another has American flag motifs with the dates “1776-1886.” A moose head and an elephant with “Jumbo” embroidered on it are prominent among the flowers, hearts, horseshoes, birds, fans, web, broom and other motifs typically found on patchwork of the period. “Kate Greenaway” figures are embroidered on several patches. Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) was a popular writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her distinctive style for drawing children was widely copied and appears on various decorative arts of the time.
- Several painted diamond patches are signed “Agnes R. Hodgson” or “ARH 86.” One patch with that signature has a palette and brushes. Could she have been an artist who provided patches for crazy-patch work? A friend who had her own particular technique? Or was she the maker of the throw?
- The only Agnes R. Hodgson that was found appears on the 1860-1880 censuses. Agnes was born in Oregon City, Oregon, in 1859 to Francis D. and Mary Hodgson. In 1870 they were living in Seneca Falls, N. Y. By 1880 she was living in Milo, Yates County, N. Y., with her parents and five younger siblings. Agnes died in April 1888 at Horseheads, N. Y., of spinal disease (probably meningitis). She is buried in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y. No information on the maker or origins of this throw was provided at the time of donation to the Collection in 1961.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1886
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*T12726
- accession number
- 239740
- catalog number
- T12726
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1950 - 1969 Dorothy Overall's Flour-Sack Bassinet Quilt
- Description
- This bassinet quilt with a framed center design is made of high-quality plain blue and white cotton feed sack fabrics. Dorothy Overall of Caldwell, Kansas, a contestant in many sewing events in the 1950s and 1960s, pieced and appliquéd this quilt on a Pfaff sewing machine she had won in a contest. In 1959 she won the National Cotton Bag Sewing Contest that included a vacation trip to Hollywood as part of the prize.
- According to Dorothy, cotton feed sack fabric was light enough for summer, almost as nice as percale and the colors didn’t fade. Cotton sacks for flour, animal feed and other commodities were produced in many colors and prints. Flour and feed companies found that their sales were often influenced by the popularity of their sacks which were used for clothes and household items.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1950-1969
- quilter
- Overall, Dorothy
- ID Number
- 1992.0102.07
- accession number
- 1992.0102
- catalog number
- 1992.0102.07
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1887 Clara E. Houghton's Comforter
- Description
- "To be made for the Industrial Exhibition March 23-24 1887. H.H.S. Clara E. Houghton (Please return).” No other information was provided with the donation. A large Industrial Exhibition opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in August 1886 and continued to be a huge success through 1887. A Clara Houghton was listed as a teacher in 1876 in Stearns County, Minnesota, (District 101) in the 1915 History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Vol. II by William Bell Mitchell. Probably the quilt was made in Minnesota and exhibited for a short time during the Exhibition.
- Floral motifs in pink, brown, and blue, decorate the roller-printed cotton used for the central part of this comforter. Its 7½-inch border is roller-printed cotton with geometric motifs. It is not quilted, but tied every 5 inches with a heavy 3-ply S-twist cotton thread, keeping the cotton filling in place.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1887
- maker
- Houghton, Clara E.
- ID Number
- TE*T12725
- accession number
- 238998
- catalog number
- T12725
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1830 - 1850 Stenciled Child's Counterpane
- Description
- Stenciling was popular as a decorative technique in the early 19th century. This example, possibly made for a crib, is not quilted, but has some linen cloth and thin cotton wadding between the cotton pieced top and linen lining. At least 13 different templates were used in different combinations to create an overall design. A label, now missing, written in the late 19th century read: “George Jones infant quilt Ohio.”
- Sixty-three 6-inch blocks, alternately plain and stenciled, comprise the top. One motif, a tree with fruit, appears on six blocks, three on either side. Other stenciled motifs, in green, blue, rose, and yellow, are more randomly placed. It is bound with two different roller-printed, ¾-inch floral strips folded over the edges.
- The bright, cheerful stenciled motifs found on this child’s counterpane are similar to those found on floor cloths, furniture, and other home accessories of the period. The stenciling technique, using paints, brushes, and templates, was a convenient way to bring color and interest to everyday objects.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1830-1850
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1995.0011.03
- accession number
- 1995.0011
- catalog number
- 1995.0011.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1875 - 1900 "Crazy Patchwork" Parlor Throw
- Description
- This parlor throw, made in the last quarter of the 19th century, is an example of fancy work using silks, velvets and embroidery that was popular in Victorian America. Irregularly shaped pieces in silk and velvet combine with a large variety of stitches to create the crazy patchwork that was found on many items made for the home to display needlework skills. In 1890 a magazine, Sewing Machine Advance wrote this about crazy patchwork "it drives a man nearly crazy when his wife makes one because it keeps her so busily engaged that she has no time for other work."
- This parlor throw has thirteen embroidered vignettes probably copied from patterns based on illustrations found in Kate Greenaway's children's books. Outline embroidered motifs of children playing were a popular addition to parlor throws. Other embroidered motifs that were probably copied from pattern books include; owls, flowers, cats, butterflies, plums, acorns, fans, spider webs, wheat, goldenrod, cat-tails, birds, a dog, strawberries, a house, a juggler, blackberries, shamrocks, mice and a chinoiserie tray with tea set. "Should old acquaintance be forgot" and "Welcome my friends all" as well as initials "JK" and "KUP" are also embroidered on the throw. The silks used for piecing are plain, checked, striped, brocaded, twilled, printed, pattern-woven, and plaid. Fur-textured fabric, satin ribbons and velvets are used as well. The lining is a pale green satin. The throw is not quilted but tied with pink and green silk thread every five inches. While there is no information on the maker or where it is made, it is an example of needlework typical of the Victorian period.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1875-1900
- quilter
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*T11233
- accession number
- 209502
- catalog number
- T11233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1888 Prohibition Amendment Parlor Throw
- Description
- “Memorial to the Constitutional Prohibition Amendment 1888” is this quilt's painted inscription, 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1905 - 1910 Presbyterian Ladies Society Patriotic Banner
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1877 - 1946 Aimee Hodge's Crazy-patched Parlor Throw
- Description
- Aimee Elkington was twelve when she first embroidered a ribbon for this decorative parlor throw in 1877. It was the beginning of the popularity of “crazy quilts,” decorative tops that were pieced of irregularly shaped bits of silk fabrics, elaborately embroidered, and lined with a silk or cotton fabric. While some may have been used as bedcovers, more often they were displayed in the parlor.
- Merchants sold packages of fabric samples, instructions for assembling them, and embroidery patterns to add an endless variety of designs and ornamental stitches. Often the throws were individualized by incorporating mementoes such as campaign ribbons, embroidered or printed poems, and significant phrases, dates or initials. Aimee employed many of the popular motifs and techniques on her throw.
- The parlor throw is composed of twenty-five crazy-patched and embroidered blocks. In 1946, almost seventy years after she first started, Aimee joined the blocks together. She died shortly after, before she could add a planned border and lining. Among the motifs are fans, cattails, sunflowers, spider webs, and hearts, all frequently found on other parlor throws. Flowers were not only embroidered but also made of puckered and tacked velvet, padded silk pile, or silk floss that was tacked down and sheared. Applique, crazy patchwork, hand-painting, and fancy embroidery stitches were used to create the elaborate top.
- The embroidered initials “AE” in the center signify Aimee Elkington. Some of the blocks may have memorialized friends, such as the crane motif, said to be included for a friend named Crane. A poem, “Easter” by William Croswell, printed on one silk patch, may have had special significance for Aimee. The silk, satin, and velvet fabrics are typical of the period, as are the many colors of silk embroidery thread, chenille, and metallic cord used to embellish them. Created over a lifetime, it is in the rendition that Aimee created a unique and very personal object.
- Aimee Elkington was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1865. She married a Mr. Shepherd, and the couple's daughter, Glaydes, was born in Florida about 1890. On the 1900 census, Aimee was widowed, she and young daughter were living with her mother, Elizabeth Elkington Power, and stepfather, Samuel Power, in Eustis, Lake County, Fla. By 1910 Aimee had remarried, to John L. Hodge, and was living in Lucas, Ohio. As a young child in 1868, John had moved from Canada to the United States. Aimee died in 1946. Glaydes, Aimee’s daughter, donated the quilt (parlor throw) in 1970 and was “delighted to have [my mother’s quilt] in an interesting and wonderful place.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1877-1946
- maker
- Hodge, Aimee Elkington
- ID Number
- TE*T15200A
- catalog number
- T15200A
- accession number
- 291108
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1883 Fidelia Dickinson's Parlor Throw
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1882 Sarah Streeper's Parlor Throw
- 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 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 about 1867 in Pennsylvania to Kline and Angeline Streeper Van Winkle. Angeline was Sarah’s eldest daughter. Kate married George F. Grieb in 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1885 - 1900 Leadbeater Sisters' Crazy-patch Parlor Throw
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1897 - 1929 Edna Force Davis's Wool Crazy-patchwork 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1883 Vickery Sisters' Crazy-patch Parlor Throw
- Description
- This crazy-patched parlor throw was made by two sisters who lived in Fall River, Mass. The only information known about them is their last name, Vickery, and that neither sister married. A date of 1883 is embroidered on one silk patch.
- Their needlework is an example of the crazy-patch work that was very popular in the United States from 1870 to 1900.
- This type of quilt was not necessarily made for bedding, and more often was a project designed to be displayed over a chair or sofa in the parlor. The crazy-patchwork throws were constructed of pieces of silk, satin, velvets, and ribbon, and enhanced with fancy embroidery stitches. A wide range of appliquéd, embroidered, or painted motifs provided additional interest.
- This parlor throw consists of many crazy-patched and embroidered parallelograms that were assembled into ten 4 ½-inch vertical strips. The strips were joined and framed by a 2 ½-inch black velvet ribbon border with 1 ¾-inch gold satin ribbon tabs, imposing order on disorderly crazy-patches. Felted appliquéd motifs of flowers and birds adorn several patches. Other patches contain motifs such as fans, butterflies, horseshoes, or spider webs, all frequently found on crazy-patchwork. “Kate Greenaway” figures, another popular motif of the era, are embroidered on several patches. Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) was a popular writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her distinctive style for drawing children was widely copied and appears on various decorative arts of the time.
- Commemorative ribbons were often saved and then used for crazy-patchwork. A silk ribbon souvenir bookmark with an image of Lincoln and the inscription: “THE LATE LAMENTED PRESIDENT LINCOLN” (“T. Stevens Coventry” on the back) is prominent on this parlor throw. It is a modified version of a ribbon the Thomas Stevens Company of Coventry, U.K., made for Lincoln’s second inauguration in 1865.
- Thomas Stevens revitalized silk ribbon weaving in Coventry by adapting the jacquard weaving process to produce woven pictures. Custom-designed ribbons, badges, bookmarks, etc., might have portraits, text, or local scenes incorporated in the weave. The term “Stevengraph” is often used to describe the products. These were marketed at the time as “Stevens’ Patent Illuminated Book Markers.” Although only part of the ribbon is visible on this throw, similar ribbons are further inscribed: “ASSASSINATED AT WASHINGTON / 14 APRIL 1865 I HAVE SAID NOTHING BUT WHAT I AM WILLING TO LIVE BY, AND IF IT BE THE PLEASURE OF ALMIGHTY GOD, TO DIE BY. (A. LINCOLN)”
- While there is little information about the Vickery sisters at this time, their needlework project contains many items of interest. It is a worthwhile contribution to the Collection.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1883
- maker
- Vickery Sisters
- ID Number
- TE*T14434
- catalog number
- T14434
- accession number
- 274324
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1875 - 1890 Mary "Delia" Lynch's Crazy-patched Parlor Throw
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1883 Sarah Henderson's Parlor Throw
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1880 - 1890 Sophia Tilton's Parlor Throw
- Description
- Sophia M. Tilton decorated her patches on this parlor throw with a wide range of painted flowers. According to donor Helen T. Batchelder, her grandmother Sophia was inspired by wildflowers such as morning glories, violets, and clover on her farm, and the roses, pansies, and lilies in her garden. Sophia was also remembered as a china painter and she used similar motifs to decorate ceramics.
- China painting became a popular pastime in the United States in the 1870s. Pottery kilns developed by ceramicists such as Susan Frackelton who patented a “China-firing Apparatus” in 1886 and 1888, helped spur a large growth in both amateur and professional china painters. It is estimated that there were 20,000 professional china painters by 1900, many listed in city business directories. On this parlor throw, Sophia combined her needlework and painting skills to create her unique version of the crazy patchwork throw that was also very fashionable in the late 19th century.
- The silk fabrics and ribbons that comprise this throw were said to have been bought in Boston, possibly at Thresher Bros., as Sophia’s eldest son, Alfred, owned a drugstore nearby. The throw was made for Alfred and later given to his son, the donor’s father.
- A 5-inch border in the “Flying Geese” pattern frames the crazy-patchwork. The russet satin lining is decorated with bands of white silk feather-stitching framing a center rectangle outlined in herringbone-stitching. Within the rectangle is embroidered a spray of flowers and leaves in white silk. According to family tradition, it may have been designed by Sophia. The throw is edged with an orange silk cord.
- Sophia Moore Leavitt, the daughter of Thomas Moore Leavitt and Sally Dearborn, was born about 1820 in Stratham, Rockingham County, N. H. Sophia’s first name was given as “Survial,” possibly a nickname, in the letter of donation. She married Nathaniel D. Tilton January 4, 1846, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. They had four sons, Alfred, Charles, Edward, and Nathaniel and were living in Watertown, Middlesex, Mass., in 1870. By 1880 Sophia was widowed and living with her youngest son (17), Nathaniel D., in Auburn, Rockingham Co., N. H.. It would have been about this time that she made her crazy-patch throw.
- According to the donor at the time of donation in 1951, “Needless to say, her four sons considered it a masterpiece and I suppose it was, of the period . . . . It will be very pleasant to think of it in your department where many people can enjoy it instead of having it laid away in a trunk . . . . I give it to the museum in return for the inspiration and stimulation it has given me.” A granddaughter’s generous donation allows others to see and be inspired by her grandmother Sophia’s “masterpiece.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1880-1890
- maker
- Tilton, Survial Leavitt
- ID Number
- TE*T11009
- accession number
- 192928
- catalog number
- T11009
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1905 Bonnie Blevins's Crazy-patch Parlor Throw
- Description
- A town, “Bristol, Tennessee,” and a date, “Jan. 4, 1905,” were prominently embroidered on the parlor throw that Bonnie Blevins made for her family. Donated by her daughter, Blanche Blevins, in 1956, it is an example of the fancy needlework popular in the late 19th century.
- Twelve 19-inch crazy-patch and embroidered blocks were assembled for this parlor throw. It has no lining, just a rayon seam binding added at a later date, basted to the front edges. The embroidery motifs (butterflies, birds, animals, etc.) are typical of crazy patchwork, but would appear to be freely drawn rather than from a pattern. The embellishments were done with silk thread utilizing feather, stem, detached chain, French knot, coral knot, satin and buttonhole stitches. Several embroidered inscriptions are present: “I slept and dreamed / that life was beauty / I awoke and found / that life was duty.” It is from a poem by Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1812-1848), a transcendentalist poet who published in The Dial and whose poems appeared in anthologies. Lines from poetry, probably of special personal significance, were frequently added to needlework.
- Four blocks of this parlor throw may have been specifically designed by Bonnie to acknowledge her family. The block containing the date and place also contained an embroidered name “Robt.” and the inscription “Think of me.” Robert was Bonnie’s husband, whom she married in 1892. A second block has the name “Fred” and “In God we trust” embroidered on the crazy-patches. Fred Foster was Bonnie’s eldest son, born in 1892. A third block has the embroidered inscription, “God bless our home,” and the name “Worth.” Omar Worth was Bonnie’s second son born in 1896. The fourth block contains an owl with the inscription “Whoo whoo.” It also has a small embroidered name, “Bonnie.” Another patch in the same block has a swan, a child’s head, heart, and the name “Blanche” embroidered on it. Blanche was Bonnie’s third child, born in 1898. The motifs that were used on each of the blocks may have held meaning for that person. Bonnie’s parlor throw was a personal record of her family.
- Geneva Bonville Foster was born in 1865 or 1866, probably in North Carolina. Known as Bonnie, she married Robert Houston Blevins in 1892. They had three children as noted above, and for a time lived in Tazewell County, Va., as well as Bristol, Tenn. It was in Bristol, Virginia, (Bristol lies on the border of Tennessee and Virginia) that Bonnie died at age 43 in February 1909. She and her family are memorialized on the parlor throw that is now part of the Collection as an example of crazy-patchwork.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1905
- maker
- Blevins, Geneva Bonville Foster
- ID Number
- TE*T11456
- accession number
- 211582
- catalog number
- T11456
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1885 - 1890 Lyle Baird's Crazy-patched Parlor Throw
- 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
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*E377368
- accession number
- 90658
- catalog number
- E377368
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1810 J.W.'s Medallion Quilt
- Description
- The oval medallion that graces the center of this whole-cloth quilt contains the embroidered initials “J W” and the date “1810.” A stuffed-work wreath of flowers encircles the medallion. This is in turn framed by borders of stuffed-work foliage and double cross-hatched quilting. This early example of white work was kept in the family until its donation to the National Museum of American History in 2000. The identity of the maker or “J W” is not known.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1810
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2000.0148.01
- catalog number
- 2000.0148.01
- accession number
- 2000.0148
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1880 - 1895 Commemorative Ribbon Parlor Throw
- Description
- Although this crazy-patched parlor throw is characteristic of the many made in the last part of the 19th century, its many souvenir ribbons, extravagant embroidery, painted patches, typical period motifs, and a multitude of silk and velvet fabric samples combine to make it unique. Thirteen printed campaign and club ribbons dating from 1884 to1890 support Grover Cleveland as president and commemorate organizations such as the Iroquois or Americus Clubs. A “Kate Greenaway” ribbon also adorns the throw. Kate Greenway (1846-1901) was a famous English children’s book illustrator whose images appear on other quilts in the Collection.
- Twelve large crazy-patched blocks, varying in size, were assembled to make this throw. It has a light blue cotton lining, which is machine-seamed, with a cotton filling. The black satin border is machine stitched with black silk. The embroidery on the throw includes the following stitches: French knot, feather, chain, straight, stem, detached chain, herringbone, and buttonhole. Embroidery stitches cover all the seams and decorate some of the patchwork pieces. There is no binding. Instead the top and lining are machine-seamed face to face on three sides, turned right side out, and the fourth side is whipped by hand. It is tied every 12 1/2 inches with light blue silk.
- The quilt was donated by Arthur Wallace Dunn Jr. in memory of his father. Arthur Wallace Dunn Sr. (1859-1926) was a newspaper political correspondent and author who often toured the country with presidential candidates. One of the printed ribbons “Reporter National Democratic Convention 1888” may have held particular significance for him. Another patch is embroidered with the name, “Lillian.” Arthur Wallace Dunn Sr. married Lillian J. Nash in 1890. Perhaps his wife made this throw, incorporating ribbons her husband had collected as souvenirs.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1880-1895
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*T12899
- accession number
- 245700
- catalog number
- T12899
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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