1830 - 1850 Williams Family's Heptagonal "Sunburst" Quilt

Description:

This mid-nineteenth-century quilt, its maker unknown, is from the Williams family of Milton, Pennsylvania. It features an unusual seven-sided sunburst radiating from a seven-pointed star in the center. The skillful quilt maker combined precision piecing with mathematical proficiency to create this intricate geometric figure with its uneven number of sides of equal length. The number seven is echoed in the seven-petal-flowers on the vine encircling the heptagon.

Nine different assorted small print cottons in reds, greens, browns, and blues contribute to the radiating effect of the center. The heptagon sunburst is surrounded with appliquéd motifs of partridges and May trees cut from an early-nineteenth-century English furnishing chintz. It is quilted with various patterns: herringbone, clamshell, outline and parallel diagonal lines.

Fancy sunbursts adorn the centers of many mid-nineteenth-century quilts, but most of them have eight sides. The number seven, found significant in many cultures, myths, and legends, represents concepts of completeness, perfection, plenty, security, and safety. The Heptagonal “Sunburst,” donated in 1991, is a complex variation of the more frequently found eight-sided pattern. It is a tribute to workmanship and design in quilting.

Date Made: 1830-1850

Maker: unknown

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United States: Pennsylvania, Milton

Subject: QuiltingMathematics

Subject:

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Textiles, Textiles, Domestic Furnishings, Quilts

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Robert B. Stephens

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 1991.0381.01Accession Number: 1991.0381Catalog Number: 1991.0381.01

Object Name: quilt

Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)thread, cotton (overall material)filling, cotton (overall material)Measurements: overall: 92 in x 92 in; 234 cm x 234 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a3-cd66-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_556237

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.