1851 Ellen Calder's Presentation Quilt

Description:

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania friends of Ellen Winebrenner Calder presented this quilt to her in 1851. It was a farewell present for Ellen, a young bride, who was accompanying her husband, Rev. James K. Calder to Fuh-Chua, China. They worked under difficult circumstances in China for two years as missionaries for the Methodist Episcopal Church before returning to the United States. Ellen Calder, born in 1824, died in 1858 at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. She is buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery.

This cotton quilt consists of 36 blocks appliquéd with a fleur-de-lis motif often used by religious groups for presentation pieces. In the center circle of each block is penned a name and on many the place and date as well. Also penned on the quilt are a few pertinent religious inscriptions such as:

"When on the bounding wave,

Or in a Heathen land,

May God in Mercy Save,

And guide you by the hand.

And when your labors cease,

And you no more must roam,

May you return in peace,

To your beloved home."

In the mid nineteenth century the album or autograph quilt was a popular token of affection, often presented to someone leaving the community for a long journey or a new home far away.

Date Made: 1851

User: Calder, Ellen WinebrennerQuilters: unknown

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United States: Pennsylvania, Harrisburg

Subject: QuiltingChurch

Subject:

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Textiles, Family & Social Life, Religion, Textiles, Quilts

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Laura Calder Stonebreaker

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: TE.T08114Accession Number: 144655Catalog Number: T08114

Object Name: quiltObject Type: quilts

Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)thread, cotton (overall material)filling, cotton (overall material)Measurements: overall: 86 in x 85 in; 218 cm x 216 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a3-bc03-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_556329

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