A quilted and stuffed block on this mid-nineteenth-century quilt bears the inscription “JANE BARR JULY 1849.” Although a gift to the Smithsonian from her niece, Nancy Angelina Ross of Mars, Pennsylvania, in 1954, little more is known about Jane or the significance of the date.
The quilt is composed of 12-inch blocks appliquéd with crossed flowers. Red-, green- and yellow-ground roller-printed fabrics were used for the design. The pattern has characteristics of both “Meadow Daisy” and “Mexican Rose” motifs. Intervening white blocks are elaborately quilted in different geometric and floral motifs, 9 stitches per inch. A flowering vine delineates the border of this beautifully crafted quilt from Pennsylvania.
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.