Family & Social Life - Overview
Donations to the Museum have preserved irreplaceable evidence about generations of ordinary Americans. Objects from the Copp household of Stonington, Connecticut, include many items used by a single family from 1740 to 1850. Other donations have brought treasured family artifacts from jewelry to prom gowns. These gifts and many others are all part of the Museum's family and social life collections.
Children's books and Sunday school lessons, tea sets and family portraits also mark the connections between members of a family and between families and the larger society. Prints, advertisements, and artifacts offer nostalgic or idealized images of family life and society in times past. And the collections include a few modern conveniences that have had profound effects on American families and social life, such as televisions, video games, and personal computers.
"Family & Social Life - Overview" showing 26 items.
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1812 - 1814 "Pinwheel" Quilt
- Description
- In 1962 a great-great-granddaughter of one of the makers of this quilt donated it to the Museum with the information that it had been made by women in the Adams family. They were said to have made the quilt while the men were away during the War of 1812. The donor’s great-grandfather was Jackson Adams, her great-great uncle, Joshua Adams, and her grandmother, Jane Adams.
- This quilt is made up of 7-inch blocks pieced in the "Pinwheel" pattern, alternating with plain white blocks. Detailed stuffed quilting embellishes the white blocks and border. Ten different quilting patterns are used for the plain blocks, all but one repeated.
- The 8-inch white border has a quilted-and-stuffed feathered vine with small quilted-and-stuffed floral motifs. White cotton fabric was used for the lining, cotton fiber for the filling and stuffing. The pieced blocks and border are quilted at 9 stitches per inch. The “Pinwheel” Quilt, with its contrast of elaborate stuffed quilting and simply pieced blocks, is a fine example of early 19th-century quilting making.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1812-1814
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*T12815
- accession number
- 242609
- catalog number
- T12815
- 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
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
1906 Sarah Butler's "Log Cabin" Pieced Quilt
- Description
- The central inscription on this “Log Cabin” quilt states that it was “Presented by Mrs. Sarah Butler, February the fourteenth One Thousand nine hundred and six,” followed by the names of four ministers. No occasion, church, or place was indicated in the inscription, but the “Log Cabin” quilt included nearly 400 names written on the “logs”.
- Research indicates that three of the ministers, Rev. L.D. Bragg, Rev. F.D. Tyler, and Rev. R. J. Honeywell were at various times pastors of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Hudson, N. H. The fourth, Rev. Van Buskirk, was the pastor of a nearby Methodist church in Antrim, N. H. In 1931 the Methodist Episcopal Church (Hudson) merged with the Congregational Church and is now called the Hudson Community Church.
- The Methodist Episcopal Church in Hudson organized in 1840. On August 3, 1879, a fire destroyed the church, parsonage, and a connecting stable. A new meeting house was built in 1880. In December 1905 ceremonies were held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this church building. In January 1906, the auditorium and vestry were furnished with electric lights. It is assumed that the quilt was a fund raiser and the names on the quilt were donors. The February 1906 date might indicate either the beginning or ending of the fund raising effort, as some of the signatures are names of individuals born after 1906. One of the pastors, Rev. Roy John Honeywell, did not come to the church until 1916; although he did not marry until 1922, his wife’s name is on the quilt. The majority of the names are of people who resided in either Hudson or nearby Nashua, which was connected by trolley to Hudson.
- The quilt consists of 18-inch blocks pieced in the “Log Cabin” (also known as “Pineapple,” “Chestnut Burr,” or “Church Steps”) pattern. Printed and plain cottons were used with a red triangle at each corner of the block and a red square in the center. Three hundred eighty-three names are inscribed in ink on the plain tan “logs” as well the inscriptions, “Church built in 1888” and “Alta Theresa House.” The inscriptions and names appear to have been done by the same person. Mainly plain-and twill-weave, roller-printed cottons are used for the pieced blocks, each print repeated on each block. It is lined with a roller-printed cotton.
- Names on a quilt are always of interest to a researcher. This particular quilt has many. Often the names are of couples or in some instances whole families. I.e., “Lyman Bragg, Sarah Bragg, Laura Bragg, Earnest Bragg, and Barbara Bragg” are inscribed on adjacent “logs.” Reverend L. D. Bragg was one of the people mentioned in the central inscription. He and Sarah were married in 1880, and their three children were born in 1881, 1885, and 1886 (the last in Medford, Mass.). One daughter, Laura, went to South Carolina, and was the first woman to be named the director of a major American museum (Charleston Museum) in 1920. She was instrumental in advocating education in the museum setting, and also helped to establish other museums in the South. Laura’s career was long and illustrious. She died in 1978, and she is known for her innovative educational ideas and strength of character.
- Though of a later date, this “Log Cabin” quilt was part of a larger collection, more than 2,000 objects, donated by Edna Greenwood in the 1950s. The late 18th- and early 19th-century textiles, furniture, ceramics, glass, tools, and implements in the collection are mainly from rural New England farms and villages and provide insight into the lives and environment of ordinary Americans. This quilt, with its many names, had no information about when or where it was collected. Through research, the many inscriptions penned on it were clues to the origins of this quilt, perhaps a community project to provide moneys to either upgrade an existing church or purchase an organ.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1906
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*E388877
- accession number
- 182022
- catalog number
- E388877
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
1898 Lura Watkin's Pieced Quilt
- Description
- Lura B. Thomas made this quilt for her 10-year-old granddaughter, Lura Woodside, in 1898. It was part of the contents, donated in 1953, of Lura Woodside’s late 19th-century child’s bedroom in Malden, Mass. Furnishings, children’s clothing and playthings were among the items donated. Like the quilt, most of the clothes and doll dresses were also made by Lura Thomas, who had been a professional dressmaker.
- Lura Thomas pieced this quilt of triangles utilizing many different roller-printed and woven checked, plaid, and striped cotton fabrics. Two 2 1/2-inch triangles are joined into a square, and the squares are joined so that the triangles of the same print form a diagonal row. In the center of the quilt “Lura 98” is embroidered in yellow. The quilt has a cotton lining and filling. It is quilted in a chevron pattern at 7 stitches per inch.
- The donor, Lura Woodside, was born in East Boston in 1887, and grew up in Malden, Mass. She married Charles Watkins in 1910. An antiques collector and authority on New England ceramics and glass, she published several books and scholarly articles. She was a founder of the Middleton (Massachusetts) Historical Society, and the Lura Woodside Watkins Historical Museum was named in her honor. She died in 1982. Her quilt, made by her grandmother, represents her lifelong interest in history and the sharing of that interest through her many museum donations.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1898
- maker
- Thomas, Lura B.
- ID Number
- TE*E393391
- accession number
- 197232
- catalog number
- E393391
- 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
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
1888 Stevens Family Silk Crazy Quilt
- Description
- In 1945, when Gertrude O. S. (Cleveland) White donated this parlor throw, she wrote: “The silk crazy quilt [parlor throw] was made here at Intervale Manor [Quinebaug, Conn. / Dudley, Mass.] just previous to the year 1888. My initials and the year are on one corner of the lining. My mother, my sister and myself made it.” Eben Stevens, the donor’s father, was a founder of Intervale Textile Mills in Quinebaug.
- Intervale Manor was a large private home in the late 19th century when the two sisters and their mother made this parlor throw. In the 1940s Intervale Manor became a tearoom, operated by a family member and known for its hospitality, exceptionally fine food, spacious grounds, and comfortable accommodations. Presently, what remains of the Intervale Manor estate has been converted to small apartments.
- Twelve 14 ½-inch heavily embroidered blocks are framed by a 7 ½-inch border. Set off by a gold silk cord and dark red velvet sashing, each of the crazy-patched blocks is given focus and order. Among the embroidered motifs are birds, dragonflies, cats, a ladder, a shooting star, anchors, butterflies, flowers, and geometric motifs. Various initials are embroidered, including “G.O.S. 1888” on the lining and “C.S.” for the two sisters, Gertrude and Celia. An embroidered “A Merry Xmas” may have indicated the deadline for finishing the parlor throw. The crazy patch blocks are embellished with cross, feather, buttonhole, chain, herringbone, outline, running, satin, and couching stitches. The lining is tan glazed cotton.
- Gertrude Olney was born May 1850 and married Eben S. Stevens in 1873. They lived in Dudley, Worchester County, Mass. One daughter, also Gertrude, was born in November 1873. She married Clarence Cleveland in 1894. Another daughter, Celia, who also worked on the parlor throw was born in 1874. In 1887 and 1888 the two teenagers and their mother created a neat and orderly version of the crazy-patchwork that was quite popular at the time.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1888
- maker
- Stevens, Gertrude Olney
- Stevens, Celia
- ID Number
- TE*T09127
- accession number
- 169638
- catalog number
- T09127
- 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
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
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