Quilt, Worsted Wholecloth

Date1820-1840

MediumWool, silk marking thread

DimensionsOverall (L x W): 91 1/2 x 83 1/2 in. (232.4 x 212.1cm) 7 running stitches per inch

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1960-903

DescriptionThis rectangular quilt is made of light blue-green glazed worsted wool in a plain weave. The backing is a yellowish-brown, plain-woven woolen. It is quilted with running stitches in a pattern featuring a large, central baluster-shaped vase in pale blue wool threads. Sprays of leaves and flowers come out of the vase, and strings of beads hang from either side. More sprays of flowers stem from a leaf wreath under the vase that encircles an oval flower. The central design is surrounded by scroll leafy fronds with flowers, fruit, and palmettes stemming from each corner and the center of each side except the top. The ground quilting is in a herringbone pattern. A partly decipherable name, "HILL?," is worked in pale yellow silk cross stitches under the vase. The top textile consists of three panels about 22 ¼ inch wide and a fourth pieced-up panel 16" wide. The edges are finished by turning top and backing in toward each other and stitching.
ProvenancePurchased from Lillian Blankley Cogan, Farmington, Connecticut, 1960.