Quilt Top, Tumbling Blocks

Date1900-1920

Maker Frances Elizabeth Walterhouse (1850 - 1927)

MediumSilk, cotton, wool (fiber identification by microscope)

DimensionsOH: 67" x OW: 69"

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Smith

Object number2017.609.3

DescriptionThis is a rectangular quilt top pieced from black, colored, and patterned textiles in a series of diamonds forming the pattern known as "Tumbling Blocks." The textiles consist primarily of silks, some woven together with cotton and wool; some of the textiles are woven or printed in small-scale patterns resembling necktie fabrics. Each diamond measures 2 1/8 by 3 1/2 inches. The pieces are joined by folding the raw edges of each diamond back and stitching edge-to-edge using dark silk sewing thread. The quilt top is unfinished, without batting, backing, or binding.
Label TextBecause of the manipulation of colors, the "Tumbling Blocks" quilt pattern creates a visually interesting optical illusion of three-dimensional blocks stacked on one another.
ProvenanceRichard C. Smith (b. 1939) and his wife, Elisabeth L. Patterson (1926-2017), donated this quilt to Colonial Williamsburg in 2017. Elisabeth was the daughter of Charles Forsyth Patterson (1873-1944) and Elisabeth Lord (1883-1945). Elisabeth was the daughter of Charles King Lord (1848-1908) and the maker, Francis Elisabeth Walterhouse (1850-1927).

History of Maker:

Francis was born in December 1850 in Ohio to John Wesley Walterhouse (ca. 1823-1910) and Francis Windmill (1829-1898). She married Charles King Lord (1848-1908) in Lucas, Ohio on October 22, 1873. For a short time after their marriage, Francis and Charles lived in St. Louis, Missouri. There they had at least two children, John Walter Lord (1875-1920) and Genevieve Lord (1878-1957). They were living in Baltimore, Maryland, by 1883 when Francis gave birth to her daughter, Elisabeth Lord (1883-1945). It appears that she lived in Baltimore until her death on April 3, 1927. She is buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.