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Quilt 2017.609.8
Quilt, Appliquéd Wreath and Vases
Quilt 2017.609.8

Quilt, Appliquéd Wreath and Vases

Date1850
Maker Lucy Ann Wright (1822-1907)
OriginAmerica, New York, Dutchess County
MediumPlain and printed cottons with ink
DimensionsOverall: OH: 87 × OW: 99 1/2in. (221 × 252.7cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2017.609.8
DescriptionThis is a rectangular appliqued quilt consisting of a large center flower and vine medallion containing the appliqued inscription "Lucy Ann Wright / 1850." Inked below the maker's name and date are the inscriptions: "presented to / S. D. H. Winans / 1879" and "Helen G. Germond / 1933." Surrounding the medallion is a large border of appliqued undulating floral and leaf vines sprouting from four vases - each vase centered on each of the four sides of the quilt. The appliques are in red, pink, blue, and green printed cottons on a white cotton ground of three seamed panels. The quilt is backed in three seamed panels of white cotton. It is quilted in parallel and outline patterns, 11-12 stitches per inch. The quilt is edged with a knife edge and trimmed with a 1/4" printed red textile, which is the same cotton used in the appliqued maker's inscription.
Label TextAppliqued quilts with signatures, such as Lucy Ann Wright's bedcover, were popular in the 1850s. The four principle methods of signing quilts were stenciled, stamped, stitched, and scribed. Lucy's quilt is unusual in that she signed her name in an appliqued technique using a printed red textile that is also used in the quilt trim. Beneath the appliqued signature are inked inscriptions of subsequent owners of the quilt. From Lucy the quilt descended to her youngest daughter, Sophia Doughty Hunter Winans, and then to Sophia's granddaughter, Helen Germond.
InscribedInked below the maker's name and date are the inscriptions: "presented to / S. D. H. Winans / 1879" and "Helen G. Germond / 1933."
ProvenanceThe appliqued quilt descended from the maker Lucy Ann Wright to her youngest daughter, Sophia Doughty Hunter Winans (Mrs. George Edward Rogers) (1855-1908), to the maker's great-granddaughter, Helen Germond (Mrs. Austin J. Knickerbocker) (1918-).

History of Quilt Maker:
Lucy Ann Wright was born on July 29, 1822, in Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York. On October 2, 1850, she married Joel Sutherland Winans (1820-1806), a farm laborer, in Stanford, Dutchess County, New York. They had three children: Tamar Ella Winans (1854-1940); Sophie Doughty Hunter Winans (1855-1908); and W. Irving Winans (ca. 1857-1877). Lucy lived her entire life in Dutchess County. She died on July 15, 1907, and is buried at the Stanford Cemetery in Stanfordville, Dutchess County, New York.