The Quilting Party

DateProbably 1854-1875

MediumOil and pencil on paper adhered to plywood

DimensionsUnframed dimensions: 19 1/4" x 26 1/8" (48.9 cm. x 66.4 cm.). Framed dimensions: 24 5/8" x 31 5/8".

Credit LineFrom the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection; Gift of David Rockefeller

Object number1937.101.1

DescriptionGroup of eight women in dark dresses with bright aprons and shawls work on quilt of orange and green squares stretched on frame at right. Surrounding the quilters are men and women, engaged in the usual activities of such social occasions--flirting, gossiping, drinking, eating, and one man bounces a baby. Room is furnished with painted window shades, deerhorn gun rack, and stove. Walls and ceiling are a pale cream; floor is ochre. General impression is one of brilliance and gaiety.
Label TextThe brightly lit scene has long been a favorite of museum visitors. It is also well known to folk art scholars since it was among the small number of non-academic works included in two surveys of American paintings exhibited abroad in 1938 and 1946, and it has been widely published since then. Part of the painting's popularity stems from the naturalness of the scene. A number of separate vignettes are shown within the whole, each a story in itself and, in accord with the nature of a large, informal gathering of intimates, most actions are realistically independent of one another. A brash fellow reaches for his shy girl's hand beneath the table, while in the back- ground, a second suitor puckers up to kiss the object of his affections. Is she raising her hand to slap him? And is the bespectacled woman near them admonishing him? Or her? A group of cronies drink by the stove, a cat and dog spat, grandpa dandles a baby, and a few women work diligently on the ostensible focus of the group's attention the pieced quilt stretched between them. Painted window shades; a rack, gun, and bag hung over the door; the hat and coat on the wall; and the mixed assortment of seating furniture offer further touches of realism. Converging ceiling timbers and floorboards visually focus attention on the central portion of the work. The painting is also popular because, like its print source, it offers rare period documentation for the quilting "bee," a social phenomenon that still exists in some areas of America. Traditionally, a young girl finished a dozen quilt tops before making one for her special "bride's quilt." When she became engaged, friends and family were invited to help her quilt the tops, that is, stitch them to backings, usually with a warm layer of batting between. Gossip, music, dancing, and other diversions all speeded the sewing chore and made the event a gay one.
ProvenanceBessie J. Howard, Boston, Mass.; purchased by Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; given to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, by Rockefeller in 1939; transferred from the MoMA to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, in 1949; purchased from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by David Rockefeller and given by him to CWF in 1955.