Quilt, Pieced Silk Tumbling Blocks

Date1840-1860

Possibly by Ancestor of Esther Willets Thomas (Mrs. Arthur H. Thomas)

OriginAmerica, New Jersey or Pennsylvania

MediumSilks in twill and plain weaves; silk tape edging; cotton twill backing; silk quilting thread; cotton batting (fiber identification by microscope)

DimensionsOH: 96" x OW: 106 1/4" (Overall: 243.8 x 269.9cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2015.609.10

DescriptionThis is a rectangular bed quilt pieced from silks in brown twill, dark green plain weave, and dark cream plain weave using large-scale diamonds to create the illusion of square blocks set on an angle, a pattern known by the name "Tumbling Blocks." The pieces are quilted with silk running stitches in colors that match each piece. The quilting patterns include parallel lines, a grid, and concentric diamonds. The quilt is bound on all four sides by weft-float patterned silk and cotton tape. The quilt has thin cotton batting and is backed with brown glazed cotton twill.
Label TextIn this striking quilt, the optical illusion of Tumbling Blocks is created by using light and dark fabrics in a repeated pattern to create the effect of blocks set on angles. The success of the design depends on the quilter's choice of lustrous solid-color textiles and her ability to align the seams to form precise points throughout construction. The quilt is associated with a Quaker family from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
ProvenanceThe quilt was said to come from the attic of a house on 510 Oakley Road, Haverford, Pennsylvania, built in 1906 by Arthur H. Thomas for his wife Esther Willitts Thomas. Arthur H. Thomas was born about 1873 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He married Esther Willitts (born January 1874) in the fall of 1898 in Camden, New Jersey. The couple had moved to Haverford between 1904, when they were discharged from the Camden Monthly Meeting, and 1906, when the Oakley Roadhouse was built. Their daughter, Esther Evans Thomas (1909-2007) was born in Haverford.

Given the probable date, the quilt was likely made by Ester Willitts Thomas's mother, Abigail Evans Willit[t]s (Mrs. Samuel Willitts, b. ca. 1842) or grandmother, Hannah G. Evans (Mrs. Josiah B. Evans, b. ca. 1809); both women lived in Camden, New Jersey. The quilt could also have been made by an ancestor of Arthur Thomas. His mother, Sidney Pierce Walter Thomas (Mrs. Levi Stokes Thomas), lived in Pennsylvania.