Description:
Crazy quilt made with triangles of silks, velveteens, and narrow ribbons. These novelty fabrics were probably taken from hat linings, silk samples, and ties/cravats and feature a variety of paisleys, florals, geometric prints and warp-patterned (chine) designs in predominantly purple, blue, and maroon. The two longs sides of the quilt arranged into decorative points trimmed with fringe and all four sides edged with black velvet piping. Condition is good with some squares of shattered silk. One corner signed "S.H.S. 1884"
Label Text:
Building a Collection, September 27, 2025-February 23, 2025: Crazy quilts got their name from their seemingly random arrangement of fabrics, as well as for the intense enthusiasm for making these quilts in the last quarter of the 19th century. They were so popular that a number of plays and musicals referring to them appeared in the 1890s. Scholars have also attributed the origins of these textiles’ composition to the Japanese decorative arts on display at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, seeing similarities between the joins of the quilt patterns and the cracks, or “crazing,” of Japanese ceramics, which were much admired by American visitors to the fair.
Susan Hanson Sawyer, the donor’s great, great grandmother, made this quilt at the apex of the crazy quilt fad in 1884. It features a characteristic mix of figured silks and velvets, probably sourced from men’s cravats, hat linings, or fabric samples, in predominantly dark tones of brown, maroon, and blue which were arranged in bands to give the appearance of irregular placement. In their heyday, crazy quilts were considered quite modern, in sharp contrast to the meticulous balanced compositions of earlier patchwork quilts. Typical of crazy quilts, this example was probably never used on a bed. It was most likely made as a decorative accessory, draped over a sofa or table to show off the maker’s good taste and handiwork.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Embroidery; Silk Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2023.14.1 |
