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While eighteenth century quilts were often made of colored silks and wools, in the early nineteenth century, white cotton tops rose in popularity as quilters imitated imported Marseilles machine-woven textiles, themselves imitations of hand-made quilts in less expensive cottons. Designs focused on a central medallion, like this one, also went hand-in-hand with the change in materials.
Whole Cloth Quilt
Dateca. 1835
MediumCotton
DimensionsOverall: 84 × 76 in. (213.4 × 193 cm)
Object numberN0028.2023(01)
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Ann Mowry Storer.
Label TextThe term “quilting” refers specifically to stitching through layers of fabric and batting rather than the piecing of patchworked textiles, and most early American quilts were made with whole-cloth tops. The dense quilting displayed the maker’s skill and artistry, as well as the quality and cleanliness of the fabric used to make the quilt.While eighteenth century quilts were often made of colored silks and wools, in the early nineteenth century, white cotton tops rose in popularity as quilters imitated imported Marseilles machine-woven textiles, themselves imitations of hand-made quilts in less expensive cottons. Designs focused on a central medallion, like this one, also went hand-in-hand with the change in materials.
On View
Not on viewc. 1890
c. 1880
ca. 1845
ca. 1860
ca. 1890
ca. 1900
ca. 1890
ca. 1890
ca. 1880
