Eight Very Old Quilts

Applique Crib Quilt, c. 1820, Pennsylvania

The recent arrival of the whole cloth quilt from New England got me thinking about the other very old quilts in my collection. There are less than ten quilts in my collection that I think of as very old, and they all represent specific points in American quilt history. So, I thought I'd put them together in a blog and let others see them all in one place. When I say "very old" I'm thinking before 1840 or 1850. Domestic fabric production grew dramatically in the 1840s, which led to a larger number of quilts being made. Surviving examples made before that are most rare.

My first very old quilt is an applique crib quilt, made in Pennsylvania around 1820. It was a gift from my parents more than ten years ago when I moved into my first house. They gave it to me for Christmas. Of course, when I opened the box, I was speechless. This wonderful little quilt includes walnut-dyed fabric with remnants of glaze on the surface. When my parents purchased it, the quilt was said to be Amish, but I haven't been able to verify that theory. It's not at all what we think of when we hear the term Amish quilt, but it is solid fabric and geometric, so who knows!

Economy Block, c. 1810, New England

Some time around 2006, I acquired a wonderful, wool Economy Block quilt, made around 1810 in New England. One of the interesting things about it is the top fabric. The term "linsey-woolsey" is often used to describe early American wool fabrics, but a lot of those fabrics are all wool, rather than linen warp and woolen weft. This quilt hasn't gone to the lab for examination yet, but I have a feeling the top fabric may have a linen component. If so, we could truly call it linsey-woolsey. This quilt also has a home-loomed twill tape binding, green on one side and red on the other three sides, and a woven backing. A tiny cross-stitch inscription appears on one block. 

Sunburst Diamonds, c. 1830s or 1840s, New England

A couple years later, I picked up a Sunburst Diamonds quilt, made in New England, and a Russian Sunflower or Star Medallion crib quilt from Tennessee. The Sunburst Diamonds quilt was made in the 1830s or early 1840s, and the crib quilt was made in the 1840s or 50s. Both are all cotton. The Sunburst includes some great early fabrics with small-scale prints that are slightly out of register when printed in multiple colors. The crib quilt is a rescue quilt, in poor condition, but in my opinion it's design makes it an enduring masterpiece. 

Crib Quilt, c. 1840s or 1850s, Tennessee

UPDATE 3/12: My friend Siobhan Fergurson from Georgia is recreating this crib quilt, and is posting progress reports on her blog, Scraps and Threadtales. She's doing an amazing job with the quilt, so check it out!

Star Medallion, c. 1800, Rhode Island

Just last March, I acquired a Star Medallion four-poster quilt made around 1800 in Rhode Island. It is a very early example of a pieced quilt, and includes glazed "Calamanco" wools and lush, decorative quilting. Research has been a little challenging because so few of these early pieced wool quilts still exist, and a majority of those are in museums and private collections. Later in the year, I added a cotton Robbing Peter to Pay Paul or Orange Peel, made around 1830 in New England, and a whole cloth chintz quilt with beautiful, decorative quilting and a loomed twill tape binding.

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, c. 1830, New England

Whole Cloth Chintz, c. 1820, Eastern United States

Whole Cloth Quilt, c. 1800 (or earlier), New England

That brings us up to the present, and if you've been following my blog you may have read about the whole cloth quilt from New England I won at auction from Pook & Pook in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Similar to the Economy Block, the whole cloth quilt is made of a course, scratchy wool with natural dyes. But unlike the Economy Block, I think this one may be all wool. The fibers look consistent throughout, and you can see it in close-up photos. Some of the characteristics of this quilt, such as elements in the quilting design, materials, and finishing, make me think it could have been made a little earlier than 1800.

It is very rare to see anything like any of these quilts here in Oregon, which was still a territory when all these quilts were made. Here in Portland, anything made before 1900 is very old - and I rarely see quilts made before 1930. The antique shops have a lot of vintage, but not many things what I'd consider bona fide antique, 100 years old or older. It's fun to have a growing group of these quilts, demonstrating a variety of techniques and materials, which were all important traditions in early American quilt making.

Do you have any quilts made before the 1840s or 1850s? What makes them unique? Please comment!