This quilt has generated a lot of discussion today on Facebook, so I thought I would also ask my blog readers for their thoughts. The quilt is c. 1950, and came to me through eBay from Kyra Hicks, the previous owner. Hicks is author of "Black threads, An African American Quilting Sourcebook", and the quilt appears as plate G in the center of the book.
How do you react to this quilt? Do you like it? Hate it? Is it charming? Or are you offended by it? And why? Weigh in below in the comments section.
Today it isn't PC. When it was made it was cute and probably a statement of the artist's sensibilities at the time. Like all history it reflects the time it happened and as such can't be judged by today's standards. Think of all art and realize that it expresses the world around the artist and even though I don't have the book as a reference the title implies that the artist may well have been African American, and this may have been made for someone very special in her life.
ReplyDeleteHow do I react to quilt. Don't like it, don't hate it, do not find it charming. I am not offended by it, I am bored by it, same thing over and over and over. Not a 21st century quilt.
ReplyDeleteThis is a puzzler to me, as in I'm not quite sure how to react, but my gut just says, "ugh." Maybe the above comment by Unknown says it best. I don't like it, don't hate it, do not find it charming...bored by it. It seems like it may have been an alternative to the Sunbonnet Sam type of quilt, but I'm not sure what the purpose is for every block being identical. The wide-eyed expression of the child, the humble washtub, and the exaggerated red lips trigger in me the same reaction to most black Americana. Overall, I find it uncomfortable and odd.
ReplyDeleteI can see the historical significance but was never a fan of big eyed babies regardless of skin color. There was a time when they were considered charming. As a little blonde, blue eyed girl climbing in and out of a washtub on my grandparent's farm was the only way to get cool in Georgia in the summer in 1964 but perhaps in today's world could be construed as offensive because we don't accept child pornography. I can see where some might be offended wiht this quilt but I think I am more neutral. Some are offended by quilts blocks that look like swastikas even if they were made in a different time and place with different meaning. There is potential for misinterpretation surrounding this quilt and other quilts. Steering away from art because of the potential for controversy is scary. There is value in using art to engage in discussion and education. Doesn't mean that we have to like or agree.
ReplyDeleteIt is what it is and that's not a negative comment. Never cared much for sunbonnet sue/sam and would say the same thing about them. The maker made it because she wanted to and she could just like we do many quilts today. I don't judge it in any way and think that it has it's place. I don't know why it's not politically correct. it's fine to me just as if it were a child of another color stepping into a tub. I don't own it and wouldn't pursue owning it, but I'm not into judging the quilts that others made now or in the years gone by. If you're happy that you own it that's all that matters. Thanks for sharing the quilt.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't do anything for me one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteBut it does come from an era when there were black mamie cookie jars & the black boy in a jockey outfit out front - those also don't generate a reaction from me.
Nor do I believe that was the purpose for the maker when this was made.
I'm a little sad that there aren't multiple browns & reds. (But I feel the same when I see those 30's floral quilts.)
I think the image triggers in my mind a stereotype that is long over. Maybe a place in the history books, but today, on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday celebration, it really irks.
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was "another cutesy kid" quilt...like Sunbonnets and kewpie kids. Then I read your post and the other comments and just started shaking my head. It's a quilt. It's not a political statement, a moral or ethical statements, a racist statement, or child pornography. IT'S JUST A QUILT! If it offends you, don't look. If you find it aesthetically unpleasing, don't look. If you find it politically incorrect, too darn bad...suck it up and move on. Just my opinion...
ReplyDeleteI think it has a 50's charm. It is not a quilt I would make or purchase but it gave some joy to the maker and probably the child who used it.
ReplyDeleteThis probably sums up the use of the quilt at the time it was made. To give joy to the maker and some child.
DeleteI can't imagine making that same block 12 times. It's a cute kids quilt.
ReplyDeletei love everything about it, and would buy it in less than a heartbeat... i'm interested in anything this unique.
ReplyDeletewhat is "stereotypical" about this.?
what if the babies were made out of calico, or green, or puple cloth.?
p.s. I also think it going too far to consider this pornographic. It doesn't even have nipples...
ReplyDeleteIt's a baby in a bathtub...
ReplyDeletevery sweet
I think the quilt is charming and sweet. In the collecting world I understand that a quilt with an African American image, especially this era, is rare and therefore quite valuable. I would treasure this little gem.
ReplyDelete