Textiles and the Triplett Sisters

Studying all these Northern Chintz Style Quilts with signatures and presentation info got us thinking about how and when the craze started. We see the proliferation of signatures on the Baltimore album quilts and even in the deep South too. So, it wasn’t associated with just one area or region. The earliest known autograph album was created in 1466, but it would take until 1507 before the “album amicorum” or book of friends to really be established. In the mid 16th century it was fashionable and became common throughout Europe in the 17th century. In the United States, 1820s are usually the time cited of popularity. So, what inspired the writing on quilts? The commonly availability of commercial Indelible ink. Ink was used on textiles earlier, but it may well be that earlier quilts had signatures...

Debby Cooney a long time Baltimore Album Quilt researcher has correlated the Fountain block (follow link to see all the quilts) with the Temperance movement. It seems to have such a clear connection, but it made me wonder if it could be traced to a specific Temperance Society in Baltimore and/or members of a specific society. I began researching many of the different temperance societies and my working theory led me to the Washington Temperance Society which was created by 6 men who were artisans/laborers including a tailor who would become President at the Chase Tavern at 22 N Liberty Street in 1840. Membership topped 700 by the end of the year, and it had 5,000 members by 1842. The Washington Temperance Society used the phrases “fountain of health, fountain of life” in their promotional materials. Additionally, the...

The giraffe is a well-loved animal that inspired a cultural phenomenon wherever it went, even though it didn’t turn out so well for the giraffe. In 46 BC Julius Caesar celebrated his triumphs in Egypt by bringing a Cameleopard (giraffe) back to Rome to be torn to shreds by the lions in the area. In 1487, a giraffe was presented to Lorenzo de’ Medici possibly by the Sultan of Egypt in an attempt to curry favor. This giraffe was an immediate sensation and was immortalized in poetry and paintings by many artists including Botticini, Vasair and Bacchiacca. The giraffe also appeared in an early Italian Genoa mezzaro. Medici had special stables built for the giraffe, which sadly broke its neck on the beams of the stable. Three more giraffes were gifted in 1827 by Viceroy of...

I recently gave a Study Center on this topic at the American Quilt Study Seminar. I had lots of questions and requests for information after the program. I certainly won’t give the whole presentation, but plan to explore the topic through a series of nonsequential blogs. (I’ll intermix other topics, so no one gets bored!) Military quilts (sometimes called soldier quilts or war quilts) are traditionally made from fabrics used in the production of military uniforms. The colorfast wool uniforms made for brilliant color with fabric that didn’t fray which allowed for distinct choices to be made in construction and design. Tailors used scraps from making the military uniforms to create their works of art. Soldiers used the uniforms to create the bedcovers as a form of therapy when convalescing or as an alternative to stave...

I’m always interested in learning more about historical patchwork and natural dyes. Sometimes when you are researching one thing, you are fortunate enough to find something unexpected, which of course for me, means learning more about it. My discovery was a Huari textile from about 600-1000 that was made of patchwork. So far, it is the oldest piece of patchwork I’ve seen, and it was tied dyed with indigo! (A double score on the interest scale for me!) Huari (Wari) was a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes from 500-1000 AD. It is the coastal area of modern-day Peru where a series of Huari archaeological ruins is located. They had an extensive history of artistic expression in metalwork, ceramics, and particularly textiles. The surviving textile examples are primarily tapestries, hats, and tunics. All...