This article discusses some of the
factors leading to the re-emergence of this quilt style. The next page, coming
soon, will
chart the similarities and differences between the 18th and 20th century
versions of medallion quilts.
 Colonial Revival Style Quilts
Turn-of-the-20th Century Influences on American Quilts and
Quilting
Marie
D. Webster's quilts are first pictured in the January 1911 issue of The
Ladies Home Journal (LHJ). Urged by her friends, Marie sends pictures
of her quilts to the magazine. These are the first quilts featured in the LHJ.
They are loose
block-style quilts, with appliquéd motifs and no sashing. The borders are
highly-detailed appliqué, one with a bough, two others with narrow bands of
solid fabric and appliquéd flowers. The article meets with so much enthusiasm
from the readers, editor Edward Bok asks her to send some more. She breaks
away from the block style in her next selection, featured a year later in LHJ. The quilts she
designs and makes are reminiscent of 18th and 19th Century center
medallion quilts.
The Colonial Revival (CR) period style is in full swing at this time, and
Marie's style of quilt fits right into it. Her quilts have large oblong
centers, filled with
appliquéd motifs. Most often, Marie chooses different
flowers, arranging them with bouquets, baskets or birds. She also decorates
her quilts with children. Her Sunbonnet Lassies child's quilt looks
like the Sunbonnet Babies illustrations, and is one of the first appliqué versions
of this popular embroidery pattern. A wide border surrounds the center panel,
which is filled with appliqué motifs corresponding to the design elements in
the center. Sometimes the borders are scalloped. The quilting patterns she
chooses are varied and detailed.
Marie’s CR period quilt style can be further described by the fabric colors
she chooses, which are solid pastels or clear bright colors on a white
background. Marie uses linen and cotton to make her quilts. The use of linen in
solid clear colors lends itself to the Arts and Crafts textiles popular at
that time. Plain, uncluttered, appliqués of motifs from nature were the
hallmark of A&C textile design in embroidery and other needlework.
The Colonial Revival quilt style Marie made popular reminds me of the mid-18th
Century to second quarter 19th Century-style quilt called a center medallion.
This style is called a 'frame quilt' in Great
Britain. 'Border quilt' is
another term I’ve heard used, especially overseas. They all describe a quilt
with a center panel surrounded by repeated borders, one after the other. The
borders are pieced, appliquéd or printed. It is thought that this style was
derived from India’s 17th and 18th
Century hand-painted and printed chintz panels. When made into bedcovers, they
are
called palampores. Generally, two styles of palampores are recognized in which
the top is one piece of fabric hand-painted or hand-printed in a layout with a large center
design, surrounded by one or more borders, but always finished with a wide
border. One style has cornerstones (corner block designs in the wide border) of a
complementary print, and the other has none. The common
assumption is that Persian rugs are the painter's design inspiration.
In 1909, Marie makes her poppy quilt, which appears in the January 1912 issue
of LHJ, along with her highly-recognizable Sunflower quilt. She begins to sell
quilt patterns in 1911, and iron-on transfers for her appliqué and embroidery
patterns are made by the Home Pattern Company and sold in 1913 and 14.
Quiltmaking is on
the wane after the Crazy-style fad fades as the new century begins. Blankets
can be bought now. 'New' anything is preferred over old. Quilting is considered
to be a necessary function, rather than a chosen activity for pleasure.
Making quilts indicates a woman can not afford 'store bought' bedcovers.
Needlework is not valued or practiced much except for simple penny square
embroidery or decorating towels and other linens. Women are working before they
get married, and they are involved in leisure activities and sports if work is not a requirement.
Clothing made especially for these activities, is a new item and available in local stores. Women’s clothing styles
are giving them more freedom of movement, and they want movement!
The Industrial Revolution begins long before the Civil War, earlier in Great
Britain then in America. Machines and factories affect all aspects of daily
life for families. The textile industry is a major benefactor of advances
in machinery, allowing American fabric to be affordable and plentiful as early
as the 1830s. It is not necessarily as colorfast and colorful as Britain’s at
this
time, but it is a close second to the average eye, when plucked from the
shelf. As time marches on and the ravages of the
Civil War come to pass, art, merchandize and products which had formerly been
worked by hand in some fashion, engraved, carved, painted, now are
mechanically made. Attention to detail, quality workmanship and
uniqueness are lost in the process. As people begin to realize this, a longing
for “the good old days” develops in American homes. They yearn for things handmade and
look back in time for design and decorating inspiration.
The Colonial Revival starts about a decade after the Civil War ends, and lasts
through the 1920s, while some sources extend it through to the 1950s, depending on
the region of the United States. During the Civil War, in 1863, the Brooklyn
and Long Island Sanitary Fairs hold New England kitchen exhibits to raise
funds for the War effort. However, the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 is
generally credited with the start of the movement. The Fair features exhibits
of furnished colonial rooms and kitchens, awakening possibilities for the
Revival to move into homes. There is also a renewed interest in old crafts,
like woodworking, embroidery and weaving. The crazy quilt style springs into
popularity immediately after the American Fair. Judith Montano, a crazy quilt
teacher and author, talks about a Japanese mosaic patterned folding screen being the
inspiration for the crazy style at the Centennial Fair. She describes a room
divider sized screen with a long,
winding road made of individual, odd-shaped pieces (like rocks or mosaic
tiles, I imagine). Other researchers suggest the
inspiration came from Japanese mosaic pottery on exhibit there.
The making of heirloom or special occasion quilts is just too time consuming
for the modern woman and the
Crazy-style fad, using high-end fabrics with very fancy embroidery stitching,
ends by 1900. Crazy-style quilts are being made from men’s wool suiting fabrics
and shirting flannels, not in silk and velvet as before. Appliqué is rarely
seen and extensive quilting, such as the kind seen in a whole cloth quilt, is
non-existent except among the Amish. The types of quilts made (when
they are made) are patchwork, in simple patterns; charm
quilts; foundation quilts; scrap or utility quilts; and simple repeated block
designs like 9-patch or monkey wrench. The amount of
quilting on a quilt is sparse, and tying was an oft-used option. Sewing
machines are used more often now, to piece, bind and quilt the three layers
together.
The fabrics are also simple, often two colors, with white, black, light or
dark blue or red being one of them. The print is uncomplicated in a small-to-medium
size motif. Stripes, checks, textured weaves, and plaids are worn
as clothing and put into quilts when they are no longer worn. A black fabric with neon bright colors of
pink, blue, lime green, aqua, and yellow, is all the rage for women’s
dresses from 1890 to 1910. When the color wares away by exposure to light and
washing, the motifs appear white. So, white-on-black fabrics are plentiful in these quilts today.
Large florals
on shades of brown or red grounds, in a twill weave, are often used the backs
of quilts, or cut into smaller pieces on the front. These fabrics are
cretonnes, the end-of-the-19th Century’s version of unglazed chintz.
There is a longing for a reflection of simpler times, with quality products
and less ornate furnishings at home. Homeowners had been choosing
English
Tudor, Victorian, and Italianate
styles, a continuation of their enduring infatuation with European tastes. With this Revival, their eyes turn to Colonial America, not
old England.
Colonial Revival architecture combines elements of both Federal and
Georgian architecture, popular styles in America in the 1700s and
early 1800s.
Two movements develop now which affect home décor and needlework designs. The
Arts and Crafts Society describes the resulting trends this way:
“The Arts and Crafts and
Colonial Revival movements began during the latter half of the
nineteenth century. Although existing separately, each represented a
revolution in style, design, and artisanship that developed in
response to what proponents identified as a loss of character and
substance in the design and manufacture of products and
structures."
- Winterthur Library |
The Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman
Movement, was
strongly supported by: Frank Lloyd Wright, architect and furniture designer
primarily, but his thinking influenced all aspects of home and garden design;
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, architect, furniture, and textile designer of
furnishing fabrics; and Gustav Stickley, furniture designer, and publisher of Craftsman
Magazine. Candace
Wheeler, a female amongst the men, is an interior designer who studies
with Tiffany. She designs both textiles
and wallpapers.
She writes instruction manuals for different needlecrafts.
Stickley does the most for quilters, as he supports the creating of designs
that compliment his Craftsman-style tastes and furnishings. He likes
plain and textured fabrics, such as linen and muslin, decorated with designs
from nature in their natural colors. Simplicity is the key. Simple
flowers, pods, leaves, flower outlines, and acorns are
popular motifs he and his followers enjoy. Embroidered pillows,
towels, curtains and
seat cushions with these motifs remain popular through WWI
and into the1930s. Another
favored motif is sunflower. It is the symbol of the Aesthetic Movement,
which proceeds and overlaps with the Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1907, Stickley sponsors an appliqué contest for designs to trim or adorn curtains and pillows. His prizes
for the winners are pieces of
Craftsman furniture. In the summer of 1908, Stickley publishes a quilt article
in his magazine, Craftsman Magazine, titled Patch Quilts and Philosophy, in which he
describes quilts made by Appalachian quilters.
Around the turn of the 20th Century, comes Wallace Nutting. He is an artist, writer,
reproduction furniture designer, and photographer.
Nutting
(-->
to find quilting picture, click interior picture, click Patchwork quilting ,
also click stitching, click daily activities.) appreciates and studies the colonial period in America.
Although he is considered a nut by
some, Nutting is actually one of the first
preservationists
in America. He collects old household items, furniture, home décor, and
houses. At one time, he owns five houses in Connecticut, none of which he
lives in. He dresses women in period costumes and takes photographs of them doing daily
activities in order to preserve and
demonstrate how Americans lived in colonial times. Tourists visit his
houses. He also hand-tints the black and white photos he takes, and sells the
prints, which are now quite collectable. Thanks to him, we have examples of all the different styles of
chairs, beds, tables, desks, etc., that were used by our colonial foremothers;
and photos of life back then, albeit re-enacted. Sometimes he took a little
too much liberty in that re-creating, say his critics.
As the new century proceeds, decorating becomes a passion for many women, not
just the upper classes. Home appliances and other inventions from the
Industrial Age afforded them something new -- free time -- and they are
told by magazines and newspapers to engage in something simply for the sake of
bringing beauty into their homes. Quilts had once filled that role, as well as other needlecrafts and art forms. But, it
is
different now. They have new choices, readily available and affordable.
"In the early 20th century,
advertisers found the appeal of "colonial" imagery --
spinning wheels, historic furniture patterns, and heroic icons such as
George Washington -- central to the promotion and sale of products in
a new consumer culture. Some companies directly encouraged this trend
by marketing Colonial Revival pattern reproductions.”
-- The Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages. |
The new century brings a new look to quilts,
but is it really? The next article will discuss the similarities and differences
between the 18th and 20th century versions of the center medallion style of
quilt. For related quilt articles see:
Colonial Revival Era
Quilts: Women's Symbols of Endurance
Quilts from the exhibit at Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, CA
2002, curated by Kimberly Wulfert
Depression Era Quilts: Cheer in Fabric and Color (America's Quilting History)
The
Quilter's Hall of Fame is now in the former home of Marie Webster
Quilter's Hall of Fame the organization that honors quilters, past and
present
Marie
Webster, quilt designer and pattern company owner
From
Colonial Revival to Depression Era Quilts
|