Interpreting Old Quilts

This patriotic quilt seems to be the hit of the Winter Antiques Show in New York this week. It's being shown by Stephen Score Antiques from Boston. Ken Johnson, reviewing the Show in Friday's New York Times had this to say:

"Some works have fascinating back stories. Research suggests that a quilt at Stephen Score, with a square, centered field of white stars on blue, surrounded by red and white stripes, with a border of abstracted yellow eagles---one of which is missing in the lower right corner---was created in 1880 as a past-abolitionist reminder that the project of achieving racial equality in America was not yet complete."

"A Smorgasbord of Fine Art, the Strange and the Old."
New York Times, January 21, 2011, C30

See the review by clicking here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/arts/design/21fairs.html?scp=1&sq=%22smorgasbord%20of%20fine%20art%22&st=cse

If it's in the New York Times---it must be true.
There does seem to be a missing eagle in the lower right corner. But we cannot presume to know why.

I haven't seen the quilt, but it looks like the eagle has been removed. From the photograph the quilt looks to be late-19th century and probably a Civil War memorial quilt, one of a good body of such quilts---more of these in my next post.

Here's a description of the quilt from the blog GoodbonesGreatpieces.

"exquisite Freedom Quilt, hand-pieced, appliqued and quilted. From about 1880. Hand embroidered in red below the blue field of stars: “Hope of our country” “The Star of Freedom: “M.W. L to C.M.L” These words are attributed to the American abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Made by a member of the Lewis Family of Boston, MA, and Saint Louis, MO. " 

See more at this post:
http://goodbonesgreatpieces.com/blog/?p=11678

This story seems to be a combination of two common myths in interpreting antique quilts. One is that the quilter set up a repeat and then deliberately broke the pattern as a sign that she did not assume perfection. 
The other myth is that quilts were used as codes or maps to freedom during the time of the Underground Railroad when abolitionists assisted escaped slaves.
 
Here we have a "deliberate mistake" as a "post-abolitionist code."
 
It's an opportunity to remind everyone that historians efforts to debunk these myths of interpretation can only go so far. Myths endure. Myths endure because they tell us about who we want to be. And now we have a new one.
 
It's in the New York Times.

And in an update 3 hours later: Today's New York Times blog post at the "Opinionator Blogs Disunion" has a very well written argument against the exact same kind of "Research suggests that...." in the above copy in the newspaper article. My writing teacher told me never to point out irony. So I won't. Read this:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/teaching-civil-war-history-2-0/
 
See an earlier post about the so-called "deliberate mistake" by clicking here.
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2010/08/hoo-doo-humility-and-deliberate.html

Read a paper I gave at the American Quilt Study Group several years ago about interpreting symbolism in antique quilts here:
http://faculty.culver.org/~foleyd/Teacher_files/craftingfreedom/rockyroad.pdf

Chords of Memory and Civil War Samplers

Elin Thomas sent a snapshot of her Chords of Memory Quilt, made from a pattern in my online club Underground Railroad Quilt Club for C&T Publishing.

Jean Stanclift's version of my Chords of Memory sampler

It's time to start thinking about your Civil War memory quilt to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the War in 1861. I'm going to post a block every week or so in the left column here from the online club and the Chords of Memory sampler.

You can subscribe and download patterns and history about the Underground Railroad by clicking here:

http://resources.ctpub.com/Clubs/BarbaraBrackmansUndergroundRailroadQuiltClub/tabid/57/Default.aspx

See Jun's Photo Gallery for her versions of the blocks.
http://bear-necessities.net/photo_album/thumbnails.php?album=7 

There are many samplers recalling the Civil War out there, most of them featuring traditional blocks. Among the most popular are Rosemary Young's books.

Women's Voices, a Civil War Quilt designed by Fabric Expressions

 

Judi Rothermel from Marcus fabrics has a new sampler The Civil War Tribute Quilt

I've been finding online pictures of the quilt Karla Menaugh and I did for our Sunflower Pattern Cooperative called War and Pieces

The one on the left is from Betty at Shady Wood Quilts

http://shadywood.blogspot.com/

On the right: Cynthia from Texas has posted hers

Nadine Kennedy was interviewed by the Quilt Alliance's Save Our Stories project

Click here to read the interview:

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/qsos/interview.php?pbd=qsos-a0a6m9-a

The pattern is out of print, unfortunately.
I've done a few books on blocks to recall events in the Civil War. Both of these feature samplers and are still in print:

 

Carla Gay posted these blocks from Facts & Fabrications on the web

You can see more versions of the blocks by clicking here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/756536@N24/pool/

There are lots of samplers to choose from. Just don't make the mistake of starting a quilt that purports to tell the story of symbolism in the Underground Railroad. Historians agree that these supposed Quilt Code stories are misdirected history. If you make one you'll regret it as you get more familiar with quilts and Civil War history.

There is absolutely no way this Sailboat block, invented in the 1930s, could have anything to do with signals on the Underground Railroad. Don't fall for it. There were no quilt blocks used as symbols on the Underground Railroad.

Underground Railroad Quilts

Quilt by Mary Abbot Williams

Here are two examples of quilts commemorating the Underground Railroad to inspire designs remembering that period in American history without adding to the false mythology that quilts were used as signals on the escape route.

I took the snapshots above of Mary Abbot Williams's quilt at spring Quilt Market. She made it to commemorate Quaker safe houses on the Underground Railroad. There are names on the doors.

Patricia Turner sent a photo of her sister Ruth Turner Carroll's quilt.

Follow the Drinking Gourd by Ruth Turner Carroll, Friendswood, Texas.

Patricia writes:

"I curated an exhibit on African-American quilts at a historic house in Sag Harbor, NY (I’m from there) this summer. Because of Sag Harbor’s 19th century free black community, there are lots of anecdotal evidence re: Underground Railroad. I asked my sister who has become an avid quilter in her retirement to make a quilt using Facts and Fabrications that could be displayed during the exhibit and then raffled off. I figured it would give me a good springboard for the inevitable quilt code stories that would be mentioned by patrons and I wanted a surefire way to minimize disappointment when I talked about the flaws in [the quilt code stories.]

People would ask and then I’d explain and show them Ruthie’s quilt as an example of the kind that could be made to celebrate the courageousness of the fugitives and conductors who participated in the UGRR. No patrons walked away distressed and the ultimate winner of the quilt was thrilled to have it. "