Cretonne Novelty Prints

Cretonne print with puppies

In the late 19th century the New England mills created a fashion for these scenic cretonnes. In that sentimental age many of the prints pictured household pets.

Sort of like a Puppy Channel.

Or a Kitten video.

Many of these detail shots are from the cretonne quilt in

the collection of the Spencer Museum.

The dog prints can be cute or noble as in

the English Setter above

in a hunting scene.

The prints were perhaps aimed at children's interests.

And the quilts focusing on these prints might have been gifts for children.

Here's the chicken print again.

You could think of them as an antique version of the "I Spy" quilt.

Some imagery seems to be inspired by children's book

illustrations of the era, like this allusion to Kate

Greenaway's old-fashioned children.

Mary Koval has done a reproduction of one of these

Greenaway-style cretonnes

called 

Days To Remember

Which Cynthia Collier is putting to good use in her

Baltimore Childhood block she designed to

teach at a workshop at Baltimore on the Prairie next year:

http://www.baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com/cynthiacollier2.html

We see a good deal of romance and historical references in the old cretonnes.

And there may have been one or more circus-themed prints.

Here's another example of the style from

the International Quilt Study Center & Museum's

collection

#1997.007.0838

The central panel celebrates the sloop The Vigilant, which won the America's Cup Race of 1893.

http://cdn.firespring.com/images/8504217f-e03c-4964-a37d-f579d5d20599.jpg

These warriors dressed in Arab clothing were popular.

The Spencer's quilt includes a brown colorway.

The quilt in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection

has another brown colorway--more gold than buff.

The same colorway that's been used in a cut-out chintz

or Broderie Perse fashion in this top from an online auction

a few years ago.

This particular top is one of several late Broderie Perse

examples where scenes from various fabrics

have been cut up and reassembled.

The emphasis is on children and pets with

the kittens on the left and the English setter on the right.

The puppies again.

The Broderie Perse quilt also has a memorial to President James

Garfield, assassinated in 1881

The quilt top is dated 1893.

The image is cut from this yardage, a piece of which

was sold online this year.

The Ohio Historical Society has a log cabin quilt with backing fabric that is probably the print above. Their online catalog describes it:

"The printed pattern includes lattice and cornerstones and images of the Garfield family crest, the U. S. shield, and multiple color pinwheels.... cheater fabric... of American origin produced at the time of President Garfield's death."

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohiopix/display.php?cdmSearch=cheater&field=CISOSEARCHALL&start=1&backto=1&max=1&mode=all

The undated cretonne quilt in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts features Garfield too, the portrait probably

cut from some campaign yardage.

http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/crazy-quilt-492633

The campaign yardage from 1880 includes Chester A. Arthur too.

As Vice-President, Arthur assumed the Presidency.

A mourning Ribbon

"Died on Duty"

1881

There are many Garfield images in quilts. Whether they were meant to be political, patriotic or a mourning image takes a little research to figure out. Because the election was in 1880 and the assassination in 1881, it's hard to tell. Garfield among the puppies, kittens and crested chickens reminds us of the continuing national mourning at his death.