Online since 2002. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH
Early American Quilts from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
by Patricia L. Cummings
This special exhibit was in Portland, Maine at the Portland Museum of Art until June 6, 2004. What fun it was to be able to see some antique quilts of the caliber usually only seen in books or mentioned in scholarly works!
What a delightful time we had! After carefully and slowly savoring the antique quilts on display, we visited the rest of the museum which houses priceless works of art, including many from Old World European Masters such as Renoir, Matisse, Monet, and Dali. A da Vinci piece in the museum has been dated to before 1510. The still lifes are wonderful, as are all of the paintings by French Impressionists. The sculptures are grand. There is something exciting to see on all four floors of the museum. Who knew? Before leaving, we were already mentally making a note of it to return again soon.
Pillar Print Fabric Popular
Of course, the quilts were what prompted us to be there on opening day of the exhibit. The number of quilts with Pillar Print fabric was amazing. This kind of fabric was very popular as drapery and home decorating fabric and featured large scale motifs of columns festooned with vines, flowers, etc. In one instance, the pillar print was utilized for all four borders and consequently, lay sideways on the top and bottom borders, perhaps the only logical way to show the fabric to its best advantage.
Quilting Terms Provided to Visitors
At the entrance of the exhibition hall, the museum has kindly provided visitors with a sheet of paper that has definitions for quilting terms (enclosed within a plastic sleeve). This would be very helpful to anyone who is not familiar with the specialized terms that are used to describe the fabrics, print processes, and quilt names. The signage near the quilts appears to be very helpful, better-than-usual descriptions.
The term “fondu” fabric is familiar, but I did not know that “fondu” in French, means “melted.” I wondered if this term means anything specifically-related to the way this cloth was printed. The same fabric is also called “ombre,” or “rainbow print,” and is often seen in quilts from the late nineteenth century.
Tiny Hexagons
A quilt made from the extra tiny hexagons that were paper-pieced into rosettes by using English paper piecing was a treat to see. Each hexagon appeared to be about 3/8", but someone who actually measured them says that they are 5/8" in diameter. What patience the quiltmaker possessed!
Print from Montgomery Book
A bird print fabric appears on one of the quilts. Florence Montgomery called the same print fabric, “Long-tailed bird on dish of fruit,” in her landmark book, Printed Textiles: English and American Cottons and Linens, 1700-1850 (New York: The Viking Press, Inc., 1970). The caption of the example in her book, says that it was roller-printed in red with olive ground, 1830-1835,” and that it is a “pattern typical of a large group of chintzes.” (329). An early quilt containing this same print in several colorways was seen in 2003 at the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH.
Many of the quilts in this exhibit are in such pristine condition, they could have been made yesterday. None of them appears to have been washed.
Three Favorite Quilts
Difficult as it is to name favorites, there are three quilts that stand out in memory. One is a heavily and elaborately-quilted quilt that was hand quilted by slaves. A second is the wonderful Friendship quilt with 49 blocks which were signed with a mechanical inking device of some type and which features the "Hickory and Reel" pattern, but in a smaller scale than usual, making it appear very delicate in the hues in which it was created. This quilt adorns the advertisement poster for the exhibit.
A third quilt that is worth mentioning is a “strippy” style quilt that has vertical rows of “Flying Geese” and alternate strips of fabric. There are 526 geese in various scraps of “calico.” The term "calico" originated because Calicut, India was the city from which much cotton cloth was exported to England and to the Far East, according to the author of the show catalogue.
We were lucky to visit this exhibit during the week and not on a weekend, as the atmosphere was more relaxed. The hall where the quilts are displayed and the whole museum, in general, is very spacious. There are places to sit throughout the display areas, a very good thing, especially if anyone is mobility-impaired.
More Quilts
More quilts, made by children, were gaily hung in the museum cafeteria that offers a fine array of healthy snacks, gourmet soups and sandwiches, and fancy pastries. A concurrent exhibit of art quilts, which were hung in the museum's foyer, were an exciting addition to the special exhibit of old quilts. If you love art, the Portland Museum of Art is the place to visit. For information about becoming a supporting member, please call the Museum: (207) 775-6148.
Copyright 2004, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. All Rights Reserved.
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