Pennsylvania - Quilts

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE CALICO "SEVEN SISTERS" QUILT, A PATRIOTIC VARIANT WITH 6-POINTED STARS AND RIVETING VISUAL GRAPHICS, CIRCA 1890-1910 This exceptional...

Across the American South, African-American women made quilts to keep themselves and their children warm in unheated shacks that lacked running water, telephones and electricity. Along the way they developed a distinctive abstract style, noted for lively, unconventional compositions and geometric simplicity. In many cases, the graphics are extraordinary. They embody the essence of modern art, but are completely honest and display pure creativity, as the makers probably never visited a museum, studied design or attended an art class. The design repertoire came from the heart. These quilts are dramatically different from classical American quilts, as done in New York, Baltimore or New England, and offer us a refreshing, minimalist, abstract quality. They often used whatever materials were on hand, often recycled from old clothing and textiles. Due to its small size, this attractive piece may have been made for use as a baby quilt, and was made with what appears to be a lightly textured upholstery fabric...

Blue and white "Liberty" coverlet, made in 1849 for Aurissa A. Gillett by weaver James Vanness, in Palmyra, New York, a very scarce variety with exceptional imagery: Coverlets are loom-woven bedspreads. Unlike quilts, which are pieced from commercially produced fabrics, coverlets are painstakingly created from the ground up, so-to-speak, woven line-by-line. In America, many are jacquard-woven, Beiderwand textiles, the latter meaning that they are simultaneously made in two layers, one light and one dark, that mirror image one-another on the obverse and reverse. The resulting coverlet has what has been commonly termed a "summer" and "winter" side rather than having a front and back. Dated coverlets began to appear in the early 1770s and were made through approximately the 1880s, though the most commonly occurring dates fall within the 1830s-1850s era. There were two basic genres, geometric and what is known as "figured and fancy." The latter of these regularly included floral elements, animals, buildings, and people, as well as text. Despite modern preconceptions, these were almost exclusively woven by men. Coverlets come in so many different forms that one could never hope to encounter them all. Some had patriotic imagery, which causes them to bridge categories in antique collecting. Many can be traced to certain areas of the country by dyes and other traits. The example presented in this write up is a extremely scarce. Made in Palmyra, New York, both the date, "1849," and name of the maker, "J. Vanness" [James Vanness, 1811 - 1872], are recorded in the weaving itself, along with the name of the person for whom it was made, Aurissa A. Gillett. Two-color, blue-and-white coverlets...

Swedish cushion cover, Probably Jerrestads district, Southern Skane, Early-mid 19th century. The cushion cover (Agedyna), with bands of traditional design motifs is probably from the Jerrestad district of Southern Sweden. Akdyna (Agedyna) is the designation of a cushion cover for use on the horse...

A large and colorful Uzbek suzani, mid-20th century, on a cream cotton background with blue, green and red silk stitching.

A large Uzbek needlepoint suzani in off-white cotton, with red, green and blue stitching, excellent condition.

OUTSTANDING CIVIL WAR PATRIOTIC QUILT IN A DIAMOND-IN-A-SQUARE PATTERN SOURCED FROM PETERSON'S MAGAZINE, JULY 1861, MODIFIED BY THE MAKER TO INCLUDE...

Silk bands like these were used to wrap bunches of cigars. Beginning in the Victorian period, women saved them in order that they may be pieced together into decorative pillow tops,...

36 STARS ON A BRIGHT BLUE CANTON, CIVIL WAR ERA, 1864-1867, NEVADA STATEHOOD, A GREAT FOLK EXAMPLE: 36 star American national flag of the Civil War era with a host of desirable fe...

EXCEPTIONAL 1876 QUILT FEATURING THE IMAGES OF GEORGE & MARTHA WASHINGTON, MADE FROM PATRIOTIC TEXTILES AND FLAGS THAT WERE PROBABLY ACQUIRED IN PHILADELPHIA AT THE CENTENNIAL INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION: Patriotic quilt made for the 1876 centennial celebration; a stunning example, the centerpiece of which consists of two extremely rare printed cotton textiles that feature George and Martha Washington...

RARE HOMEMADE EXAMPLE OF THE “GRAND UNION”, THE FIRST NATIONAL FLAG OF AMERICA, LIKELY MADE IN 1926 FOR THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE: The “Grand Union” is the most commonly used name today for the first national flag of the United States. This was the design that was in use when America was still a colony of Britain. Like other outposts of the British Empire, this flag employs the Union Jack image in the canton, accompanied by a field that somehow reflects the respective colony; in this case, 13 red and white stripes. The Grand Union went by many names. 19th century flag historians seem to have preferred the term “Continental Grand Union”, but this language is not found in 18th century documents or literature. In the period, it was simply referred to as the “Continental” or “Union” flag (or colors). The first record of its use as a national ensign appears to be in an illustration of Philadelphia from the Delaware River by George Heap, which was published by British engraver G. Vandergucht in 1754. The image showed a heavily gunned ship flying a large Grand Union off the stern, with 9 instead of 13 stripes, accompanied by a small Union Jack flown off the bow and what appears to be a British commissioning pennant at the top mast. While the British East Indies...

Silk bands like these were used to wrap bunches of cigars. Beginning in the Victorian period, women saved them in order that they may be pieced together into decorative pillow tops, table covers...