Quilt
PeriodCirca 1850
Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSilk, taffeta, paper
Dimensions22 × 22 in. (55.9 × 55.9 cm)
ClassificationsQuilts and Coverlets
Credit LineGift of Lauretta Stillwell Miller, 1932
Object number268
DescriptionA quilt with black and multicolored jewel-toned silks and taffetas hand pieced in the "Baby's Blocks" pattern. The patches are whip stitched together using the English paper piecing method of construction, with some paper pattern pieces and original basting stitches still in place.Curatorial RemarksAlthough unfinished, this fragment of a quilt provides a fascinating look at a variety of silk dress weight fabrics of the third quarter of the 19th century, from around 1850 through the early 1870s.NotesAccording to the original accession notes, the quilt as "made by mother of Miss Miller c. 1850." Engaging young Laura Stillwell (1845 - 1916) was the eldest child of Dr. John E. M. M. Stillwell, a New York physician, and his wife Elizabeth S. Gillies. The likeness shows her as a full-cheeked little girl with pudgy arms and a short neck dressed in a simple frock and striped pantaloons. The artist has included a number of accessories as well, such as a hat, a basket of posies, and a necklace and bracelet made of red coral. In 1869, Laura Stillwell married Capt. David Miller. The couple lived in New York, where they raised two children. It may have been after her husband’s death in 1912 that Laura moved to Red Bank. She died there in 1916. The donor was her daughter. Laura’s brother, Dr. John E. Stillwell, Jr., authored the monumental five volume Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, a study of the early families and history of Monmouth County. The original donor records stated that this quilt fragment was made around 1850. It is more likely, based upon the types and patterns of silks used, along with the relative complexity of the paper piecing method, that Laura Stillwell Miller was much older than around five years. Miller most likely began this quilt project in the 1870s or even early 1880s. The Association has a charming portrait of Laura Stillwell Miller at the age of around four or five. See accession number 3317.
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