Quilt
PeriodCirca 1850
Place MadeProbably Shrewsbury, New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumVarious printed cottons
Dimensions94.5 × 94 in. (240 × 238.8 cm)
ClassificationsQuilts and Coverlets
Credit LineMuseum Collection, 1974
Object numberT1974.115
DescriptionA quilt comprised of seventeen "Mariner's Compass" blocks, hand pieces of printed cotton fabrics in shades of red, blue,and tan with a pale floral printed cotton background fabric. The blocks are set on point with a sashing and border of brown and turquoise printed cotton. Floral motifs have been cut out in irregular shapes and appliqued to the plain white circular centers of the compass design. Half blocks at the edges are also set diagonally with blind-stitched appliqued "Tulip" pattern of red, brown, and blue prints. Two quarter blocks at the top left and bottom right are also appliqued with "Tulip" pattern, smaller and less stylized. The front and back are turned together at the edges and stitched to bind. The quilt includes a plain white cotton backing and very thin batting, outlined quilted with medium length stitches in white cotton thread.Curatorial RemarksAttributed to Sarah Throckmorton Allen, this Mariner's Compass quilt was certainly made by an accomplished needlewoman. The pattern is one of the most difficult to achieve, as the numerous points must be accurately cut and sewn to result in sharp, even edges and points. The fabric and color balance is excellent, relying on contrasting dark/light placement for liveliness. Some or even all three of Mrs. Allen's daughters - Elizabeth, Sarah, and Harriet Jane - may have helped their mother piecing and quilting the creation.NotesAccording to records, a virtually identical quilt was lent to the Historical Association in the Fall of 1975 for a quilt exhibition at the Allen House in Shrewsbury, by Shrewsbury resident Mrs. Bruce W. Campbell. Information on that quilt noted that it had been "made by Sarah Throckmorton, wife of Dr. Edmund Allen, on the third floor of the Allen House by candlelight, circa 1814." While it is most likely that the quilt does originate from the Allen family of Shrewsbury, the quilt was made around 1850, as virtually all the cotton prints date to between 1835 and 1850 or so. Sarah Throckmorton was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1790. She married Dr. Edmund Allen in June 1814, and the couple set up housekeeping in their newly-purchased home on the northwest corner of the Four Corners in Shrewsbury. The structure had served as a tavern from 1754 to the Allen's purchase, and had been constructed in around 1710. Allen was a descendant of the property's original owner, Judah Allen, a Quaker. Dr. Allen used the house as family residence, doctor's office, and small pharmacy. The Allens had seven children: Joseph W. (1815-1889), Elizabeth (1817-1886), Edmund T. (1819-1819), Edmund T. (1821-1883), Sarah (1824-1825), Sarah (1825-1891), and Harriet Jane (1828-1910). The household also had at least one enslaved woman, a young girl named Rose. Dr. Allen died in 1867, leaving the house to his wife Sarah until her death. Many Allen family items were passed down to the last surviving daughters, Sarah and Harriet Jane, who then left the family heirlooms to nieces.
Collections
