Quilt
PeriodCirca 1890-1910
Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSilk, velvet, cotton
Dimensions66.75 × 64.5 in. (169.5 × 163.8 cm)
ClassificationsQuilts and Coverlets
Credit LineMuseum Collection, 1974
Object numberT1974.34
DescriptionA rectangular pieced quilt in the Tumbling Blocks pattern, consisting of a wide variety of plain weave solid and patterned silks including stripes, florals, plaids, and geometrics, silk and cotton velvets, silk moire, and silk taffeta in light and dark jewel tones in shades of blue, black, brown, red, maroon, tan, pink, purple, lilac, green, and yellow. The quilt is backed with a bright pink taffeta silk, brought around to the front to form a narrow binding. The quilt includes a thin cotton batting, with large herringbone embroidery stitches. The backing appears to date later than the quilt top itself.Curatorial RemarksThis quilt is believed to have entered the collection in the 1960s with several other silk and velvet quilts. With the introduction of inexpensive silks for dress goods in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the resulting silk scraps and fragments became highly popular to transform into colorful, jewel-toned quilts. Made more for decoration and color than warmth, silk quilts either had very thin or no batting. The highly decorative quiltiing used with many cotton quilts was also not typical with silk quilts. Instead, many were either tied with brightly colored wool or cotton yarn at spaced intervals, or secured with simple outline stitching following seam lines, allowing the silk to take center stage. Many silk quilts were relatively small, and often draped on a settee or armchair in a parlor to add color and demonstrate the needlework skills of the women of the household.
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