American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760–1870

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American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760–1870

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum Collections

Edited by Patricia Cox Crews and Carolyn Ducey

528 pages
850 color photos, 24 illustrations, 2 genealogies, 1 map, 6 tables, 9 graphs, index

Hardcover

February 2018

978-0-8032-9592-6

$90.00 Add to Cart
about author bio praise table of contents media awards

About the Book

Part of a comprehensive catalog of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum collection, American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760–1870 highlights the dazzling designs and intricate needlework of America’s treasured material culture. From whole cloth to pieced quilts to elaborate appliqué examples, all reflecting various design movements such as Neoclassicism and Eastern exoticism, the contributing authors address the development of quilt making in America from its inception in the 1700s to the period of the U.S. Civil War.

Covering more than one hundred years of quilt making, this volume examines the period’s quilts from both an artistic and a historical perspective. The contributors provide critical information regarding the founding of the republic and the influential republican values and ideals manifested in the quilts of this era. They also address the role that immigration and industrialization played in the evolution of materials and styles. With full-color photographs of nearly six hundred quilts, American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760–1870 offers new insights into American society.
 

Author Bio

Patricia Cox Crews is founding director emerita of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum and professor emeritus in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She has edited and coedited multiple books, including American Quilts in the Modern Age, 1870–1940: The International Quilt Study Center Collections (Nebraska, 2009) and Wild by Design: Two Hundred Years of Innovation and Artistry in American Quilts. Carolyn Ducey is curator of collections at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. She is the author of Chintz Appliqué: From Imitation to Icon and is a contributing author of Wild by Design: Two Hundred Years of Innovation and Artistry in American Quilts.
 

Praise

"This generous volume testifies to the wealth of data available at the IQSCM and demonstrates its dedication to using its collections for cutting-edge research. In conjunction with its earlier volume, American Quilts in the Modern Age, 1870–1940 (2009), it is a rich resource for quilt studies education and related courses in American history, women's history, decorative arts, and textiles."—Teri Klassen, Journal of Folklore Research

"An important contribution to scholarship on the art and history of the quilt, American Quilts in the Industrial Age does additional work for the broader field of material culture studies, providing a model for collaborative scholarship and what can be learned through the rigorous archaeology of objects."—B.L. Herman, Choice

"The ambitious goal of the IQSCM to successfully relate to quilt scholars and enthusiasts on every level has more than been met in this volume. The vivid imagery and narrative offers a glimpse into the lives of American women through the work of their hands and preserves an important part of the history of the first hundred years of the American republic."—Sherry Massey, Chronicles of Oklahoma

"From a genealogical perspective, this volume would be an important addition to the bookshelf for any genealogist who owns family quilts or would just like to study the art of quilt making."—Melissa Barker, FORUM

“This book connects the large and immensely important collection at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Nebraska with the historical context in which these quilts were made. It covers an important topic that will be of interest to a wide range of scholars, collectors, and practitioners. An important contribution to the field.”—Linda Eaton, director of collections and senior curator of textiles at Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library at the University of Delaware and the author of Quilts in a Material World
 

“This comprehensive catalog will be extremely useful to quilt scholars and lovers around the world. It does an excellent job of showing us how each quilt has something to teach us. This book will appeal both to a scholarly audience and to a broader audience of quilt makers and enthusiasts.”—Aimee Newell, executive director of the Luzerne County Historical Society (Pennsylvania) and the author of Stitch in Time: The Needlework of Aging Women in Antebellum America

Table of Contents

Preface    
Acknowledgments    
Introduction: American Quilts in the Industrial Age, 1760–1870    
Carolyn Ducey, Christine Humphrey, and Patricia Cox Crews
1. Early Spreads    
Lynne Z. Bassett and Linda Baumgarten
2. Whole Cloth Quilts    
Lynne Z. Bassett, Linda Baumgarten, and Christine Humphrey
3. Chintz Appliqué Quilts    
Carolyn Ducey
4. Pieced Quilts    
Janice E. Frisch and Xenia Cord, Patricia Cox Crews, Carolyn Ducey, Jonathan Gregory, Virginia Gunn, and Christine Humphrey
5. Appliqué Quilts    
Virginia Gunn, Carolyn Ducey, and Jonathan Gregory
Notes    
Bibliography    
Contributors    
Index

Media

Listen to an editor interview from NET Radio's Friday Live Extra. (beginning at 4:09)

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