GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Baltimore, Maryland, "Album" quilts, so named for their prevalence in the Atlantic seaport and their resemblance to keepsake albums, form an important moment in American textile history during a period in which manufactured - rather than homespun - fabrics appeared with increasing regularity. The use of a grid of decorative elements and a simple red and green color scheme inspired by textiles of German immigrant communities in nearby Pennsylvania readily identifies them.
While most "Album" quilts were produced by several hands with various levels of competency, the regularity of this example suggests a single quilter, believed to be Martha E. Keech of Baltimore. With a running vine border, this quilt incorporates plain fabrics in red, green, orange, and yellow which are padded or stuffed in a technique called trapunto. Motifs include the common rose wreath, flowerpot, tulip cross, and bible, all rendered in a direct manner that provides the quilt with unexpected and powerful visual clarity.
Adapted from
Kevin Tucker, DMA unpublished material, 2003.
NOTES
Provenance Note: James P. Barrow is the anonymous donor. The main source for this provenance is Deed of Gift (dated September 24, 2003, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Documentation).
General Description source: Kevin Tucker, Acquisition Justification (2003.35), 2003
updated provenance and geo x refs in TMS (HAB, 2/16/17). removed TMS pending tag 10/3/2017
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PROVENANCE
Until 2003: Private Collection, Dallas, Texas [1]
From 2003: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift
[1] The main source for this provenance is Deed of Gift (dated September 24, 2003, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Documentation).
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LACMA~View another Baltimore, Maryland, "Album" quilt in LACMA's permanent collection.
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General Description
Baltimore, Maryland, "Album" quilts, so named for their prevalence in the Atlantic seaport and their resemblance to keepsake albums, form an important moment in American textile history during a period in which manufactured - rather than homespun - fabrics appeared with increasing regularity. The use of a grid of decorative elements and a simple red and green color scheme inspired by textiles of German immigrant communities in nearby Pennsylvania readily identifies them.
While most "Album" quilts were produced by several hands with various levels of competency, the regularity of this example suggests a single quilter, believed to be Martha E. Keech of Baltimore. With a running vine border, this quilt incorporates plain fabrics in red, green, orange, and yellow which are padded or stuffed in a technique called trapunto. Motifs include the common rose wreath, flowerpot, tulip cross, and bible, all rendered in a direct manner that provides the quilt with unexpected and powerful visual clarity.
Adapted from
Kevin Tucker, DMA unpublished material, 2003.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
LACMA~View another Baltimore, Maryland, "Album" quilt in LACMA's permanent collection.
Notes
Provenance Note: James P. Barrow is the anonymous donor. The main source for this provenance is Deed of Gift (dated September 24, 2003, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Documentation).
General Description source: Kevin Tucker, Acquisition Justification (2003.35), 2003
updated provenance and geo x refs in TMS (HAB, 2/16/17). removed TMS pending tag 10/3/2017
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 2003: Private Collection, Dallas, Texas [1]
From 2003: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift
[1] The main source for this provenance is Deed of Gift (dated September 24, 2003, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Documentation).
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