by
Erin Doane, curator
Quilts
keep people warm and beautify their homes. They can also commemorate events.
CCHS has a wonderful collection of quilts made to mark various happenings
including weddings, wars, and fundraisers. Over this past summer, we had
commemorative quilts on display here at the museum. Here is a sampling of those
quilts.
The
first quilt marks the relocation of this institution. The Chemung County
Historical Society moved from 304 William Street to 415 East Water Street in
1982. CCHS members and volunteers made a quilt to commemorate the opening of
the museum at its new location in the former Chemung Canal Bank building. The
Historical Society’s logo and the date May 15, 1982 are embroidered near the
bottom right of the quilt.
|
Commemorative
quilt, 1982 |
|
Detail of
embroidery on quilt |
Other
businesses and organizations appear on quilts that were created locally to
recognize collaborative efforts to raise funds or to make improvements to the
local community. A heavily-embroidered
coverlet highlighting some local businesses was designed by William Brownlow
and embroidered by the Friendly Class of the First Methodist Church on Baldwin
Street in Elmira. Each of the 13 squares represents a business or group of
businesses including Dimon & Bacorn Truckmen, the Second National Bank, and
J. Greener Pianos. It is possible that the businesses made financial
contributions in order to be included on the coverlet.
|
Embroidered
coverlet, c. 1912 |
|
Detail of one
embroidered block |
Major
events in U.S. history have also been commemorated locally in little squares of
fabric. During the Civil War (1861-1865), men from throughout Chemung County
enlisted or were drafted into local regiments. Elmira served as a military
depot and rendezvous point for western New York. Thousands of Union soldiers
trained at four camps here before being sent south to fight. For many years
after the war, veterans met at regimental reunions. Ribbons from those reunions
were often sewn into commemorative quilts. One crazy quilt in the museum’s
collection commemorates both national and local events and people involved in
the Civil War. The locations of major battles are embroidered above the fans
around the edge of the quilt. Names of notable generals are embroidered
throughout. At its center is a memorial ribbon for Ulysses S. Grant. Other
ribbons on the quilt are from reunions of the local 141st and 161st
New York Volunteer Regiments.
|
Crazy quilt,
post-1888 |
|
Detail of quilt
showing 161st Regiment reunion ribbon |
Many
quilts were made to mark the United States Bicentennial in 1976. Genevieve
Taylor of Elmira designed a quilt to celebrate the Bicentennial. Members of the
community embroidered the 49 individual squares. Designs on the quilt include
images from the American Revolution, national figures, and objects common in
1776 such as tin lanterns and spinning wheels. Images from local history are
also shown, including John Hendy’s cabin, Mark Twain’s study, and a Westside
Railroad trolley.
|
Bicentennial quilt, 1976 |
Students
from 1st through 6th grade at Hendy Avenue School also created
a quilt commemorating the Bicentennial as a school project. The quilt is made from
fabric prints of the students’ original crayon drawings. Images commemorating
the Bicentennial include the Liberty Bell, Paul Revere, and the Boston Tea
Party.
|
Bicentennial quilt, 1976 |
One
more, very common thing to commemorate with a quilt is friendship. During much
of the 19th century, quilts were made by groups of women and given
as gifts for weddings and other celebrations. Each women would produce a single
square and then all the pieces were sewn together. Many friendship quilts
include the signatures of those who made the quilt, dedications to the
recipient, and mementos of times spent together. Abbey A. Baldwin of Southport
received an autographed friendship quilt in 1851. Each of the 36 squares
contains the signature of a friend or family member from Southport, Elmira,
Horseheads, Corning, or Ridgebury, Pennsylvania.
|
Friendship quilt, 1851 |
Album
quilts were another type of friendship quilt popular in the mid-19th
century. They feature elaborate applique designs, typically in reds, blues, and
greens. This quilt was given as a gift to Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Smith by their
friends in Elmira in 1860. Squares were made by 29 individuals including
members of the Brace, Likes, and Fuller families. Each square has a unique
pattern and is signed by its maker.
|
Album quilt,
1860 |
In
1890, the friends of Katherine Sheehan Connelly made a quilt as a gift for her
wedding. Each of the 16 squares in the crazy quilt was crafted from silks and
velvets that may have come from the young women’s old dresses. The squares are
decorated with elaborate embroidery, monograms, and flowers. Two of the squares
include silk-screened portraits of young women and others have ribbons from
events hosted by the Knights of Tara Hiawatha, a local Irish social club.
|
Wedding quilt,
1890 |
|
Detail of
a silk-screened portrait |
|
Another silk-screened portrait |
the screen portraits are very interesting....that is a beautiful quilt
ReplyDelete