- Appliqué Quilt
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Technical notes and description: Tabby-weave cotton face and back; cotton filling. Folding and cutting a piece of paper in quadrants would yield a template for a distinctive square applique motif. The stylized floral blossom print of the red cotton seems appropriately suited to make up the grid of three by four central units. The four-leafed dahlia-like blossom border adds a spontaneity to the formality of the central ground. The windblown blossoms have red and gold printed cotton heads and vermicelli-printed leaves. Quilting running stitch follows the applique elements along the border, and in the void between central motifs are vases with flowers and grapes.
Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.
ProvenanceAmerica Brinham (1831–1897), Washington County, Maryland; by descent to her second husband Henry McCauley (1821–1899), Hagerstown, Maryland; by descent to his son Dr. Charles B. McCauley (1855–1932), Baltimore County; by descent to his son Robert Henry McCauley Sr. (1887–1974), Hagerstown; Estate of Robert Henry McCauley Sr.; consigned to [Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, May 15, 1975, sale 3760, lot 67]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1975; Estate of Miss Ima Hogg; given to MFAH, 1976.
Exhibition History"American Traditions: Quilts and Coverlets 1760–1900," The Caroline Weiss Law Building, Lovett Gallery, October 28, 2001–April 7, 2002, Tina M. Llorente.
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