Saturday, September 12, 2015

Two Redwork Quilts at the Pasadena History Museum

Collection of Dr. Carol Morton

Detail of a redwork quilt featuring symbols of the 
Grand Army of the Republic
veteran's organization

The exhibit at the Pasadena History Museum When Johnny Came Marching West: How the Civil War Shaped Pasadena features four Civil-War-related quilts. Two are post-war redwork quilts
honoring the veterans in the G.A.R.


The show closes September 20, 2015.
http://pasadenahistory.org/all-exhibits/johnny-came-marching-west-civil-war-shaped-pasadena/

Some of the symbols are corps badges.

Others like the tea cup are more difficult to interpret.
Not much is known about this quilt's origins.

The other redwork quilt has much to tell us.

Block from the John F. Godfrey Post of the
G.A.R. in Pasadena, California

The block at the top left honors a Pasadena GAR president in 1912
Next to it a block from Leicester, England

The entire quilt is covered with names in the form of the cross that is the
symbol of the Woman's Relief Corps (W.R.C), the
ladies' auxiliary of the Union veteran's group.



Redwork W.R.C. quilt
Courtesy of Linn and Jean Hoadley

Collection of Dr. Carol Morton
The quilt is shown with a W.R.C. badge from a G.A.R. 46th National Encampment in Los Angeles, 1912
Train excursion from San Francisco
to Los Angeles

I'm guessing the quilt is connected to that five-day National Reunion in September, 1912, perhaps made by the Thimble Club of the John F. Godfrey Chapter as a fund-raiser and raffle quilt.

I found a little more about the Thimble Club of Pasadena, including photos of members about 1930. This may be another Thimble Club, but the W.R.C. Thimble Club continued into the 1960s.

Thimble Club at Redondo

On a bus trip to Balboa.
They got around.

Read a post about the WRC quilt here:
http://pasadenahistory.org/curators-blog/wrc/


2 comments:

Nurseshark said...

I purchased the Civil War Sampler book. Where are the directions for the material that connects the squares? I am a beginner & very confused.

Zara said...

They are some precious information. You are doing great works of searching the old photos and quilts. Love your blog!

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