Saturday, July 23, 2016

Ribbons and Ribbon Badges

Queen Victoria's birthday celebration souvenir on the right,
a Union Army reunion on the left.
Canadian ribbons?

See more quilts with ribbons in last week's post.

We call them ribbons but I realized that they
were called "ribbon badges" or just "badges" at
the turn of the last century when they were popular.


Ribbon quilt with many political and reunion badges.


Paterson Ribbon Ltd Paterson NJ
printed this ribbon. You can see their signature at the top

As late as the mid-1930s the terms were "ribbon badges" or "badges." Carrie Hall quoted a story about a quilt of badges gathered at General Grant's funeral.


Once you know what to call them you can find a good deal of information about these commemorative badges.

The Confederate Veteran magazine advised branch members:
"It is recommended that ribbon badges be provided for reunion and ceremonial occasions. They can be executed in such designs as may be desired. White, red and gold, in the materials and in the lettering, should however, be used as far as possible. "
They listed four dealers in Ribbon Badges

Whitehead and Hoag in Newark was a large supplier.




These silk ribbon badges were quite common when silk was cheap
between 1880 and 1910.
What better place to preserve the badges than in a quilt?

Crazy quilt with ribbon badges for Michael Bradley. 
Collection Illinois State Museum.
Illinois project and the Quilt Index.



A manufacturers' directory lists Badge makers.

Advertising ribbon badges for an
1896 Confederate reunion in Richmond


Hart’s Battery Reunion of Hampton’s Legion, Richmond, 1896


6 comments:

Nann said...

I have accumulated many contemporary badge ribbons at American Library Assn. conferences and others. I'd like to make them into an art quilt. Thanks for this inspiration. (BTW, a good friend of mine (who is a quilter) is a Hoag. She has a collection of W&H memorabilia.)

Barbara Brackman said...

Get started, Nann. Send pictures. I love that crazy from the Illinois State Museum with the badges in the border.

siamkitty said...

I have all the county and state fair ribbons that my grandmother won for quilting and needlework, plus the blue ribbons my dad won for his prize boar, and have been thinking I should applique them onto a quilt before DD tosses them. :-)

Janie said...

Thanks again, Barbara, history and inspiration galore.
I love the hand embroidery and the colorful ribbons, super.

MaryC said...

I've learned SO much from your blog since 'joining'. I just wanted you to know I voted for YOU for the Bloglovin' Award! :-) http://www.bloglovin.com/awards
I hope if others see this, that maybe they will consider, also.

uzair gohar said...

We are a professional printed ribbons manufacturer company designing and creating highly-finished, elegant, and attractive printed ribbons for our customers.