In a study of quilts made for Union Soldiers Virginia Gunn estimated that 125,000 quilts and comforts were distributed by the Sanitary Commission during the war.
The Sanitary Commission was all about keeping records
Read "Quilts for Union Soldiers in the Civil War" by Virginia Gunn, Uncoverings #6, 1985 at this link:
Very few of those quilts survive.
Pamela Weeks, curator of the New England Quilt Museum, estimates about 20 have been identified in museum and private collections today. I have 14 in the picture files.
Fort Hill Sewing Circle, dated 1864
Hingham, Massachusetts
International Quilt Study Center and Museum Collection
Inking on some survivors tells us of the origins.A few have a stamp indicating that they were the property of the Sanitary Commission as in the quilt above.
And a few have a story passed on with them.
Wadsworth Athenaeum Collection
Granville, New York
New England Quilt Museum Collection
Each block here is separately bound.
These samplers tend to be of a style---simple pieced blocks of cotton set together with narrow sashing (sometimes each block is quilted and then joined---what we called potholder quilts today). The quilts are long and narrow.
The Sanitary Commission asked for quilts of cheap materials, about 7 feet long by 50 inches wide
and several of these quilts are about 84" x 50", as requested.
Several of the survivors feature repeat blocks
Nine patch from Jan Coor Pender Dodge's collection,
Made in Dublin, New Hampshire.
It has the stamp on it.
Made in Vernon, Connecticut
Collection of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine
Redlands, California
Stamped label on the reverse
Made in Florence, Massachusetts, 1865
The quilt from Florence has a patriotic image
in the center, which certainly helps with identification.
International Quilt Study Center and Museum Collection
1997.007.0569
Made in Detroit, Michigan, 1864
Made for the Armory Square Hospital in Washington
Mystic Seaport Museum Collection
Ladies's Aid Society, Portland, Maine
Belfast Historical Society
Belfast, Maine, Ladies Aid Society
For the Armory Square Hospital
Collection of the Smithsonian Institution
Susannah Pullen and Sunday School Class
Augusta, Maine
http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2013/06/susannah-pullens-quilt.html
Made in Windsor County, Vermont, attributed to
Caroline Bowen Fairbanks, Vermont Historical Society
7 comments:
I wonder how many of these surviving quilts have been reproduced, and if so, might they exist in a collection somewhere. I would love to make one, but the difficulty, of course, would be in finding just the right fabrics. I should try it anyway.
The.very last quilt you show looks a little "modern" don't you think?
Sandy- the fun is finding the right fabrics. The last one---a bit minimal. Too minimal for me. It's probably faded somewhat.
My grandmother had one in her home...it was in absolute tatters, but it was stamped. It was a pot holder style one.
The article by Virginia Gunn was fascinating! I knew about the Sanitary Commission because I have a Public Health degree, but I sure didn't know about the quilts!
Hello Barbara, hope you are having a good Memorial Day. I just wanted to say hello, thank you for your informative blog posts, and let you know I’ve been working on my Antebellum album quilt and Civil War Sampler quilt today. I have taken 3 unfinished projects out of the closet and am going to finish them soon. Thank you for your informative blog, and please keep showing us these wonderful old quilts. Love your stories and sense of humor too! Mary in Virginia
Im a Civil War reenactor with a Sutlery (Store) at the events. A quilter friend of mine has made me several to sell to the reenactors. Soldier cot quilts were rolled up and worn over the shoulder of the soldier. They carried everything with them into battle.
Thanks for this story. I have shared it with my friend for resource material.
And as for finding the fabric...just find a few ladies who do CW sewing to outfit their families. Plenty of scraps.
I agree that lots of different prints make a quilt more fun, but the last quilt was made minimal for a good reason. The lady who made it, wrote scripture and blessings on the “snowball” blocks for the soldier who received it to read as he recovered. She also made this quilt by herself, whereas a lot of the others are in potholder style, and most likely not made by one person. Maybe this lady didn’t have very many scraps to share.
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