I received this pic via email by a gentleman trying to find out more information on this quilt. I wish I could see it in color! Isn't it just the greatest pic? It looks like it was taken by a travelling photographer, going farm to farm taking family photos, as was quite popular around 1910.
I love the woman's dress and her 'up-do' hair! But it does look like times were really tough. The quilt to me looks like a lone star variation, but instead of diamonds, the star blocks are pieced with triangles stitched into diamonds, a dark triangle was stitched to a light triangle to make the diamond units. They aren't equilateral triangles...more like the longer skinnier "kaleidoscope" type with the sides being a bit longer than the bottom. It looks like she used everything in this quilt, probably stitching the stars first before scrounging for fabric to use as the block backgrounds and finding sashing fabrics to put them together with.
Some of the blocks have chopped off points...I think I would have liked this quilter! There is no way to know if the woman in the photo was the maker, or if she was given the quilt by someone else..maybe as a wedding present, or as they left for the territories to try their hands at farming in Oklahoma. We can only look at it and study it and imagine what life was like during those hard times for these poor farmers.
If we could see it in color...maybe it wouldn't look so hard. Seen in all sepia tones, it does look like life has lost all it's color and luster for these people, but they were living it in color, so maybe it was a lot brighter and hopeful for them than the picture lets us think :c)
I just thought the pic was interesting, and thought you'd like to see it too! If anyone has seen this pattern anywhere, please let me know. I checked block base, but it isn't listed in the 8 pointed star variations...
Bonnie
Antique photographs are my very favorite thing, and I love how they took photos with a quilt in the background. It certainly looks like a totally unique design, very make do. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI block next to the shoulder of the sitting man looks like a perfect 8 pointed star with 6 triangle in each diamond...like you said. But the rest get a bit wonkier from there. Very interesting though to take a diamond and then divide it up into the 6 even triangles and see where it leads you!
ReplyDeleteI love old photos also. By the way, I am glad to see you back on your blog. I have missed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteAs to the had life in monochromatic tones --- I think their lives were hard but they seem even more stern in those photos because they could not move for LONG minutes while the plates got exposed. Notice everybody always has something to lean against or sit on.
Rae
Excellent pic and quilt. Looks like she made it up herself and just had fun. Well, hope she enjoyed herself. That's another quilt I'd love to see in person.
ReplyDeleteOh I love this picture! That quilt is so cool looking! Makes you want to try and reproduce it doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great picture and quilt. And very interesting that a gentleman made the request, not a lady. Womder what his connect to the quilt might be???
ReplyDeleteIt seems perfectly in keeping with other quilts we see from the western migration and post Civil War time. I believe that after the war ended in 1865, alot of folks faced a very, very make do life for many years.
I'll keep this quilt in mine as I browse my older books..*S* Thanks for sharing..*VBS*
Great picture. If you'd like I could copy the pic & work on it with photoshop, improving the contrast for a better look & email it back to you. Let me know.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Sandy
Love this photo! It looks as if she has adapted this pattern to make it her own. Stars were very popular around the turn of the century.
ReplyDeleteSio