Quilt (or decorative throw), Crazy pattern

Tamar Horton Harris North

ca. 1877 · Silk, silk velvet, cotton, and cotton lace · The American Wing

This Crazy quilt is exceptional for a number of reasons, the most important being that it is one of a few well-documented examples of a mourning quilt. It was made as a memorial after the death of twenty-year-old Grace Gertrude North (1856–1877), the only child of Tamar and Benjamin North of North's Landing, Indiana. We assume that Tamar North started work on the quilt soon after her daughter's death. If it was indeed made in 1877, this is a fairly early example of a Crazy quilt. It is pieced of silk and silk velvet, but there are also pieces of cotton and cotton lace. According to family history, North made the quilt from pieces of Grace's dresses, and the types of fabrics utilized seem to bear this out. Many symbols of Grace's death ornament the quilt, such as her birth and death dates, an angel, and her name with a calla lily to each side.

Artist

Tamar Horton Harris North

Date

ca. 1877

Medium

Silk, silk velvet, cotton, and cotton lace

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John S. Cooper, 1983