Thirteen-patch block quilt with Japanesque backing fabric

Unknown

ca. 1886 · Cotton · The American Wing

The top of this large cotton quilt is made up of with square blocks, each set on point to form diamonds. Each block is composed of thirteen small squares of different printed colored cottons, surrounded by triangles of white fabric to make up the diamond. In between the blocks, there is sashing of dark blue cotton printed with a small white floral pattern. At the center of the quilt, there is one diamond that is decorated with an eight-pointed star. The quilt’s edges are bound with a red patterned cotton. Of particular interest is the quilt’s backing fabric, which is a bold large-scale Japanesque pattern of "cheater cloth" (or printed imitation patchwork,) that shows repeating scenes of kimono-wearing Japanese ladies in exotic landscapes, as well as bird, butterfly and fan decorations. American cotton printing was at its zenith of design and quality of printing in the 1880s. Since rolls of this type of fabric have long since been used up, the place to find long lengths of extant examples is in quilts, either wholecloth quilts or quilt backing fabrics. Charming and imaginative fabric like the one backing this quilt give some idea of the influence of Aesthetic Movement design on even the least expensive of factory-produced textiles, and the general public’s seeming love for this exotic style.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1886

Medium

Cotton

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Margot Johnson, in honor of my cousin Marilyn Johnson, previous curator in charge of quilts at the Met, 2018