"Cockscomb, Rose Tree, and Pineapple" Quilt, by United States, c. 1840
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"Cockscomb, Rose Tree, and Pineapple" Quilt

United States

c. 1840

Medium
Cotton, plain weave; appliquéd with cotton, plain weave, printed; backed with cotton, plain weave; quilted
Classification
Textile
Dimensions
218.9 × 195.4 cm (85 1/2 × 76 7/8 in.)
Culture
United States
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
Credit line
Gift of Emma B. Hodge
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

The increased availability of less costly fabrics during the early 19th century expanded the appliqué quilt tradition beyond the upper classes, who were the only ones who could previously afford the expensive fabric associated with this type of textile. The popularity of appliquéd quilts started around the 1840s and continued over the next few decades. Although appliquéd quilts often used repeated patterns laid out on a grid pattern, appliqué offered the maker the freedom and ability to create narrative and pictorial images, not easily achieved in pieced quilts often made from remnants of saved fabric.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0