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hand quilted cotton hand appliqued cotton thread
Not currently on view
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler
Album quilts originated in the 1840s in Baltimore, at that time the second-largest and one of the most prosperous cities in the United States. Until the Civil War, Baltimore album quilts were not made with scraps, as most quilts were and still are today, but rather with new fabric. This example was made by Catherine Bell Hooper, the wife of a prominent mill owner. The Bible in the center block is embroidered with Catherine’s initials; the other twenty-four blocks are a riot of colorful, stylized blossoms in a variety of arrangements. The flowers in bouquets, baskets, wreaths, and loose groupings are not readily identifiable as specific species, but instead allude to the wealth of blooms available in a prosperous Baltimore garden. The wide border of red-and-green bows and swags is a classic color combination of the 1850s. (Allure of Flowers) Baltimore Album quilts are regarded as the height of mid-19th century appliqué quilts. Techniques, fabrics, and pictorial images infuse these quilts with their distinctly Baltimore flavor. Layered baskets and vases overflow with multi-colored flowers, while pictorial blocks include Baltimore monuments and buildings as well as prominent citizens and war heroes. A talented and well-known quilter of the period, Catherine Bell Hooper (1813-1881) made this Baltimore Album Quilt. In 1833, she married William Hooper, the founder of an important cotton textile mill named Mount Vernon Mills. Accordingly, Hooper had a ready, available source for her materials. In this quilt, the center block features a Bible with Catherine Hooper's initials embroidered in yellow. There are no other names inscribed on the quilt and the fabrics remain consistent throughout most of the blocks, a typical indication that the quilt was made by one person. (Bresler)
Accession Number: 2000.62.14
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Public Domain
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