Crazy quilt with Baby Block pattern
Date1884
MediumSatin, silk velvet, corduroy, beads, and paint
Pieced, embroidered, appliquéd, and hand-painted; unquilted
DimensionsApprox.: 65 × 60 inches (165.1 × 152.4 cm)
CultureAmerican
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of Etsuko Terasaki
Terms
- Textiles
- American
Object number2013.050.001
Label CopyThe quilt pattern most closely associated with optical illusions is the Tumbling Block. This and other illusory patterns began to develop from the mid-nineteenth century onward. By manipulating diamond shapes to form a three-sided cube, a three-dimensional effect is brought to life with color shading—the dark fabrics on the outside, and the medium and lighter colors alternating on the other sides. With no borders or grids separating the blocks, they seem to tumble down the surface of the quilt.
This quilt features Baby Blocks framed by a scalloped crazy quilt border. The use of brilliant colors accented by black creates a visual spectacle. The date the quilt was made (1884) is embroidered on the back.
Collections
late 19th or early 20th century
late 19th or early 20th century
late 19th or early 20th century
19th century
19th or early 20th century
19th or early 20th century
late 19th Century
