Kansas Troubles quilt, L. B.

Exhibition Label:
"Quilts! Imported Fabrics, American Treasures," May-2004, Barbara Brackman
Taste in interior decoration and quilts changed dramatically at mid-century, a shift quite apparent in this quilt that features rather complex patchwork bordered with chintz. The quilt maker (her initials may be “LB,” letters inked on the reverse) adapted to changing taste by combining two styles. Her orderly pieced design, which would have been up-to-date in 1850, is made up of small-scale calicoes in green and red. In contrast, her outer border illustrates the old preference for chintz, which was becoming hopelessly old-fashioned. In 1851, the English female novelist George Eliot described a room with a “chintzy and unbecoming” effect. The word chintz was becoming synonymous with bad taste and second-rate goods.

Although we do not know what the maker called the design, this pattern became known as “Kansas Troubles” around 1890. This name may have reflected the turmoil in territorial Kansas 150 years ago.