bed hanging quilt fragment, unknown maker from the United States

Exhibition Label: "Quilts! Imported Fabrics, American Treasures," May-2004, Barbara Brackman Beds draped with fabric were fashionable at the turn of the nineteenth century, but only the well to do could afford the yards of imported French toiles required. Toile designs were often inspired by literature or drama. The subject of this particular piece, “Paul and Virginie,” is drawn from the novel Paul et Virginie by Bernardin St. Pierre, published in 1788. Set on the island of Mauritius, the French tragedy tells of lovers separated by death. The popular story was adapted for theater, opera, and cotton prints. Its south-sea setting allowed fabric designers to include exotic palms, a favorite image in toiles. The town of Jouy en Josas, near Paris, was the center for European toile manufacture from approximately 1775 to 1820. “Paul and Virginie,” first printed at Jouy about 1802, was soon copied by several French and English mills.