Rose and Bud quilt, Martha Biggers Burn

Exhibition Label:
"Quilts: Flora Botanica," Jun-2008, Barbara Brackman and Susan Earle
This quilt, stained and yellowed with age, is an important record of pattern and sewing skills that were almost forgotten by the end of the nineteenth century. At first glance the roses with rings of buds look to be appliquéd, but closer examination reveals the block to be pieced. Pieced roses, a difficult feat of needlework, date to the years 1840 to 1860.

The floral image circled by smaller motifs is often called Whig Rose. In 1911, a magazine writer claimed, “The Whig Rose and the Democrat Rose…were planned for political quilts. They came into existence during the Harrison-Tyler campaign [of 1840].” The name Whig comes to us from England. Although today we hear a ring of pomposity, Whigs viewed themselves as populists supporting a strong Congress in the face of autocratic Presidents, particularly Democrat Andrew Jackson.