wholecloth chintz quilted bedcover, unknown maker from the United States

Exhibition Label:
"Quilts! Imported Fabrics, American Treasures," May-2004, Barbara Brackman
The colors in these early quilts are natural dyes, derived from plants or minerals. Dyers using natural dyes could not produce a fast green, but they developed techniques to fool the eye. Note that the printer overprinted the leaves, placing yellow and blue atop one another to produce green.

Fabric mills used a variety of processes to print fabrics. This floral seems to combine methods. The figures - the roses and scrolls - were probably printed with carved wooden blocks, a technique dating back centuries. The ground, the background behind the figures, was probably printed with newer copper rollers. Prints featuring fancy grounds were the height of fashion in the early nineteenth century. Quilts like this, made of a single print, are called “Whole-Cloth” quilts. This one has corners cut out for a bed with posts. It may have been made to match hangings and drapes in a bedroom.