Ebony and Ivory: A Remembrance, Carol Beck

1847: The S. M. Comstock Company is formed in Ivoryton, Connecticut. Along with the Pratt, Read Company of Deep River, Connecticut, it will become a world-leading importer of “white gold”—ivory tusks from Africa—producing keys for every piano and organ company in the world. Many African men, women, and children will die while harvesting elephant tusks and transporting them to the shorelines to be loaded onto ivory trade ships.
The demand for ivory will continue to expand until the early 20th century. This quilt remembers the many elephants and African slaves who died as a result of two Connecticut companies.