American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts 04/13/11 - Freeman's ...

79free≤an’samerican furniture, folk & decorative arts04/13/11316Fine appliqued and pieced cotton presentation quiltprobably made by rachel a. allen, new egypt, new jersey,dated july 19, 1844Comprised of cut-out flowers, birds, and floral sprays of roller-printedimported furnishing fabric and pieced squares of leaves and compasses inprinted cottons, within three sided scalloped printed cotton border, thesquares bearing signatures of men and women from the Shinn, Emley,Oliphant, Brick, Borden, Waln, Biddle, Morrell, Allen, Jobes, and Newboldfamilies, from Pleasant Hill, Camden, Manahawken, New Egypt, New Jersey,Philadelphia, and New York.97 1/2 in. x 103 in.provenance:Descended in the Waln family of Philadelphia and New Jersey to the presentowner. Many of the prominent and affluent families represented on the quiltwere connected by marriage. Most were Quaker. Album quilts became verypopular in the 1840’s. The use of imported chinz appliques was especiallyfashionable in the mid Atlantic states. This quilt is related to a well knownquilt in the collection of the Museum of American Folk Art believed to havebeen worked by Sarah Morrell. Her name also appears on this quilt. Thequilts share similarily worked diamond enclosed appliqued squares andsome signatures. The Morrell quilt is illustrated in Elizabeth Warren’s“Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum” (2010).$4,000-6,000