Baltimore Album Quilts originated in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, in the 1840s. They have become one of the most popular styles of

quilt A quilt is a multi-layered textile, traditionally composed of two or more layers of fabric or fiber. Commonly three layers are used with a filler material. These layers traditionally include a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding, a ...

s and are still made today. These quilts are made up of a number of squares called blocks. Each block has been

appliqué Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...

d with a different design. The designs are often floral, but many other motifs are also used, such as eagles and landmarks. They have a background of white and incorporate many primary colors such as reds, greens and blues.

History of the album quilt

In the beginning, these quilts of appliquéd blocks were often designed by the maker. In time, patterns by accomplished designers were used. Baltimore Album Quilts reflected the prosperous community of

, the second largest city in the United States until the civil war, as most were made not with scraps, but with new fabric. Improvements in fabric manufacture and dying provided new colors that were incorporated into the album designs. As the popularity of this quilt style grew, women far beyond Baltimore began making these album quilts. Most Baltimore Album quilts were signed. The discovery of an indelible ink made it possible to ink flowery poetry and sayings along with a signature on each block. It appears making these quilts were especially popular with young women. Many included blocks each made by a different person. The complexity of the designs of the blocks demonstrated the skill and taste of the maker. Many hours were devoted to the creation of each of these quilts, and many were carefully preserved as family heirlooms. The largest collection of Baltimore Album quilts can be found at the

Maryland Historical Society The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), formerly the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), . founded on March 1, 1844, is the oldest cultural institution in the U.S. state of Maryland. The organization "collects, preserves, and inte ...

in Baltimore's historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood. There, over 10,750 textiles including the quilts, are preserved with other samplers and embroideries.

Selected works

File:Baltimore Album Memorial Quilt LACMA AC1992.65.1.jpg, Baltimore Album quilt, c. 1848, collection of the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

. Image:Album Crib Quilt.jpg, An Album Crib Quilt (c. 1850), part of the collection at the

Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of ...

References

External links

Baltimore Museum of Art Textile CollectionBaltimore Album Quilt History and Research
*https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreAlbumQuilts
The Elly Sienkiewicz Appliqué AcademyBaltimore album quilts exhibition catalog

History of the album quilt

Selected works

References

External links

Further reading