The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-11
An AUTOGRAPH QUILT.
The Boa atirul work 90 n Diunsapcns t+ady
Now on Exhibition.
INfnneopoiis Tribune


The Bea atiful Work % a Minneapolis LADY
Now on Exhibition.
Minneapolis Tribune
II 1878 Mrs. Z. SchofeId Wright, wife OF
Mr.. IL, T. Wright, paymaster of the ST Louis
and Minneapolis railroad, undertook, for her
own amusement and satisfaction, q task st
once fnll OF pleasure and difficulty. Being
the daughter of q gentleman whose bIslness
and social relations brought him into con.
tact with prominent men I'm this city and
Europe, and having met many celebrities
herself, she conceived the idea OF q souvenir
which should be q lasting remembrance OF
these people and one which she could hand
down TO her children. Her father wss born
in Fremont hall, near Leeds, Yorkshire, Eng
land, q house made famous by Charlotte
Bronte in her novel shirley" Her god.
father was one of the originals OF q well
known character in that work.
The idea which Mrs. Wright conceived
was that Of constructing an autograph Quilt
the patches of which should bear the auto
graph and some appropriate sentiment OF
the distinguished people whom her father
knew, ana of her own friends and acquaint-
snces, or those OF them who occupied a
prominent place in the public mind.
She began by sending q small piece OF silk
to Clara Louise Kellogg, with q request for
that lady's autograph, and was encouraged
upon finding that her request had been com-
piled with, Her next venture was q note
with the silk enclosure TO Miss Annie Louise
Cary, and again she received q satisfactory
return. From that time on she continued
TO solicit, either personally or through her
father, w. II. Schofield, ESQ, the autographs
which she desired.
Her method at first was to send simply q
small scrap of silK large enough for q patch.
In requesting from Colonel Mapleson and
bis wife. Marie Roze Mapleson, their auto-
c~,.ob, .,,I SH.aa 81 4ho laodfpu Aova of
Her Najesty's Opera company, she sent
about q quter of q yard OF silk. Colonel
Mspleson and MS agreeable little wife signed
their pames on the silk, with good wishes for
the lady who had requested ii, but Gesster.
seeing the name OF Marie Roze already
it. She afteaward felt better na-
tured about it and signed, however. This
taught Mrs. Wr CHIT a lesson. From that
time on she enclosed tho patches already
blocked, acknowledged, so that the. person
asked TO sign could do so Understandings
and without seeing any other signatures,
But Rev. Henry W. Thompas, Chicago's
well-khown preacher, who was tiled for
heresy and found guilty by the Methodist
| Episcopal Church q few years ago, deliber-
ately turned over the patch upon its back,
and wrote his signature IN the paper block
inside 8H= 80 .....
Mrs. Wright had many humorous and
| curious experiences while MAKING the col
lection. She found it quite difficult to Sc
cure Henry Ward Beecher's autograph, al
though" she said, he gives it willingly to
dealers in soap" but it came at last. Queen
Victoria sent a letter through her Lord
Chancellor, Sir Henry P%oDsonby. The Prince
| of Wales wrote through his private Secretary,
and the Bank of England sent q note with
out an autograph, the Old Lady OF Thread
needle street" being rather particular about
her signature.
But, Notwithstanding the delays, difficul-
! ties ard little annoyances which the lady
| the quilt, as completed. bears 192 autographs
| Of prominent and distinguished people liz
| all parte OF the world.
patches, Mrs. Wright began to put them to-
eether. She had taken the precaution TO
nave sent out patches in shades and colors.
SO that when all were collected they would
all be tastefully grouped in diamonds, the
statesmen, ministers, actors, etc., occupying
! groups by themselves. The colors used in
the quilt are OF necessity light and delicate,
being shades OF cream, pink and blue-all OF
q very mild tint. These are blended beau
| tifully, ard are separated and intermixed
with etchiDgs in India ink, of which there
are sixty-fouT, all OF them Mrs. Wrights
work. The border is cream-colored silk,
n d.painted, by the gifted lady, in flowers
| OF natural color. The dimensions of the
quilt, as completed. are 61x66 inches.
Mrs. Wright has been prevailed upon to
! send this elegant and interesting piece of
work to the worlds fair at New Orleans, al
though she was adverse to doing 90 for some
time.