Quilts in Everyday Life, 1855-1955: A 100-Year Photographic History
Janet E. Finley's new book Quilts In Everyday Life, 1855-1955: A 100-Year Photographic History, arrived this morning! An amazing collection of photographs. I, too, actively pursued these in the 1990s and found some really neat ones, but they are so few and far between that it's difficult to imagine a collection of this size. She makes it so much fun by writing one or two paragraphs with each, and sometimes more. A book full of history, and a book that's just plain fun to turn pages. So glad I added it to my overflowing library of quilt history books. - --Wilene SmithThere have been books on vintage photographs and postcards, and there have been books on antique quilts. But now the topics have been combined and the result is exceptional. Quilts in Everyday Life, 1855-1955 by Janet Finley offers more than 330 images that capture the rich heritage of quilt-making in an impressive way. --Robert Reed, Antique and Collectible News Service, Knightstown, INIn years past, women were not encouraged to pursue the fine arts. So they put their artistry into everyday crafts, and quilts were at the top of the list. Women could have stitched together huge blocks of fabric to make bed coverings, but instead, they cut their scraps into shapes and fitted them together to make intricate designs.Janet E. Finley, former executive director of the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, CO, has collected these photographs for a decade. She's searched the internet, haunted antiques shops and leaned on friends to put together what may be the largest collection of quilt photographs in the country. These photographs are rare, so the book is a treasure for both historians and quilters. --Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post