1839 Frances M. Jolly's Quilt Top
date: label: Date made
content: 1839
name: label: quilter
content: Jolly, Frances M.
notes: label: Description
content: The embroidered inscription “Frances M Jolly 1839” graces the center medallion of this quilt top. This signed and dated silk-and-wool-embroidered quilt top came from an African American family, and the maker, Frances M. Jolly, was said to be an ancestor of one of the donor’s grandparents. The family, of whom little else is known, is said to have lived in Massachusetts and moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina.
label: Description
content: A 37½-inch black square set diagonally in the center with red corner triangles is the focal point of this quilt top. It is surrounded by three borders: a 9-inch black, a 10-inch orange, and an 11-inch black. Appliquéd flowers, leaves, and vines embellished with braid and embroidery decorate the surface.
label: Description
content: The edges of the appliquéd motifs are not turned under, but are held in place by buttonhole stitching in matching or near-matching thread colors. Silk or cotton threads are used for securing the appliqué motifs, stitching, and the embroidery, except for the inscription, which is chain-stitched in red wool. The quilt has both hand and machine stitching. The outer two borders are machine-stitched, indicating that they were joined after 1860 when sewing machines became common in households. Wool fabrics are used for both the pieced sections and the appliquéd motifs. Wool and silk braid and silk ribbon contribute to the overall design.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: North Carolina
topic: label: Subject
content: Quilting
label: Subject
content: African American
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Textiles
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content: Domestic Furnishings
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content: Quilts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Joy Powell Davis
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1983.0241.01
label: catalog number
content: 1983.0241.01
label: accession number
content: 1983.0241
objectType: label: Object Name
content: quilt
label: Object Type
content: quilts
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric, wool, cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: thread, silk, cotton (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 105 in x 102 in; 267 cm x 259 cm