1851 Ellen Calder's Presentation Quilt
date: label: Date made
content: 1851
name: label: user
content: Calder, Ellen Winebrenner
label: quilters
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania friends of Ellen Winebrenner Calder presented this quilt to her in 1851. It was a farewell present for Ellen, a young bride, who was accompanying her husband, Rev. James K. Calder to Fuh-Chua, China. They worked under difficult circumstances in China for two years as missionaries for the Methodist Episcopal Church before returning to the United States. Ellen Calder, born in 1824, died in 1858 at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. She is buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery.
label: Description
content: This cotton quilt consists of 36 blocks appliquéd with a fleur-de-lis motif often used by religious groups for presentation pieces. In the center circle of each block is penned a name and on many the place and date as well. Also penned on the quilt are a few pertinent religious inscriptions such as:
label: Description
content: "When on the bounding wave,
label: Description
content: Or in a Heathen land,
label: Description
content: May God in Mercy Save,
label: Description
content: And guide you by the hand.
label: Description
content: And when your labors cease,
label: Description
content: And you no more must roam,
label: Description
content: May you return in peace,
label: Description
content: To your beloved home."
label: Description
content: In the mid nineteenth century the album or autograph quilt was a popular token of affection, often presented to someone leaving the community for a long journey or a new home far away.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Harrisburg
topic: label: Subject
content: Quilting
label: Subject
content: Church
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Family & Social Life
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content: Religion
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content: Textiles
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content: Quilts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. Laura Calder Stonebreaker
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T08114
label: accession number
content: 144655
label: catalog number
content: T08114
objectType: label: Object Name
content: quilt
label: Object Type
content: quilts
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric, cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: thread, cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: filling, cotton (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 86 in x 85 in; 218 cm x 216 cm