1926 James Cunningham's Appliqued Bedcover
date: label: Date made
content: 1926
name: label: quilter
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: This bedcovering and two matching pillowcases were made in China in the 1920s. Rev. Alexander Cunningham, a Presbyterian minister in China at the time, sent them to the United States on the birth of his nephew, James Cunningham, in 1926. Twenty 7¾-inch square blocks of white and blue cottons are framed by a white border. The white squares have appliquéd figures depicting various childhood activities such as fishing, juggling, leaping, and ball play. The animated appliquéd figures are made of overlapping blue circles, and all wear hats.
label: Description
content: Alexander Cunningham was born March 13, 1861, in Murrayville, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1887 and McCormick Theological Seminary in 1890. In that same year he married Mary E. Neely, and they left for China to become missionaries. Assigned to the Presbyterian North China Mission, they were active missionaries in China from 1890 to 1933, and after retirement continued to live in China until 1940. After fifty years as missionaries, they returned to California on the eve of World War II. Alexander Cunningham died in Los Angeles, California, on September 20, 1943. This appliquéd bedcovering with matching pillowcases may be the product of a mission where Rev. Alexander Cunningham served.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: China
topic: label: Subject
content: Quilting
label: Subject
content: Children
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: Nancy Cunningham MacDonald
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.0676.01
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0676.01
label: accession number
content: 1986.0676
objectType: label: Object Name
content: quilt
label: Object Name
content: cover, child's bedcover
label: Object Type
content: quilts
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric, cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: thread, cotton (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 42 in x 35 in; 107 cm x 89 cm