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Baltimore Album Quilt: Part II

Additional Information about $58,000 Quilt and Photos

written by Patricia Cummings

photos formatted for the web by James Cummings

Photographer: John Glenfield

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In response to the many letters we received after uploading a file entitled, “Baltimore Album Quilts Sells for $58,000.” we have decided to provide additional photos. The other file was too full to consider adding more load time to that one, so we are posting a second article.

Above, lovely pink, red, and white roses and stylized morning glory flowers spring from a vase made from blue ombre fabric while a multi-colored, moth-like, butterfly, and a pink-bodied hummingbird descend toward the blooms. Notice that the wings of the bird and the upper wings of the butterfly are both constructed with brown ombre fabric. Some of the leaves, that are composed of both brown and green, also feature the same color.

The technique of reverse appliqué is used to delineate the petals of the sole, red, rose. Brown ink has been applied to portray rose thorns, and details of the rose buds. In the center of the block, a yellow flower provides a bright spot. The color is repeated, to a small degree, in the butterfly, the bird, and for the centers of some of the roses. Note the little four-petal flower in the center of the yellow rose. It matches the spray at the bottom left, and you will see it reoccur in subsequent blocks shown here.

Tied Bouquet

The tied bouquet is very unusual in that it is not contained within a vase or urn, as is usually the case. Again, the white, gauze-like, transparent roses appear.

Those same, small, four petal, beige flowers that were seen at the bottom left of the previous block, are on view here again, at the top, sans foliage.

Blue ombre fabric has been employed in this block for some of the flowers and for the “ribbon” which holds the three stems together. There is a nice balance of visual weight to this block which seems to be cemented into place by the largest rose that is located at the lower center. The curved leaves are dramatic and give the block a sense of high style.

Beribboned Basket Block

Shaded, brown, ombre fabric is again on call here in this beautiful basket. Notice the little beige flowers yet again, on the lower far right. They seem to have been a perennial favorite in the quilter's flower arrangements. Repetition of even small design elements aid in giving continuity to an art object, and that is exactly what this quilt is: art. In William Rush Dunton's book, Old Quilts, he makes reference to the term "peasant art." If this is an example of peasant art, then we need more peasants!

Bird with Olive Branch

Have you noticed a trend yet? In this block, we again see the use of white roses that are transparent, reverse appliqué for the solid fabric, red rose, brown ombre fabric for the entire bird and that same recurrent pink chintz fabric that is added as an accent to the rose at center bottom. We also see more reverse appliqué here at the far right, top. Curiously, there is one blue leaf included among all the other green leaves in the sprig that the bird is carrying. Did that have any symbolic significance to the quilter, or did she just run out of green fabric?

Cornucopia

Another cornucopia (of four) contains inked rosebuds, the use of both pink and red colors together in the same rosebud, a red rose whose petals are made by use of reverse appliqué, and which has a yellow center, brown ombre fabric, and yellow used as an accent color throughout. Notice the heart shape flowers on the left. They also utilize portions of the pink chintz, with lines, that is repeated in many of the quilts' blocks.

Grapes/Oak Leaves Block

A partial wreath is composed of (split) oak leaves, and bunches of grapes, often a symbol of Christ, that was added by the Methodist women who primarily made these Baltimore Album quilts, that were often signed.

The block has an autumn look except for the isolated pair of roses and flowers that appear in the center. The three-loop bow, accented with the little beige flower again, in the bow's center, is a customary motif of designer, Mary Simon.

Harp Block

The harp is certainly a common design element of Baltimore Album quilts. This block is unusual because of its many dark blue roses. Again, we see the repeated use of brown ombre fabric in the harp itself, one gauze-like rose, and the same recurrent, little four petal beige flower, used this time for the centers of five of the roses that are presented in deep pink, blue, yellow, and white.

One of the most interesting parts of examining the overall quilt is to see how the quilter adapted the same fabric to different uses. The skill used in making this quilt is impressive by anyone's standards.

The Readers' Turn

Ideas About the “Waltham Finish” Stamp

In the meantime, several readers have weighed in on the question of the mysterious mark on the back of the quilt, “Waltham Finish.” Joan Kiplinger says this, “I have a hunch this was a slight calendering or glaze given to muslin to give it a sheen or low luster, as many early muslins had that type of finish.”

She adds that the name “Waltham” could refer to the person who developed the finish, the name of the mill, the converter. In researching her upcoming book on Indian Head cloth, the name “Waltham” kept reappearing. She further states: In 1814, the Boston Manufacturing Company, spearheaded by Francis Cabot Lowell, his brother in law, Patrick Tracy Jackson, and business associate, Nathan Appleton, was the first to successfully gather all the steps of converting raw wool into cloth into one operation under one roof in Waltham, Massachusetts. It was often referred to as the Waltham Plan or the Waltham textile factory system.

Rachael Kinnison, owner of the Lady's Repository Museum of Fashion in southern Colorado, said this, “About the stamp on the back of the MacCullough block, I'm pretty sure it is a mill mark~ these were common on cottons at the beginning/end of a bolt, for identification. This could be a very valuable mark, if original (I'm not exactly sure where the placement is), one could research this mill, and find out where the backing fabric came from.”

Credits

The same thank-you's are in place for this second part of the article, as for the first. John Glenfield took some great photos, and Jeanne Glenfield was thoughtful enough to send them. It is wonderful to have people in our lives who bring out the best in us, and believe in what we can do. Thanks, Jeanne, for being a supportive friend.

Thanks also to Joan Kiplinger and to Rachael Kennison for their prompt responses about "Waltham Finish." 

Thanks to Jim Cummings for his patient work with all of these photos, adjusting them so that they appear to their best advantage. He is a tireless friend and helpmate. I appreciate all that he does.

In the field of textiles, we are all students. Only through our collective sharing can we begin to know and understand the high standards that were set forth centuries ago, for quilters of today.
 

Visit our other articles on Baltimore Quilt history:

Baltimore Album Quilts: Timeless Beauties

Baltimore Album Quilt Sells for $58,000.

Baltimore Album Quilt-picture of the whole quilt.

To see some newly-made quilts in the Baltimore Album style please see this show review for "A Quilter's Gathering" - 2005.
 

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