Crazy Quilt, 1905
Florence Barton Loringexpand_more
Silk; piecing and embroidery; quiltedexpand_more
Gift of funds from Eleanor Atwater, Martha Atwater, Sandra Butler, Ellie Donovan, Suzanne H. Hodder, Anita Kunin, Laura Miles, Eleanor W. Reid and Kathleen Scottexpand_more 82.139
Not on Viewexpand_more
In the late 19th century a new type of quilt was introduced to an audience of eager quilters. Constructed from hundreds of small bits of cloth with no set design, the Crazy Quilt is aptly named. The random shapes and sizes of the fabric are much like pieces of a puzzle that the quilter painstakingly assembles and stitches together to form blocks. The Crazy Quilt was very fashionable during the Victorian era, when scraps of silks and velvets, many embroidered with floral or sentimental imagery, were stitched into quilts, each piece outlined with intricate embroidery stitches.
Florence Barton Loring was a prominent citizen of Minneapolis and the wife of Charles M. Loring, the "Father of the Park System" in Minneapolis. This quilt, believed to have been completed by 1905, is an embroidered biography of its maker. Each square references some aspect of Mrs. Loring's life, from her love of music, trees, birds and animals to tributes to her friends and family (see chart).
Details
- Title
- Crazy Quilt
- Artist Life
- (Minneapolis, Minnesota), died 1924
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 82.139
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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