01-002; Stitching a Block

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

Pair of hands stitching quilt in lap.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-003; Woman at sewing machine

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

Woman sitting at a sewing machine, sewing a quilt.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-004; The Traveling Photographer

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Original engraving from
The Illustrated London News
September 13, 1873
Engraving by Jenkin
"The Traveling Photographer"
Size: 9.75" x 12.5"

The photographer is busy focusing his view camera on a wealthy young mother in a bustling gown, with child. Her mustachioed husband, in a uniform with a cane, stands by, while a second young daughter holds their third child. Two curious boys, likely street urchins (one holds a broom), watch the proceedings, one staring intently at the photographer, whose head is under a dark cloth used to allow the photographer to view a dim, upside-down image on the camera's ground glass focusing screen. The photographer's assistant stands at the photographer's side, ready with camera plate holder loaded with plates covered with photographic emulsion, prepared for the purpose of capturing the portrait. A wealthy grandfather in a fine top hat watches over the proceedings with a look of admiration flanked by his wife, apparently the grandmother of the young model and the great-grandmother of the children. A beggar woman with an expression of helplessness is about to approach the grandfather. A baby carriage rests at the side. The photographer's portable darkroom/wagon, used for loading and processing plates, includes a sign "PICTURES 1 SHILLING EACH."

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-005; Woman and Child with Tied Comforter

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Portrait of woman sitting in chair with child standing next to her. Quilt is hung as background for portrait. Photo is taken outdoors.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-006; Grama with Tied Comforter

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Woman standing in front of brick wall holding her tied quilt made from suiting and wool scraps on display. Photo taken outdoors. "Grama" is inscribed at the bottom of the photo.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-007; Baby in a Highchair

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Baby sitting in highchair with quilt as backdrop. Photo taken outdoors.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-008; Man Standing in Front of a Quilt

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Man standing in front of Lost Children patterned quilt as backdrop. Photo taken outdoors.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-009; Woman Sitting in Front of a Woven Coverlet

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Tintype Portrait
Photographer: Unknown

Portrait of woman sitting in front of woven coverlet as backdrop.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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01-010; Woman, Boy and Man in a Victorian Parlor

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Interior shot of Victorian parlor with woman, boy, and man all seated. Woman has quilt on her lap.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-001; Portrait of a Gentleman

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Ambrotype c. 1855-1859
Photographer: Isaac Rehn, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Size: Fourth Plate (3.125" x 4.125")

The earliest example of a quilt in my collection is of an 1850s gentlemen posing for his studio portrait. He is sitting in a chair with his right arm resting on a table covered with a quilt or quilt top consisting of a pattern of pieced squares in striped and plain contrasting fabrics. The gentleman's cheeks and lips are colored in a light pink blush. Since this was an expensive process, done by hand application, only small areas were chosen for tinting. Rehn, a Philadelphia photographer (1849-1860s), is one of the more interesting figures in the ambrotype era. Rehn first appeared in the Philadelphia city directories in 1845 as a painter, but, in 1849, he turned to photography and travelled to Boston to partner with James A. Cutting, a renowned early daguerreotypist. Rehn and Cutting succeeded in filing for patents for their ambrotype process July 4th and 11th, 1854. Rehn is credited for introducing and producing the first ambrotypes in Philadelphia. In addition, Rehn was active in the spiritualist movement as the spiritualists connected the luminous process of the ambrotype with spiritualism. When this ambrotype was popped out of its case, glued to the back was a message from I. Rehn about the ambrotype process and his patent announcement.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-003; Young Man, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Melainotype Tintype c. 1856
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

A young man, dressed in an ornate vest and cravat, is lying post mortem, covered with an Eight Pointed Star quilt while a second quilt, pieced in rectangles and half-square triangles, is seen beneath him.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-005; Bearded Gentleman

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

UnCased Tintype c. 1860
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

The photograph shows a bearded gentleman whose left arm is resting on a table covered with a quilt or quilt top. The gentleman's cheeks are hand-tinted.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-006; Child, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Tintype c. 1860
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Fourth Plate (3.125" x 4.125")

Post mortem children are most commonly staged in their bed, on a parlor's chaise lounge, or in the child's wicker carriage. In this tintype image, dark bars of fabric separate the quilt's pieced columns, made up of Four Patch blocks set on-point.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-008; Infant, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Tintype c. 1860-1867
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

Whether a boy or girl, this infant's identity remains a mystery. Unfortunately, only about ten percent of the images in the collection have any identifying information such as a name, let alone a geographical location. The quilt block is composed of four equal sections divided into half-square triangles consisting of light and dark fabrics arranged in a Pinwheel pattern. The name the quiltmaker chose for her block will also remain unknown as quilt pattern names changed throughout the decades.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-009; Young Child Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1862-1870
Photographer: G. W. Barnes, Rockford, Illnois
Size: 2.5" x 4"

Sometime in the 1860s, in Rockford Illinois, a young child passed away and the unbearable event was immortalized by photographer G.W. Barnes. What looks like a patchwork quilt on top of the baby, on closer examination, is probably a fringed textile, like a shawl. I did include this image because of its rarity and becuase it represents an attempt on the part of the maker to create the look of a patchwork quilt.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-011; Young child, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Tintype, dated 1863
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Fourth Plate (3.125" x 4.125")

Civil War era post mortem photographs with a quilt are rare. A Four Patch quilt is draped behind this sweet child. When the tintype is popped out of its case to reveal the interior, the date, 1863, along with $2-1/2 -- 5.00 (presumably the photographer's bill) is found written on the back. The child has tinted cheeks.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-014; Stella Lorena Michael, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Ambrotype, dated 1863
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

Post mortem ambrotypes are rare. When I popped the image out of the case, I was suprised to find a lock of hair along with a pencil written note inside the case stating: "Mamma's little daughter. Stella Lorena Michael died Sept. 1st, 1863 Aged 1 year 2 mo & 5 days." Stella Lorena is lying in her cradle, her hand resting on her baby quilt, and looking as if taking her afternoon nap. The quilt consists of large dark squares, set on-point, separating the pieced lighter squares. The block pattern for the lighter squares is difficult to discern.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-016; Toddler in a Carriage

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1864-1871
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.5" x 4"

This Civil War era toddler is poswed in a two-wheeled carriage with its handle in front, so mother and baby are facing. Draped in the carriage is an unusual patchwork spread that has a bold checkered design of contrasting squares. The pointed edges are accented with atached yarn tassels.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-017; Corporal Edward Maley

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1865-1868
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.5" x 4"

Corporal Edward Maley was only 18 years old hen he enlisted as a private in the 11th Regiment, US Infantry (Regular Army), Company B on August 2, 1865 in Troy, New York. Soon enough, his company was sent to Louisiana to support the Union's 19th Army. On August 12, 1868, his term of service expired, and he was discharged at Alexandria, Louisiana, leaving service as a Corporal. The "quilt" on the table is most likely the photography studio's prop. When I magnified the "quilt" on the table, I saw what looked like weaving. It became obvious that this is a woven coverlet and not a quilt.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-018; Young Woman with Album Quilt

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1865-1869
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.5" x 4"

This unidentified young woman's hand rests on her Album Block quilt, which is set-off by a solid color fabric border or sashing. The center of her Album Quilt block is in a muslin fabric perfect for writing autographs, verses, and drawings, although the quilt in this rare carte appears to be untouched. The young woman with braided hair is wearing a hooped skirt dress and a decorative apron.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-019; Two Women Seated at a Singer Sewing Machine

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Tintype c. 1865-1869
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

This rare Cased Tintype shows two hoop skirted young women seated at their Singer New Family Model 12 sewing machine. The seller said the image came from an estate sale in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and the family's name was Whitehouse.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-020; Anna Cornelia Alleman, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1868-1869
Photographer: P.S. Weaver, Hanover, Pennsylvania
Size: 2.5" x 4"

Little Anna Cornelia was born January 17, 1865. She lived 3 or 4 short years before passing away sometime in 1868 or 1869. Anna rests peacefully under her mother's appliqued leaf quilt. The photograph came to me in a carte de visite album filled with children's images from the Alleman family. The name "Father Alleman" is inscribed in pencil on this particular album page. The Allman, of German decent, were among the early settlers in the area. Horace Alleman received his medical degree from Gettysburg's Pennsylvania College. On Aril 16, 1847, he married Rebecca B. Winnemore, also a native of Lancaster County. The union produced 10 children, five of whom survived to adulthood. In 1859, Horace and Rebecca settled in Hanover, Pennsylvania (14 miles from Gettysburg), where Dr. Alleman practiced medicine for the next thirty years. The Battle of Hanover took place on June 30, 1863. During a lull in the fighting, after the first charge, the citizens carried the dead and injured from Hanover's streets. Dr. Alleman was one of the local physicians attending the eleven killed and forty-four wounded.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-023; Little Girl in Child's Arm Chair

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Ambrotype c. 1870
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Ninth Plate (2" x 2.5")

A quilt was hung as a backdrop. The quilt consists of Four Patch blocks alternating with chintz fabric blocks.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-025; Infant, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1870-1875
Photographer: E.T. Brigham, Dover, New Hampshire
Size: 2.5" x 4"

E. T. Brigham, at one time or another, operated as a photographer in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Dover, Lebanon, and Wolfboro, New Hampshire. The photographer's backmark on this CDV states that his post mortem was taken in New Hampshire. The quilt's modern block name is Broken Dishes.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-027; Two Girls Doing Needlework

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

UnCased Tintype c. 1870-1875
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

One girl is holding yarn, and the other is sewing Four Block quilt squares, some of which are still on her lap. A pieced quilt or quilt top is at her feet, and her spool of thread is on the table along with her sewing box. The quilt displayed on the floor appears to be made from a variety of fabrics alternating with plain muslin squares.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-028; Toddler Sitting on a Quilt

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1870-1879
Photographer: M. Jensen, Ephraim, Utah
Size: 2.5" x 4"

The child is posed on a pieced quilt that has patterned fabric alternating with large plain blocks, Ephraim, Utah (Sanpete County), was first settled by Mormons in 1854. M. Jensen was one of this small town's first photographers. Long legged marsh birds appears on several of the quilt blocks.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-030; Portrait of a Girl

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Sleeved Tintype c. 1875-1880
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

A young girl is sitting in front of an elaborately pieced quilt used as a backdrop in lieu of a studio photographer's painted backdrop. The quilt appears to be chintz fabric squares set on-point with an intricately pieced sashing conisting of half-square triangles. Her bow (or lappet) is hand colored pink.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-031; Portraits of an Elderly Couple

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

UnCased Tintype c. 1875-1885
Photographer: Unknown
Size: Sixth Plate (2.625" x 3.25")

What the quiltmaker called this pieced star block is not known, but by the end of the nineteenth century, the Ladies' Art Company, founded in St. Louis by H. M. Brockstedt and credited as the first mail-order quilt pattern company, called this block a Hexagonal Star. Pattern companies have been known to give quilt patterns new names upon publication.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-033; 100th Birthday of Mrs. Phoebe Peck

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card, dated 1880
Photographer: L.B. Melven, Westfield, New York
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Mrs. Phoebe Peck is the name noted on the Cabinet Card's verso (as shown) along with the information that Mrs. Peck was photographed on August 2, 1880, on the celebration of her one-hundredth birthday. Mrs. Peck has quite a family history. She was born Phoebe Wilkinson on August 1, 1780, in Saratoga, New York, of Scottish and English heritage. She met and married Gideon Peck (marriage date is not known) in Greenwich, Connecticut. Gideon, born January 5, 1775, resided in Westfield, New York, at the time of 1830 and 1840 Federal Census. He was a descendent of William Peck, who came to America on the good ship Hector arriving at Boston Harbor in 1637. Gideon died in 1847, making Phoebe a widow of thirty-three years at the time of the photograph. Phoebe and Gideon had a son, Harvey, who was listed in the 1880 Federal Census as a sewing machine salesman. The census also noted that Phoebe was living with Harvey's family by 1880. Apparently, the photographer, Mr. Melven, came to the Harvey Peck residence as the background is not the painted backdrop found in studios but the interior of a private residence, most likely the Peck's parlor. Phoebe lived another three years, dying on July 4, 1884, at the age of 103. She was buried in the East Ripley Cemetary at Ripley, New York. The quilt is composed of pieced bars separated by dark bars of a dotted fabric very popular in the 1860s. I have a feeling she made this quilt in that era. Since her son sold sewing machines, Mrs. Peck, then in her 80s, probably used a sewing machine in the quilt's construction. I would like to think Mrs. Peck made this quilt and placed it in her photograph to announce she enjoyed quilt making all her life.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-035; Young Boy, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1880-1885
Photographer: H.S. Deibert, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania
Size: 2.5" x 4"

This CDV's beautiful backmark shows that H. S. Deibert advertised himself as a "Photographic Artist," and, as an artist, he succeeded in tastefully portraying this tragic portrait of a young boy lying post mortem on the family's pieced quilt comprised of diamond shaped patches. Harry S. Deibert was 56 year old in the 1890 Federal Census and listed as a photographer in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. Records indicate he was practicing his trade in the area as early as 1864.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-037; Portrait of a Young Girl

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

UnCased Tintype c. 1880-1885
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.625" x 3.25"

A traveling photographer most likely took this portrait of a young girl seated before a quilt she or a member of her family made. The quilt is hung on wooden large planked vertical siding in lieu of a studio painted backdrop, and the subject is seated outdoors as evidenced by the ground covering. The quilt's printed fabric squares are set on-point with a printed fabric sashing and setting squares throughout.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-038; Double Irish Chain in a Farmhouse Window

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

UnCased Tintype c. 1880-1889
Photographer: Unknown
Size: One-half Plate (5" x 7")

Summertime and the upstairs bedroom window of this 1880s farmhouse is open to any passing breeze, giving us the opportunity to peek inside and see the Double Irish Chain quilt occupying the bed. The identities of this family grouping and where the photograph was taken will, unfortunately, remain unknown.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-039; Baby, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1880-1890
Photographer: A. & W. Millard, Horwich, United Kingdom
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

This is a compelling post mortem photograph of a baby, with tinted checks, covered in a silk quilt. The photograph was taken in Horwich, England, which is in the greater Manchester area of the United Kingdom. The Cabinet Card's backmark, as shown, is exceptionally beautiful. The silk quilt covering baby is constructed in a Tumbling Block pattern also commonly called Baby Blocks. If you look carefully, you can see a secondary star pattern emerging. Up to the mid-nineteenth century, most quilts were made of cotton or wool because silk was expensive and considered a fabric for the wealthy. Silk quilts have been dated back to the 1840s and were popularly made of one geometric form such as a hexagon or Mosaic, a diamond, or a rectangle (as in Log Cabin). The little baby's silk quilt is composed of sixty degree diamonds. Silk quilts were not expected to be used but were treated as display quilts. Hanging in the background is a pieced one patch quilt in two colors. The baby's cheeks are tinted.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-041; Julia Moore, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card, dated 1883
Photographer: T.P. Garrett, Bloomington, Illinois
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

With information gleaned from geneaology records, the mother, Julia Moore, was 23 at the time her baby Julia passed away on August 28, 1883, at 8 months of age, in Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois. Carlinville lies southwest of Bloomington, Illinois. Thomas P. Garrett was considered one of the most skillful photographers of Bloomington. His portrait studio was located at No. 221 North Main Street. A native of Delaware, born to Quaker farming parents, Thomas remained at home until he was sixteen years old. After completing his primary studies, he attended the Normal School for three years and then went to Wilmington, Delaware, and learned photography. At the age of eighteen, on July 10, 1864, he enlisted and served in the 1st Delaware Artillery until the end of the Civil War. He resumed his photography profession in the ensuing years in Kansas, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before settling, in 1879, in Bloomington, Illinois. He married, had children, and remained in Bloomington in his chosen profession the remainder of his life.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-042; Portrait of a Victorian Girl

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1883-1886
Photographer: Conly, Boston, Massachusetts
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

A lovely Victorian girl poses for her portrait at Conly's Portraits in Boston, Massachusetts. The photographer very tastefully poses her on a textile that at first glace appears to be a Crazy quilt. On closer examination, this studio prop throw, with its tasseled dark velvet edge and silk stitchery surrounding a brocade-style upholstery insert, is not a Crazy quilt, but it does represent this particular photographer's response and recognition of the importance of the Crazy quilt in this time period. Charles F. Conley was a Boston photographer from 1877-1882 when he went by the spelling of "Conley." Then, in 1883, he dropped the "e" in his name and continued to take photos from 1883-1899.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-044; Portrait of Baby Allen

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card, dated 1884
Photographer: H.W. Bray, Assumption, Illinois
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Nestled against a highly decorated Crazy quilt, Baby Allen is dressed in his christening gown for his first portrait. This is his great-grandmother's Crazy quilt embellished with embroidered eight pointed flowers, vines, and leaves. Arranged in plain sight for posterity to record is a signature block, whose writing states, "Made for Baby Allen by his great grandmother aged 75. Made in 1884." On each side of the signature quilt are found odd-shaped fabrics applied to the quilt with a blanket stitch around the outside edges. The images depicted in embroidery thread are the popular Kate Greenaway children.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-045; Child, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1884-1886
Photographer: S. Luce, Lindsborg, Kansas
Size: 2.5" x 4"

Lindsborg, Kansas, is known as "Little Sweden." It was settled in the spring of 1869 by a group of Swedish immigrants from the Varmland province of Sweden who were led by their pastor, Olof Olsson. Today, Lindsborg still retains a 30 percent Swedish heritage. This little "Swedish" post mortem child was laid out in a full open casket, which was propped up on the family bed for this last endearing portrait. The bed's quilt is composed of eight-pointed star blocks. Rather than constructing all of the star's eight segments in four pieced diamonds, this quiltmaker chose to alternate the star's diamond sections with plain fabric sections to arrive at a stunningly complicated appearing star. The star block are set in a printed fabric sashing.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-047; Two Children and a Churn Dash Quilt

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

UnCased Tintype c. 1884-1886
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.625" x 3.25"

Two children are posed in front of a quilt made with a Churn Dash or Hole in the Barn Door block. Barbara Brackman, in her Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, lists over two dozen names for this popular block. The sashing found around the blocks in this quilt is unusual. Normally, sashing is seen as a solid piece of fabric that goes between the block and acts as a frame. Not every quilt will have sashing, but it is commonly used to give definition. This quilt's sashing appears to be composed of thin, narrow strips on each side of a wider strip, which must have been a challenge for the quiltmaker.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-048; Portrait of a Bride and Groom

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1884-1888
Photographer: A.F. Trone, Denison, Iowa
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

A Denison, Iowa, wedding takes place, sometime in the 1800s, in the family parlor, which is festooned with floral wreaths and flowers. The bride and groom are photographed by A. F. Trone. The table is draped with a Crazy quilt, typically found in Victorian parlors.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-050; Family Portrait

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1886
Photographer: C. Harner, Boone, Iowa
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

C. Harner advertised as a photographer, located at 327 S. Benton Street, Boone, Iowa, from 1885-1886. Printed in the Cabinet Card's backmark, as shown, is the phrase "Quick'RN A Wink." The studio's popular wicker carriage prop sports its shade umbrella in full open mode, and the obligatory Crazy quilt throw is fully dsiplayed. In my collection, this is the only Cabinet Card of wicker carriage babies photographed in a photographer's studio that show the infant accompanied by adult parents.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-052; Bedtime

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Albumen Print c. 1885-1889
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 4" x 5"

Photo of woman putting a young boy to bed. The bed is covered by a T Quilt in two colors.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-053; Baby and a Crazy Quilt

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1889
Photographer: Thornton Barrette, Ironton, Ohio
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

The photograh was taken by Irontown, Ohio, photographer, Thornton Barrette, who lavishly advertised on the card's beautiful backmark that his artistic photography studio specialized in the "instantaneous portraits of children." Diane Gagel, author of Ohio Photographers 1839-1900, has researched and found that Thornton Barrette was born in 1852 in Greenup County, Kentucky. He was a photographer in Ironton, on the corner of Second and Center Streets, from 1885-1889. Barrette also had a riverboat photography studio moored on the Ohio River at Russell, Kentucky, and known as the Barrette Portrait Company. Labeled as the "Mathew Brady of Ohio Riverboat Photographers," Barrette also collected photographs of riverboats. Thornton died in 1930 in Volusia County, Florida. The Crazy quilt most likely belonged to the baby's mother, as she would have been proud to display her fine needlework. The Crazy quilt contains an unusual fringed border.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-055; Baby in a Wicker Carriage

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1889
Photographer: Bowers, Brooklyn, New York
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

It is my contention that the wicker carriage and the Crazy quilt belonged to the studio and were frequently called upon as favorite props for baby's first photograph. Bowers, the photo-artist, is known as a Brooklyn photographer during the 1870-1880s. The studio was located at 340 Fulton Street, on the corner of Court Street and Fulton.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-057; Stree Scene, Quebec

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1890
Photographer: L.P. Vallee, Quebec, Canada
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Imagine being in Quebec sometime in the 1880s. You're walking down this narrow street in a working man's neighborhood underneath a canopy of overhead walkways and fluttering clotheslines. You turn the corner and suddenly this glorious quilt appears suspended above you. This is exactly what captured the attention of L. P. Vallee, a Canadian portrait and landscape photographer, and this is the Sous-le-Cap Street in Quebec's Lower Town.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-059; Young Child on a Fainting Couch

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1885-1892
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.5" x 4"

This beautiful Victorian child may or may not be a post mortem. The object of Victorian post mortem photography was to pose the deceased or gravely ill to appear as lifelike as possible as the parents wished to record what very well could prove to be their final opportunity to remember their treasured loved one. Quilts can never be relied on to date a photograph, the Victorian-era Crazy quilt being the one exception because of its abundant appearances during its heyday between 1880-1900. The Crazy quilt in this particular CDV shows a musical intstrument, shaped like a guitar, adorning a Crazy patch, yet the remaining patches are plain, which reflects the transition of the Crazy quilt from the very elaborate embroidered patches of the 1880s to more of a utility quilt found going into the early decades of the twentieth century.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-060; Ray and May

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1892
Photographer: E.E. Van Epps, Colby, Kansas
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Twins, Ray and May, are posed in the portrait studio of E. E. Van Epps, who operated out of Oberlin, Colby, and Hoxie, Kansas. Twins are rare in my collection, and rarer still are twins in a wicker twin stroller. The elaborate Crazy quilt contains silks and velvets, and appears to have been brought to the photography studio by their mother as it is large and propped in such a way as to display the quilt as much as the twins.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-061; Portrait of a Young Victorian Girl

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1892
Photographer: Prettyman & Pierce,Hartford City, Indiana
Size: 4" x 6" cut down mount

Tastefully posed for her studio portrait, this young Victorian is stylishly dressed and posed with a Crazy quilt. The little girl's Crazy quilt has a variety of feather and Herringbone stitches.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-062; Vaudeville Actress

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1892
Photographer: C. Casey, Dundee, Deerfield, and Petersburgh, Michigan
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Occupational Cabinet Cards are rare and much sought after by collectors. Here is a rare example depicting a vaudeville actress holding a tambourine, showing some cleavage, and wearing a costume constructed in the manner of the ever-popular Crazy quilt craze.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-063; Baby in a Wicker Carriage

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1892
Photographer: Myhre, Luverne, Minnesota
Size: 4.25" x 6.25"

Infants were commonly photographed in a portrait studio setting as nestled in an elaborate wicker carriage positioned in front of a painted backdrop. This particular carriage is adorned with a parasol and a Crazy quilt laptop covering. Both the wicker carriage and Crazy quilt throw were most likely studio props. In all my pictures of this genre, there has always appeared the ubiquitous Crazy quilt in the wicker carriage, never any other kind of quilt. This is really a statement of the unparalleled popularity of the Crazy quilt at the time.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-064; Lady Sewing Quilt Blocks

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1892
Photographer: Myhre, Luverne, Minnesota
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Fred W. Sherburne captures an elderly quilter in the process of doing what she loves the most - creating quilts. I believe our quilter is working on Log Cabin blocks for a "potholder" quilt.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-065; Young Woman Roller Skating

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1885-1893
Photographer: Sherburne, Barre, Vermont
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

My first reaction to this image is that it is an occupational Cabinet Card depicting a roller skating vaudeville actress. After some reflection, I now believe that this is a young lady dressed in her Crazy quilt roller skating outfit and proud enough to want her portrait made wearing it. Crazy quilts were all the fad and roller skating costumes were the rage to wear when one went to the rink.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-066; Gentleman, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1887-1893
Photographer: Page, Guildford, Maine
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

This unknown gentleman's post mortem image was immortalized by Mr. Page, a Guilford, Maine, photographer. The quilt is composed of multiple fabrics which have been string pieced. According to Guilford historian, Tom Goulette, the photographer, Mr. Page, at one time sold furniture and was a mortician, in addition to his photography business.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-067; Albert E. Haunstine and his Wife

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV), dated 1888
Photographer: Trefren & Meseraull, Broke Bow, Nebraska
Size: 2.5" x 4"

"Had some bed quilts in the back of the buggy, and a Winchester rifle," reads the wanted notice for Albert. E. Haunstine, who murdered Hiram Roten and William Ashley on November 6, 1888, then escaped in the company of his wife. A $900 reward for Albert's arrest DEAD or ALIVE was offered by Sheriff Charles Penn, Custer County, Broken Bow, Nebraska. ALbert Haunstine, an involved community member and the teacher at the sod schoolhouse, was visited by school board members Roten and Ashley sometime during the day on November 6, 1888. Both men accused Haunstine of stealing the school clock and parts of a wooden bench. After questioning him about the stolen property, Haunstine quickly gave it back to the men, but as they turned to leave, the teacher shot them in the back. He took their watches and about 40 dollars cash from them and proceeded to drag the bodies near the barn and throw some hay on top of them. Haunstine, 25, and his wife, 17, prepared their team of horses. Mrs. Haunstine, not knowing what to anticipate, hastily threw their bed quilts in the back part of the buggy. Meanwhile, the families of Roten and Ashley became concered and began a search for them. When they arrived at the school teacher's home, the place was a mess, with animals running loose and items missing which indicated a hurried departure. Someone noticed a strange looking stack of hay with hogs gathered around. When upturned, it proved to be pieces of Roten's and Ashley's bodies, or what was left that the pigs had not devoured. Haunstine was later recognized by the wanted card's description and picked up at the train station in Columbus, Nebraska. He gave up without a struggle and was grateful it was the sheriff and not a bounty hunter. In March 1889, Haunstine was tried in Broken Bow and found guilty. After appeals and issues of insanity were resolved, Haunstine's execution date was set for May 23, 1891. But it doesn't end here. On the day set for the execution, crowds gathered at Broken Bow courthouse for the hanging. Sheriff Jones brought the prisoner from the jail cell and up the 13 steps. Haunstine gave a short confession, asked forgiveness, the noose was slipped around his neck, the trap door spring, but as he fell, the rope snapped upward as it had broken. Eli Roten, a relative of one of the murdered men, was heard saying, "Since Haunstine killed two men, he should be hung twice!" Again, Haunstine climbed the 13 steps, and this time was pronounced dead by the local doctor. Foul play has never been proven.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-069; Mrs. Berghofer

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card 1888-1892
Photographer: Lamson Studio, Los Angeles, California
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

Mrs. Berghofer (the name written in pencil on ther verso of the Cabinet Card) is having her studio portrait taken with her Crazy quilt on which one date, 1887, is embroidered along the outside center medallion. Notice the two beautiful fan motifs, one located in the quilt's bottom corner, and the second fan located above the center medallion. Penny McMorris states in her definitve book, Crazy Quilts, that the craze for Japanese items in the United States by the last quarter of the century made the Oriental fan a decorative necessity. Joseph H. Lamson (1840-1901) photographed the poets Longfellow and Whittier. Lamson Studios for many years operated out of Portland, Maine, focusing in landscape scenes, seascapes, and a series of large schooners sailing off the Maine and northern New England coastline.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-070; Child, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cased Tintype, dated 1889
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 2.625" x 3.25"

When I popped the image out of the case, I found written in pencil: Died October 10, 1889. Unfortunately, the child's name was not given. Resembling a set of blocks, the quilt's pattern is known by today's quilters as Baby Blocks or Tumbling Blocks.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-072; Child in a Wicker Carriage

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1889-1892
Photographer: J.S. Wissler, Canton, Ohio
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

For her child's photograph, a young mother in Canton, Ohio, takes her baby to the portrait studio of Jacob S. Wissler, located at 62 Jackson Street. Diane Gagel, author of Ohio Photographers 1839-1900, states that Wissler was a photographer listed in the Canton Business Directories beginning in 1882 and on up to 1900. Wissler was born on August 28, 1850 in Canton, Ohio, the son of Jacob Wissler and Leah Keller. Jacob died in Canton on November 25, 1925.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-074; Infant, Post Mortem

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1889-1892
Photographer: M.W. Mealey & Son, Pueblo, Colorado
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

On a Victorian fainting couch a beautiful Crazy quilt is draped to recieve this precious baby dressed in a christening gown and wearing a little baby ring on their right hand figure.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-075; Seated Baby

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Carte De Visite (CDV) c. 1889-1895
Photographer: Moore, Rochester, Indiana
Size: 2.5" x 4"

The baby is posed on a chair draped with a Baby's Blocks quilt. On closer examination, what appears to be a pieced quilt is really an example of cheater cloth, also known as printed patchwork, in a Baby Blocks or Tumbling blocks pattern. The child is unidentified, but one does know the photograph was taken by Rochester, Indiana, photographer Charles B. Moore. Mr. Moore operated his Rochester gallery from 1882-1904.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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02-076; Girl and Her Toys

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1889-1896
Photographer: R.H. Ripsom & Co., Fairmont, Nebraska
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

The photograph was taken in the portrait studio of F. H. Ripsom and Company in Fairmont, Nebraska. Propped up on the ground and next to her straw hat is a Crazy quilt doll quilt, which appears to include velvet fabrics.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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03-074; Winlie Butler with Two Children

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

September; 13; 1873

Cabinet Card c. 1897-1910
Photographer: Unknown
Size: 4.25" x 6.5"

A pieced Album style quilt is the backdrop for this portrait of three children. One of the children went by the name "Winlie Butler" as this is what is written on the Cabinet Card's verso. In Linda Otto Lipsett's book, Remember Me: Women and Their Friendship Quilts, this exact block is found on a quilt made in Vermont in 1860 by Julia Stevens Crosby, and described as a "Nine Patch" variation. The Crosby quilt contains signatures in the center of each block, thereby qualifying it as an Album style quilt.

-- With permission of the publisher, excerpted from Janet E. Finley, Quilts in EveryDay Life 1855-1955 (Schiffer Publishing, 2012).

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55-162-106

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