QUILT INDEX RECORD

18-14-47

Description:

Made for a wedding, this quilt is one of the earliest and best documented quilts Gasperik made. She inscribed it with dates and her initials. It was photographed hanging at a 1936 Tuley Park Quilt Show and it was mentioned in a 1936 Detroit News column in which the writer described the Bridal Bouquet quilt as being "from her own design." The quilt was sent to a niece in 1944 in California for her wedding. In 1972, she donated it to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Acc. #CR.72.18). Compare this quilt to Bridal Bouquet (#012) made several years later.

Essay:

This ‘Bridal Bouquet’ is quilted “1933” on the front, and the year “1936” and initials “MG” are embroidered on the back. "It is from her own design" is the description of this quilt's pattern source presented by Edith B. Crumb in her Detroit News column published on February 11, 1936. The column was about the Mary’s Double Feather Star quilt which arrived too late for a Detroit News quilt show, but it also discussed this Bridal Bouquet quilt. Edith devoted much of her column to the subject of Mary Gasperik. She presents a most delightful account of just how it is that Mary Gasperik discovered Edith's Detroit News Quilt Club Corner. I would like to thank Merikay Waldvogel for sending me a copy of this column. Here is the full quotation concerning this quilt and the story of how Mary Gasperik found Edith B. Crumb and her Detroit Quilt Club Corner:
BRIDAL BOUQUET DESIGN When that one is finished she has another quilt to put on the frames. It is called the "Bridal Bouquet" and she is planning to give it to her niece as a wedding present. It is from her own design. Perhaps some of you met Mrs. Gasperik at the show last fall. The first she knew about our Quilt Club Corner was one day when she attended the World Series in Chicago. Someone dropped a Detroit News and she picked it up and looked right into our Corner. Then she started to write to us, sent quilts for the show (some of them arrived in time) and she even took the bus over to Detroit so as to be with us two days of the show.

The 1935 World Series was played between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Mary Gasperik would have picked up that Detroit News on October 4th, 5th or 6th, 1935. For the next five years she maintained an active correspondence with Edith B. Crumb and was an enthusiastic participant in the Detroit News quilt shows which Edith directed. Edith's support was as important in changing the direction of Mary's life as was the Sears quilt contest and exhibition of quilts at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair! It seems to me that Mary Gasperik made many of her 'best' quilts in this same five-year period.

An undated typed form letter survives which Mary created in order to participate in the Club's pattern sharing activities. It reads, in full:
Dear _______ Let me welcome you as a new meber [sic] to our Quilt Club Corner. I, too am a new member, having recently joined. I have read of you through the Detroit News. I thought I would drop you a line to ask of you a favor. I am making a State Quilt. I wonder if you would be willing to exchange blocks with me. I would be willing to maki [sic] you a block (in any pattern you choose) if you would make me one. Enclosed you will find a pattern of my block, will you please out line your Name, City and State. If you do this for me, I will make up your block as soon as I receive your pattern. If you know of any body in another State who is willing to exchange blocks with me, would you please let me know. I would be very grateful and appreciate it very much. Hoping to hear from you I remain your Quilting friend. Mary Gasperik 9314 Cottage Grove Chicago Illinois.

Note that Mary spelled the word ‘make’ as “maki”. But this is how my grandmother pronounced the word ‘make’; I remember it vividly!

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Mary Gasperik Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Mary Gasperik Private Collection Online

Gasperik Legacy Project Number:

074 (LACMA: CR.72.18)

Museum Accesssion Number:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art Accession Number: CR.72.18

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Wedding Quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Wedding Quilt (owned by Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a gift of Mary Bruland)

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

"Bridal Bouquet" (Mary Bruland)

Brackman # or other source & #:

Applique #32.85 Lily of the Valley

How wide is the quilt?

77 inches

How long is the quilt?

90 inches

Shape of edge:

Scalloped

Shape of corners:

Scalloped

What color is the quilt?

Coral; Cream; Green; White

Overall color scheme:

Light or pastel colors

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Date; Initials

What is inscribed on the quilt?

"1933" quilted in on the front; "M. G. 1936/ Chicago, Ill." embroidered on the back.

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1933 - 1936

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery; In the quilting

Location of inscription:

multiple locations

Describe where the inscription was found:

On front and on back

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1936

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1936

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1936

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Further information concerning dates:

In addition to the embroidered dates on the quilt, there is a b/w photo (Oct 30, 1936) in which Tuley Park members are standing with the quilt. There is also a Detroit News (Feb 11, 1936) column that describes this quilt.

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

Wedding

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Center panel with scalloped edges is surrounded by a wide white area which is surrounded by a narrow border on all four sides.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Print; Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Green

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Bias grain

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

less than a half inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Clamshell; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Fern designs are quilted in the center panel behind the wedding bouquet.

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

Compare this quilt to the 1944 version (#012), which shows a higher level of skill and design. It is interesting to note that three white calla lilies appliqued into the bouquet of this quilt do NOT use the Detroit News pattern seen on quilt #012. Remember that the front of this quilt is dated 1933, and Gasperik attended her first Detroit News quilt show in October of 1935, which is probably where she picked up the Detroit News Calla Lilies pattern. But Gasperik reused the patterns found on this quilt (both of the rose and of the calla lilies) on quilt #012, which was made in 1944.

Quilt top made by:

Gasperik, Mary

Quilted by:

Gasperik, Mary

Where the quilt was made, city:

Chicago

Where the quilt was made, county:

Cook County

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Why was the quilt made?

Wedding

Details about why the quilt was made:

Quilt was made as a wedding gift possibly for her daughter Elsie's wedding, but finally was given to her niece (Mary Kiss Bruland) in 1944 as a wedding present.

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Pattern; Unknown

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

Nancy Cabot Rose Petals and Nancy Cabot Lily of the Valley. Flower girl applique pattern is #363 Old Fashioned Lady pictured on page 4 of Prize Winning Design. Many Quilt Patterns Never Before Published, a 1933 "Aunt Martha" booklet.

Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?

Published material

What is the commercial name of the quilting design used for this quilt?

Fern quilting motif is #C5573 - "Aunt Martha's Answer To 'How Shall I Quilt It?'"

Describe anything about the design of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

The family has Gasperik's own copy of Prize Winning Design from 'Aunt Martha'. Gasperik probably sent away for patterns from this catalog. Just below "#363 Old Fashioned Lady", on page 4, appears another pattern Gasperik used: "#365 The Cottage Behind the Hill by Mrs. F.L. Anderson, Kearney, Neb." Gasperik made a block (#086) from #365, probably to take to the Detroit News Quilt Show held in April, 1937.

A special corner of the Detroit News Quilt Show was furnished especially for Detroit News Quilt Club Corner members to socialize, sew, and exchange blocks. Although pattern sources for several applique elements appearing on this quilt can be identified, it should be noted that Gasperik herself described Bridal Bouquet as an "original design" to Detroit News quilt editor Edith B. Crumb, who published a column largely devoted to the subject of Mary Gasperik and her quilts in the February 11, 1936 newspaper. Edith's support, which began in 1935 and continued through the last Detroit quit show in 1940, was as important in changing the direction of Mary's life as was the Sears quilt contest and quilt exhibition at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, the place where Gasperik fell under the spell of quilts.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

October 30, 1936 Tuley Park Quilt Club Show, Chicago, Illinois.

Contests entered:

A yellow paper exhibit tag (probably used at a Tuley Park quilt show) reads "Bridal Wreath by Mrs. M. Gasperik 2nd Prize Springfield 1940". In Elsie's handwriting is the added notation "?to Mary Buland?". This may indicate the quilt was entered in the 1940 Illinois State Fair, where it won a second prize.

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993)102-103.

Merikay Waldvogel "One American Dream Comes True", Quilters Newsletter Magazine, March 2008, 46-49.

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Two Chicago Park District Photos (10/30/36) - Wedding Bouquet Quilt and Members of Tuley Park Quilt Club standing in front of it. And another overhead view of the quilt exhibit and Wedding Bouquet is visible at left. 4 Gasperik quilts can be spotted in this overhead view: the 1935 Double Feather Star (#045), Four Little Pigs (#057), Laurel Wreath (#067) and Wedding Bouquet (#074).

Mary Gasperik's copy of "Prize Winning Design... Many Quilt Patterns Never Before Published", Aunt Martha, 1933. Private family collection.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library, or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (Access # CR.72.18)

Quilt owner's city:

Los Angeles,CA

Quilt owner's state:

California (CA)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker; Author/researcher

If you are a relative of the quiltmaker, how are you related? The quiltmaker is my:

Grandmother

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

Grand-daughter Susan Salser began this research effort in 1991, after she and her two sisters divided up the quilts which belonged to their mother (Elsie Gasperik Krueger) who died in 1988. Her ongoing research has been fruitful and interesting.

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Mihalovits, Maria

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

01/25/1888

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

11/18/1906

Quiltmaker's date of death:

05/25/1969

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's educational background:

Elementary School

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's city:

Chicago

Quiltmaker's county:

Cook

Quiltmaker's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Mihalovits, Istvan

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Mihalovits, Vidoszava

Quiltmaker's mother's birthplace:

Hungary

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):

Gasperik, Stephen

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' ethnic/tribal background:

Hungarian

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:

Milk Dealer/Grocery Store Owner/Butcher

Number of children:

3

How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?

1 (Elsie 1909-1988)

How many of the quiltmaker's children were boys?

2 (Elmer and Stephen)

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From guild or club member; Self-Taught

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 40-49

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure; Other

Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

Mary Gasperik made quilts because it was her life passion and greatest talent. As opportunities arose, she entered contests and exhibited them publicly. She also made special quilts for her family. This quilt was made while Gasperik was an active member of the Tuley Park Quilting Club at a time when that club was being very actively promoted and supported by the Chicago Park District, as a photograph of the quilt on display at the park club meeting room demonstrates. Gasperik chose to give it as a wedding present to her niece several years after it was completed. The approval and support of the Tuley Park quilters was an important motivation to Gasperik.

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Tuley Park Quilt Club and Detroit News Quilt Club

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group?

Southside Chicago and Detroit MI

What are the main activities of the group?

Chicago group met to quilt and held periodic quilt shows; Detroit group held national exhibits and contests.

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

no

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

no

Who photographed this quilt?

Los Angeles County Museum, Gift of Mary Bruland

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Los Angeles Museum Association/LACMA

Details

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