1880-1889

Janet E. Finley Collection of Quilt History Photographs

Lindsborg, Kansas, United States

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).