BACK TO ARTISTS
Bertha Stenge
Quiltmaker
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Illinois Quilt Research Project; Illinois State Museum

---Cuesta Benberry, Nimble Needle Treasures, June, 1971.
Partial List of Exhibits, Contests, or Fairs where Stenge's quilts have appeared:
Late 1920s, Chicago Evening American contest.
1935, Canadian National Exhibition
1936, Women's Milk Fund Pageant, Navy Pier, Chicago
1938, Kentucky State Fair
1940, World's Fair, New York; Mrs. Thorne's Miniature Room displayed the prize winners.
1941, November 9 - December 1; One Woman Show, University of California Art Gallery, Berkley.
1943, June-Oct; Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, Gallery A2 and A3, Art Institute of Chicago.
1948, Northeast Missouir District Fair, Kentucky State Fair, Chicago County Fair.
1949, Florida State Fair, Northeast Missouir District Fair, Tennessee State Fair.
1950, Audrain County Fair, MO; Tennessee State Fair
1951, Audrain County Fair, MO; Kentucky State Fair; Tennessee State Fair
1952, Household Arts Show, MO; Illinois State Fair; Candian National Exhibition
1953, November; Women's International Exposition.
1954, Eastern States Expostion; One Woman Show, Women's Exposition of Arts and Industries, New York, NY
1979, The Patch In Time (S.I.T.E.S. Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit Service) show in San Fransisco, CA.
1993, Tales & Traditions: Storytelling in Twentieth Century American Craft, at the Washington University Gallery of Art in Steinberg Hall, St. Louis, MO
The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach FL, Jan 7-Feb 7, 1994
1997, June; A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum.
2007, Gifted Quilts: A Selection from the Illinois State Museum Collection, Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL.
2017, October 20 - April 1; Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs, the Art Institute of Chicago.
2018, Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs, https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/2954/making-memories-quilts-as-souvenirs
Partial List of Bertha Stenge Quilts:
These are the Bertha Stenge quilts that we've identified, in order when they were made. Included in the list is the owner, if we know it. We welcome any additions and/or edits to this list.

Tangled Garters, 1932
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
This quilt was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Chicago Fair, 1933
Collection of the Chicago Historical Society
Photo by Gary Heatherly
This quilt was entered in the Sears 1933 Century of Progress Quilt Contest.
It was exhibited in: Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943;
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997; and
It was published in Waldvogel, Merikay, and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Nashville TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1996.

Feathered Star or Snowflake, 1934
Owner and location unknown.
This quilt was published in: the Ladies Home Journal, 1947;
"The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46; and
Woman's Day.
It was exhibited in: Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943; and
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Palm Leaf-Hosannah, 1934
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
This quilt was entered in the: Women's Pageant of Progress, Chicago 1936, it won $500 for the National Prize and $250 for half of the Popular Prize; and
"America Through the Needle's Eye," sponsored by the New York World's Fair, Oct. 26-31, 1940, at the Women's International Exposition of Arts & Industries, Grand Central Palace, NYC.
It was published in: The American Home, 1947-09 as an ad for the pattern; and
"Bertha Stenge," Quilters Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 2, June 1979.
It was exhibited in: Contest Winners, Mrs. Thorne's Miniature Room at the 1940 World's Fair;
One Woman Show, University of California Art Gallery, Berkley, 11-09 to 12-01-1941; and
Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, Gallery A2 and A3, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943

Lotus, 1934
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project
This quilt was published in: "Quilts as Art," Newsweek, 1943-08-02, page 91;
Ladies Home Journal, 1947, offered with no attribution;
Robertson, Elizabeth Wells. American Quilts, 1948;
"The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46;
Quilters Newsletter Magazine, April 1988;
"Bertha Stenge Quilts Found," Quilters' Journal, Volume 6, Issue 4, page 15;
Nimble Needle Treasures reprinted pattern from LHJ, 1947, Summer 1971; and
Mannion, Annemarie. "Quilts Uncover the Colorful Career of Local Artist," Chicago Tribune, 2/16/1998.
This quilt was exhibited in: Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943;
West Coast Quilters Conference, Portland, OR, summer 1984; and
Missouri Quilt Conference, Columbia, MO, summer 1984.

Gazelle, 1935
Collection of the International Quilt Museum, Lincoln, NE
Photo from the International Quilt Museum
The quilt was made from a 1933 pattern by Winifred Avery.
This quilt was published in:= "The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46.
It was exhibited in Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943.

Rachel's Wreath, 1935
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project
This quilt was patterned in Ladies Home Journal, 1940 - pattern #1602.
It was exhibited in: Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943; and
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Bible, 1936
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois State Museum's Research Collection
This quilt won the Special Award, Stearns and Foster National Contest, 1949.
It was published in: the Ladies Home Journal, 1938;
Mountain Mist Blue Book of Prize Quilts - State Fair Prize Winners, 1950;
"The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46;
"Bertha Stenge," Quilters Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 2, June 1979, pages cover, pages 1-5, 7, back cover;
Gross, Joyce. "The Bible Quilt," Quilters' Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 3, page 13; and
Nimble Needle Treasures, Summer 1971.
It was exhibited in: One Woman Show, University of California Art Gallery, Berkley, 11-09 to 12-01-1941; and
Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943

Iva's Pincushion, 1936
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
This quilt was published in: Ladies Home Journal, 1940 - pattern #1600;
"Quilts as Art," Newsweek, 1943-08-02, page 91; and
Albright, Robin. Bertha's Best, Illinois Times, 7/10/1997.
It was exhibited in: Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943; and
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Star of Constantine, 1936
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
This quilt was entered in the 1936 Canadian National Exhibition.
The quilt was published in: "The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46; and
Standard American Encyclopedia, before 1941.
It was exhibited in: One Woman Show, University of California Art Gallery, Berkley, 11-09 to 12-01-1941;
Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943; and
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Ruth's Ring, 1937
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
This quilt was published in Ladies Home Journal, 1940 - pattern #1601;
"Quilts as Art," Newsweek, 1943-08-02, page 91; and
Albright, Robin. "Bertha's Best," Illinois Times, 7/10/1997.

Saturnia Souvenir, 1938
Owner and location unknown
Photo from Julie Silber
This quilt was exhibited in: One Woman Show, University of California Art Gallery, Berkley, 11-09 to 12-01-1941;
Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943; and
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

San Francisco Fair, 1939
Owner and location unknown
Photo from the Illinois State Museum's Research Collection
This quilt was published in "The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46.
It was exhibited at Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943.

Tiger Lily/Persian Garden, 1940
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project
This quilt was published in: Woman's Day, August 1945;
"The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46;
"Bertha Stenge Quilts Found," Quilters' Journal, Volume 6, Issue 4, page 15; and
Hester, Carol. "Quilts studied as Historical Douments," Ukiah Daily Journal, 3/24/1994.

The Quilt Show, 1941
Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Photo from the Art Institute of Chicago
This quilt was published in Peto, Florence. American Quilts and Coverlets, 1949;
Cover, Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, January 1980, Issue 118;
Woodard, Thos. K. and Blanch Greentstein. Twentieth Century Quilts 1900-1950. E.P. Dutton, New York, 1988, page 120;
Austin, Mary Leman, ed. The Twentiety Century's Best American Quilts: Celebration 100 Years of the Art of Quitlmaking. Primedia Special Interest Pub., Golden, CO, 1999, page 94; and
Wasserman, Ann. Quilts at the Art Institute of Chicago, blog post, June 18, 2008..
This quilt was exhibited in: Art Institute of Chicago's Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, June-Oct., 1943; and
Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs, the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 20, 2017 - April 1, 2018.

One Woman's Life/Scrapbook, 1941
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois State Museum
This quilt was published in "Quilts as Art," Newsweek, 1943-08-02, page 91;
"State Museum Presents Quilts by Bertha Stenge Created from the 1930s to 1950s", Breeze-Courier, Taylorville, IL, 6/24/1997; and
Albright, Robin. "Bertha's Best," Illinois Times, 7/10/1997.
This quilt was exhibited in: One Woman Show, University of California Art Gallery, Berkley, 11-09 to 12-01-1941;
Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943; and
A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Figural and Floral, 1941
Owner and location unknown.
The quilt was published in "The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46.

Victory, 1942
Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Photo from the Art Institute of Chicago.
The quilt was exhibited at: Williamson County Fair, IL, 1942, first prize;
Woman's Day National Needlework Contest, Grand Prize, $1,125, 1942; and
Kentucky State Fair 1941, Blue ribbon.
It was published in: Woman's Day, 1943-03;
"The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46;
"Bertha Stenge," Quilters Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 2, June 1979; and
Albright, Robin. "Bertha's Best," Illinois Times, 7/10/1997.
It was exhibited at: Tilden Technical High School Hobby Show, Chicago, IL, March 24, 1943;
Masterpieces of Early American Folk Arts, Folk Art Center, New York, - March 1943;
Household Science Club of Chicago Show, Hyde Park Y.M.C.A., Chicago, IL, April 16, 1943;
National Needlecraft Guild, North Central District, Fourth Annual Exhibit, May 8, 1943, Carleton Hotel, Oak Park, IL; and
Exhibition of Quilts by Mrs. Bertha Stenge, The Art Institute of Chicago, June-Oct., 1943.

Four Freedoms, 1943
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was published in: "State Museum Presents Quilts by Bertha Stenge Created from the 1930s to 1950s," Breeze-Courier, Taylorville, IL, 6/24/1997;
Albright, Robin. "Bertha's Best," Illinois Times, 7/10/1997; and
Mannion, Annemarie. "Quilts Uncover the Colorful Career of Local Artist," Chicago Tribune, 2/16/1998.
It was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Mosaic, c1945
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was exhibited in: A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997; and
Keeping Us In Stitches: Quilts & Quilters, Illinois State Museum.

Mickey's Necktie, 1945
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Star and Cube, 1945
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Chestnut Leaves, 1946
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Sheryl Low Research photo at the Illinois State Museum
The quilt was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

O.P.A.; Office of Price Administration, 1946
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was published in "State Museum Presents Quilts by Bertha Stenge Created from the 1930s to 1950s," Breeze-Courier, Taylorville, IL, 6/24/1997.
It was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Map of Canada, 1947
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

American Holidays, 1948
Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago
Photo from the Art Institute of Chicago
The quilt was entered in the Stearns and Foster National Contest, 1949, Special Award.
It was published in: Mountain Mist Blue Book of Prize Quilts - State Fair Prize Winners, 1950;
"The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46;
Wasserman, Ann. Quilts at the Art Institute of Chicago, blog post, June 18, 2008;
"State Museum Presents Quilts by Bertha Stenge Created from the 1930s to 1950s", Breeze-Courier, Taylorville, IL, 6/24/1997; and
Albright, Robin. "Bertha's Best," Illinois Times, 7/10/1997.
It was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Serpentine & Stars/Pennsylvania Dutch, 1948
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin.
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project

The Quilting Party, 1950
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Photo from the Illinois Quilt Project
The quilt was entered in the Women's International Exposition (NY), 1950, Special Award.
The quilt was published in: McCall's Needlework, 1953-54;
Leman, Bonnie. "Two Masters: Kretsinger & Stenge," Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, January 1981, Issue 128, cover;
"Connection," Illinois Times, 5/29/1997;
"State Museum Presents Quilts by Bertha Stenge Created from the 1930s to 1950s," Breeze-Courier, Taylorville, IL, 6/24/1997;
Albright, Robin. "Bertha's Best," Illinois Times, 7/10/1997;
"What's Up, History in patchwork," Southern Illinoisan, 11/20/1997;
"In stitches," Chicago Tribune, 6/7/1998;
Woodard, Thos. K. and Blanch Greentstein. Twentieth Century Quilts 1900-1950. E.P. Dutton, New York, 1988, page 121;
Austin, Mary Leman, ed. The Twentiety Century's Best American Quilts: Celebration 100 Years of the Art of Quitlmaking. Primedia Special Interest Pub., Golden, CO, 1999, page 95;
Sickler, Linda. "Locally Made Quilt on 'Century's 100 Best' List," Southern Illinoisan, 5/24/1999;
Richardson, Scott. "Quilt Lovers Don't Keep Work Under Wraps," The Pantagraph, 4/22/2007; and
"Hot threads," Illinois Times, 5/10/2007.
The quilt was exhibited at: A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997;
Keeping Us In Stitches: Quilts & Quilters, Illinois State Museum; and
Gifted Quilts: A Selection from the Illinois State Museum Collection, Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL, 2007.

Old Star/Antique Stars, 1950
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin.
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project

Two Dancers, 1950
Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago
Photo from the Art Institute of Chicago

Toby Lil, 1951
Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago
Photo from the Art Institute of Chicago
The quilt was entered in Eastern States Exposition, Storrowton Village, MA, September 1954, Best of Show, $1,500.
It was published in "The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46.

Barbara Rose, 1951
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Sheryl Row Research photo at the Illinois State Museum
The pattern for this quilt was published in Successful Farming, February 1952.

Ring and Dove, 1952
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project
The quilt was exhibited in A Cut and Stitch Above, The Quilts of Bertha Stenge, Illinois State Museum, June 1997.

Ladies of Fashion, 1952
Private collection

Mexican Dancers, 1953
Collection of the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin
Photo from the Texas Quilt Project

Wild Goose Chase, 1954
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Sheryl Low Research photo at the Illinois State Museum

Life's Flower Basket, 1957
Collection of Smithsonian: National Museum of American History: donor Prudence Fuchsmann, acc#nmah_1997.011.01
The quilt was published in "The Woman Who Made the Bible Quilt," The Chicago Tribune, 4/5/1971, p45-46.
Stenge Quilts in the Art Institue of Chicago collection, https://www.artic.edu/artists/36792/bertha-stenge
Quilts in Illionis State Museum, https://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/art/collections/daisy/index.html
Was the maker a woman, man or a group?
Female
When was the quiltmaker born?
02/8/1891
If the quiltmaker was married, what was the wedding date.
Date and place of death.
June 18, 1957
Educational background:
Longfellow Grammar School; Alameda High School; student of Eugen Neuhaus, head of the Art Department at the University of California, Berkley.
Occupation (if retired, former occupation):
Stained glass artist, quiltmaker
Where was the quiltmaker born?
Alameda, California (CA), United States
Quiltmaker's maiden name:
Sheramsky (her father changed it to Sheram after she was born)
Father's Name:
Max Sheramsky
Mother's Name:
Frances Sheramsky
Spouse's/Spouses' name(s):
Stenge, Bernard
Spouse's/Spouses' occupation:
Attorney
Number of children:
3 daughters; Frances, Ruth, and Prudence. All three daughters married, but only Ruth had children. When Stenge died, her quilts were divided among her daughters. When Ruth died, her share went to her three daughters.
Why does/did the quiltmaker quilt:
Pleasure, Therapy
Other reasons the quiltmaker makes/made quilts.
She made her first quilt in 1929 while recovering from an illness.
Estimate the number of quilts made by this maker:
more than 50
-
Museum
Illinois State Museum Illinois State Museum
-
Documentation Project
Illinois Quilt Research Project Illinois State Museum
-
Museum
Winedale Quilt Collection University of Texas at Austin, Briscoe Center for American History
-
Collection
Bertha Stenge Ephemera Collection
Tracy Pierceall
-
Collection
Joyce Gross Quilt History Collection, ...
McCrady, Kathleen
-
Collection
Florence LaGanke Harris, aka Nancy Pag...
Waldvogel, Merikay
-
Ephemera
The Old Quilt Goes Modernistic
Winifred Avery
-
Creator
Chicago Fair Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Dove and Ring Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Four Freedoms Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Iva's Pincushion Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Lotus Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Mexican Dancers Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Mosaic Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
O. P. A. Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Quilting Party Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Rachel's Wreath Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Serpentine and St... Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Star of Contstant... Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Stars with Wavy S... Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Tangled Garters Stenge, Bertha
-
Creator
Tiger Lily Stenge, Bertha
Load More