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Sears Quilt Contest 05: Century of Progress Commemorative Quilts

The Century of Progress Commemorative quilts are the easiest to connect to the Sears National Quilt Contest. The 1933 Fair's theme "A Century of Progress" commemorated Chicago's  100th Anniversary, including historical events,inventions, and world's fair buildings.

Sears offered a bonus of $200 if the grand prizewinning quilt was in the theme of the Chicago World's Fair. The quiltmakers who took the extra time to research, design and finish their quilts were justly proud of their original designs. Five quilts reached the final round of 30 by Rosetta Scott, Sue Wilkie, Georgia Leitzel, Rose White, and Mrs. W.E. Newton. These  women were not from the Chicago area where the most Century of Progress theme quilts have been located. Chicago quiltmaker Ida Stow made a Century of Progress quilt. Today she is best known for a letter she wrote to Sears complaining that the Chicago area judges were prejudiced against the quilts of "unusual design[s] to depict and commemorate the Century of Progress."

When Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair was published in 1993, we believed no commemorative theme quilts had reached the final round. Thanks to some clever sleuthing using online newspaper and genealogy sites, a fuller story is now available.

Criticism by Ida Stow and others who took the extra time to make Century of Progress quilts may have prompted the contest organizers to make amends.  In 1934, Sears brought together a group of these quilts for a special showing at the Sears Pavilion.  The quilts were photographed in black and white by Sears staff photographers.  Although the names of the quilters were not recorded, we are lucky to have the documentation.  Two quilts have been found including one by Ida Stow.

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Commemorative Quilts on Display in 1934

The following quilts show how quiltmakers expressed the "Century of Progress" theme in their quilts.
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A Century of Progress
Ida Mae Stow
Park Ridge, Illinois
1933
Collection of the International Quilt Museum acc.#1997.007.0947

Commemorative Quilt featuring the spinning globe logo of the Century of Progress Exposition.

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Sears Building
Rosetta Scott
Prescott, Arizona
1933
Private Collection

Third place winner of the Los Angeles round, Rosetta Scott of Prescott, AZ made a commemorative quilt focusing on the Sears Building at the 1933 Fair.

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Century of Progress
Sue Wilkie
Shreveport, Louisiana
1933
Private Collection

Sue's son Leroy, a designed the applique patterns. The quilt embraced the uniqueness of the Century of Progress theme with appliques of automobiles, a train, lightbulbs, and the telephone surrounding the new Sears Roebuck’s building. It took second place in the local Shreveport judging and won $5. Then it was sent on to Memphis, TN to be judged, where it took 3rd place in that region. The quilt embraced the uniqueness of the Century of Progress theme with appliques of automobiles, a train, lightbulbs, and the telephone surrounding the new Sears Roebuck’s building with what looks to be the Chicago World’s Fair Sky Ride or a set of radio towers behind it.

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Century of Progress
Edna Beatric Leitzel
Hummel's Wharf, Snyder County, Pennsylvania
1933
Collection of the International Quilt Museum acc.#2021.079.0002

One of only two Century of Progress quilts to reach the final round at the Sears Pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair. It won Second Place in the Philadelphia Regional Contest.

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The Blazing Star
Rose White
Clarkston, Washington
1933
Latah County Historical Society Collection

This Blazing Star quilt won first place in Seattle region. White included motifs linked to the Century of Progress theme in the quilting designs in the open areas, in the borders and around the stars.

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Bird's Eye View of the Chicago World's Fair
Richard Henry Rowley
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
1933
Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts

This quilt depicting a bird's eye view of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair was designed by a man. It did not win a prize.

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Century of Progress
Marie Svec Poetz
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
1933
Private Collection

Century of Progress quilt featuring Chicago symbolism and World's Fair buildings.

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I Will
Elizabeth M. Wiegand
Lakewood, Muskegon County, Michigan
1933
Collection of the Chicago Historical Society

Silk quilt with applique motifs related to the history of Chicago.

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Fort Dearborn Quilt
Mary O'Halloran Fitzgerald
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
1933
Private Collection

Pictorial quilt depicting Fort Dearborn in 1833. It received a Green Merit Ribbon

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Transportation Quilt
Elizabeth Skelly Fitzgerald
Highland Falls, New York
1933
Private Collection

Silhouette appliqué quilt of a multitude of modes of transportation from 1833 to 1933. It won a Green Merit Ribbon.

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The Rebenstorff Quilt
Linda Rebenstorff
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
1933
Private Collection

Pictorial quilt rendered in appliqué and embroidery.

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Century of Progress 1933
Anna Hansen
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
1933
Private Collection
To encourage quiltmakers to submit original designs, the contest organizers at Sears Roebuck & Co. offered a bonus prize of $250. Several people took the challenge, but the $250 was not awarded. This quiltmaker's husband designed her quilt in the Century of Progress theme in the hopes that his wife would win the bonus prize. Notice the official entry tag is still attached to right front corner. The quiltmaker's Honorable Mention ribbon from the Chicago Region remains with the quilt.

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Teepees to Temples
Maker unknown
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
1933
Private Collection

Appliqué pictorial medallion quilt depicting Chicago's history from 1833 to 1933--from Teepees to Temples.

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Century of Progress
Maker unknown
1933
Private Collection

Commemorative Quilt (Sears Archives Photo)

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American Pride
Zemma Haynes Taylor
Farmerville, Louisiana
1933
Collection of The Henry Ford, Acc.#33.361.1

Zemma Haynes Taylor (1886-1951) was the wife of Farmerville, Louisiana physician Jordan G. Taylor. She made this quilt for the quilt contest sponsored by Sears & Roebuck as part of the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition. Later that year, Taylor sent the quilt to industrialist Henry Ford as a gift from "the wife of a country doctor who appreciates the Ford car." Physicians were often the first to acquire automobiles in smaller towns and rural communities. Many doctors chose to drive a dependable Ford automobile to visit their patients—at a time when doctors still made house calls.

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Century of Progress
Samantha Allison Wise
Knoxville, Tennessee
1933

Private Collection

The quilt design was based on the theme of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair--A Century of Progress. This quiltmaker includes pictorial scenes related to the history of Chicago, the World's Fair (Star Arcturus and the Sears Building)and advances in area of transportation (horse-drawn wagon, Greyhound bus, airplane, train, car, and rocket).

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Century of Progress World's Fair Special
Sophie Schoenike Krueger Clark
Birnamwood, Wisconsin
1933
Private Collection

Sophia designed a Map of the World made of fifty-one different colors. A flag with stars representing all the nations of the world was stitched below the map and flanked by a quilted Spirit of St. Louis and Graf Zepplin. Sophia entered the quilt in the original design division and received a green merit award at the local level.  

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Century of Progress World's Fair Special
Helen (Nan) E. Billick
Gary, Indiana
1933
Illinois State Museum Collection, Acc.#1995.135

Quite a few quiltmakers chose to include the Sears Pavilion in their commemorative quilts. An artist's rendition of the building was easy to find in publications put out by Sears--even the contest brochure carried a building image.

Merikay Waldvogel, 2011
Updated by Merikay Waldvogel and Angie Reynolds, 2025
All rights reserved

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