Quilt
1726, 18th century
Fibre: silk, cotton, linen; Pieced (hand), sewn (hand)
208 cm
Gift of Mrs. Albert Ayer
M972.3.1
© McCord Museum
Description
Keywords:  Quilt (30)

Description

This outstanding quilt is now the second-oldest silk patchwork quilt known to exist in the Western world. Made of multi-coloured pieces of silk, velvet, linen and cotton, the bedcover bears the appliquéd date of 1726 and the initials IN. Research into the age of the fabrics and the overall construction of the bedcover has revealed the 1726 date to be correct. The quilt has been meticulously conserved by the Centre de conservation du Québec. The glowing colours, including vivid pinks and yellows, and the rich fabrics, among them silk brocades and damasks, recall the luxurious dress and furnishing fabrics of the past.

Exhibition Label

This silk patchwork coverlet from England was the oldest dated example in the world, until recently when one came to light from 1718. The maker stiffened each small triangle of fabric with a fragment of paper - taken from a handwriting copybook, letters, a Latin text and legal regulations for makers of malt. While we know the name of the woman who brought the quilt to Kingston, Ontario in 1850, the initials "IN" remain a mystery.

Text from the exhibition 90 Treasures, 90 Stories, 90 Years