QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5244

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights; Cuesta Benberry Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

08.0065

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2008:119.5

Object label:

Little Brown Koko
Jeannie Cuddy
Mankato, Minnesota
1943
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2008:119.5

Essay:

Cuesta’s collection included examples of depictions of African-American stereotypes. The designs in this quilt were inspired by a series of stories about a small boy, his family, and friends that were published in the 1930s-40s in the magazine Household from Capper's Publishing, Topeka, Kansas.

Cuesta, like the MSU Museum, was interested in collecting all aspects of quiltmaking, even when the quilts or other objects are offensive racial and ethnic stereotypes. These quilts and other materials document that racism and ethnic stereotypes have occurred throughout history.

By Mary Worrall, from the exhibit Unpacking Collections: the Legacy of Cuesta Benberry, An African American Quilt Scholar.

Quilt's title:

Little Brown Koko

Subject of the quilt:

Little Brown Koko

When was the form filled out?

4/22/08

Quilt top made by:

Cuddy, Jeannie

Quilted by:

Cuddy, Jeannie

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, city:

Mankato

Where the quilt was made, state:

Minnesota (MN)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt finished?

1943

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's city:

Mankato

Quiltmaker's state:

Minnesota (MN)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

57"

How long is the quilt?

80"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Black; Blue; Brown; Cream; Pink; Red; Yellow

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Type of inscription:

Message

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Little Brown Koko

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1943

Method used to make the inscription:

In the quilting

Location of inscription:

on border

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

12

Size of quilt blocks:

11" x 11"

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by plain sashing

Sashing width:

3 1/2"

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

12

Number of borders:

3

Describe the borders:

Sides, 2 1/2-3" inner brown solid, 2 1/2-3" white solid, 3" outer brown solid. Top and bottom: 2 1/2-3" inner brown solid, 2 1/2-3" white solid, 6" outer brown solid.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton; Wool

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

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?

Coral

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

How is the binding made?

Edges turned in/ no separate binding

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

4

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

6

Width between quilting lines:

1 1/2"

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Single parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

alphabet and numbers in sashing and border "Little Brown Koko"

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

Embroidery is realistic - Koko's hair, eyes, facial expression are well executed. Maker used French knots, running stitches, the outline and satin stitch.

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

The images on this quilt match the images in the Little Brown Koko Coloring Book.

Source of the information on this quilt:

MSU Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

This quilt was collected by Cuesta Benberry to further her research on quiltmaking and/or African American quiltmaking. Her son donated the collection to the Michigan State University Museum when she passed away in 2007.

Details

• 

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt

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

The quilt blocks depict scenes from a book "Little Brown Koko," by Blanche Seal Hunt, published in 1940. The book is about the life of a fictitious boy named "Koko". The quilt's blocks include: Koko's dog, chickens on a fence, KoKo whistling, and riding a pony. Another character from the book, "Sug" is depicted as well. Cuesta says, "Developed from a series of stories about a small black boy, his family and friends, published in the 1930s-40s in the magazine Household from Capper's Pub., Topeka, KS."

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees