QUILT INDEX RECORD

22-18-1831

Who documented this quilt?

Quilts of Tennessee

The Quilts of Tennessee Documentation Number:

1864

Alternate inventory control number:

1864a

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

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

According to a grand-daughter, the quiltmaker had hired help--two women named Pincie and Nina. They might have worked on the quilt.

Quilt's title:

Century of Progress

Where the quilt was made, city:

Knoxville

Where the quilt was made, county:

Knox

Where the quilt was made, state:

Tennessee (TN)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1933

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Quilt top made by:

Wise, Samantha Allison

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1859

Quiltmaker's birthplace, city or county:

Rural Vale

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Tennessee

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1937

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Methodist

Quilted by:

Wise, Samantha Allison

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Merikay Waldvogel Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1990), 42.

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Allison, Samantha

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:

Owner of manufacturing company.

How wide is the quilt?

71 inches

How long is the quilt?

92 inches

Number of borders:

1

Shape of corners:

Straight

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Century of Progress

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

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

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).

Subject of the quilt:

Century of Progress 1833-1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Pictorial

Number of quilt blocks:

12

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques:

Embroidery

Overall condition:

Good/moderate use

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Sateen

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Gray; White; Cream; Brown

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by plain sashing

Shape of edge:

Straight

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton; Sateen

What color is the back of the quilt?

Cream

How thick is the quilt?

Thin (Less than 3/16?)

How is the binding made?

Straight grain

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

The amount of machine quilting is remarkable--and may indicate the quilt contest deadline was looming and quilt was not yet finished.

How are the layers held together?

Machine quilting

Width between quilting lines:

1/4-inch apart in sashing

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid square; Single parallel lines

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

“Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression” curated by Merikay Waldvogel and sponsored by the Knoxville Museum of Art and Smith-Kramer, Inc. Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN (June 29-August 27, 1990); Oklahoma City Art Museum, Oklahoma City, OK (September 16– November 11, 1990); Galleries of the Philharmonic Performing Arts Center, Naples, FL (March 3-April 28, 1991); Wichita Falls Museum & Art Center, Wichita Falls, Texas (May 26-July 21, 1991); Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum, Logan, KS (August 18– October 13, 1991); Albany Museum of Art, Albany, GA (November 10, 1991-January 5, 1992); Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah, WI (February 2-March 29, 1992); Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, Chicago, IL (April-May 1992); Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN (June 21-August 16, 1992)

Contests entered:

1933 Sears National Quilt Contest-Local Round (Sears, Roebuck & Co. Store, Knoxville, TN); 1933 Sears National Quilt Contest-Regional Round (Sears, Roebuck & Co. Store, Atlanta, GA). Both contests held May 1933. Quilt won Merit Award ribbon.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Tennessee State Library and Archives

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

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

Made entire quilt

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

Inherited

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Quilts of Tennessee