QUILT INDEX RECORD

22-18-1836

Who documented this quilt?

Quilts of Tennessee

Alternate inventory control number:

1870

How was this quilt acquired?

Made by owner

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

Three other quilts in this same pattern have been located. One is in the historical collection of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN

Quilt's title:

TVA Quilt-Tennessee Valley Authority Quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Wheeler TVA Dam Village

Where the quilt was made, state:

Alabama (AL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1934

When was the quilt finished?

1934

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1934

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

1934

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Merikay Waldvogel

Quilt top made by:

Tyler, Grace Reynolds

Quiltmaker's birthplace, state:

Alabama

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quilted by:

Tyler, Grace Reynolds

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), 78-82.

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Reynolds, Grace

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

How wide is the quilt?

69"

How long is the quilt?

70"

Number of borders:

1

Shape of corners:

Straight

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Lazy Man

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Other

Describe the source of the pattern:

Designed by Ruth Clement Bond, wife of TVA Personnel Officer.

Subject of the quilt:

African Americans and the Tennessee Valley Authority

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Overall condition:

Very good/almost new

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

What color is the quilt?

Black; Brown; Gold; Green; Orange; White

Describe the borders:

One border on four sides.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Orange

How thick is the quilt?

Medium (3/16?)

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

The distinctive image was designed by Ruth Clement Bond. According to her, the black man in the center is in the process of choosing between a job offered by the Federal Government (the white uniformed hand) or the "life of frivolity" represented by the woman whose profile is at the right. The image reminded the author of a 1930s mural art painted by Aaron Douglas, but Ruth Bond confirmed that it was her own design.

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Thread type used for the quilting:

Cotton

Color of thread used in the quilting:

Brown

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Elbow/fan; Grid square

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch; Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

In wide border, the quilter did traditional concentric fan quilting. Over the entire center panel she has quilted in a diamond grid.

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-August 1990); Oklahoma City Art Museum, Oklahoma City, OK (September – November, 1990); Galleries of the Philharmonic Performing Arts Center, Naples, FL (March-April 1991); Wichita Falls Museum & Art Center, Wichita Falls, Texas (May-July 1991); Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum, Logan, KS (August – October 1991); Albany Museum of Art, Albany, GA (November 1991-January 1992); Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah, WI (February-March 1992); Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, Chicago, IL (April-May 1992); Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN (June-August 1992)

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Tennessee State Library and Archives

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quiltmaker

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?

Made the quilt

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Quilts of Tennessee