QUILT INDEX RECORD

25-21-350

Who documented this quilt?

Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association, Texas Quilt Search

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

Texas Quilt Search Number:

tqs_0017

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Relative of quiltmaker; Other

Source of the information on this quilt:

This quilt was identified and reviewed during the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association's Texas Quilt Search, 1983-1985. Karey Bresenhan served as quilt historian.

When was the form filled out?

1983-1985

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

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

Inherited

Describe the relationship to the quilt's maker:

The present owner of this quilt is the granddaughter of the quilt's maker.

This is a:

Finished quilt

Owner's name for quilt:

Democrat Rose

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Whig Rose, Tea Rose

How wide is the quilt?

70 in.

How long is the quilt?

83 in.

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Green; Orange; Red; White

Overall color scheme:

Bright or primary colors

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Damage:

Quilting thread broken or ties missing; Stains; Wear to edge or binding

Notes on condition, damage, or repairs:

In 1985, as part of the preparations for the “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1836-1936” exhibit in the Texas Capitol Rotunda, the Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association sponsored a Quilt Conservation Seminar. Part of the seminar was a two-day intensive hands-on laboratory attended by quilt experts who stabilized, backed, or otherwise prepared the quilts, including this one, for this exhibition.

Family/owner's date for quilt:

none

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

ca. 1865

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Karey Bresenhan

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

6

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

1

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Squares

Number of borders:

2

Describe the borders:

green border on top and bottom only; appliqued red and green tulip border at sides

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Novelty techniques used to make the quilt top:

Gathering/ruching

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Other embellishment technique

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Roses on this quilt, both large and small, are constructed by ruching; the heavily stuffed roses stand up almost 3/4 in. above the quilt surface.

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

White

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

How is the binding made?

Machine sewn; Straight grain

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

less than a half inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Thread type used for the quilting:

cotton

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Clamshell

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

The large green leaves around the center roses are heavily quilted in concentric circles to flatten them completely.

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

Colors remain bright and fresh. The heavily stuffed roses stand almost 3/4 inch from the surface of the quilts. The ruching on all the roses gives fullness and dimension without using multi-layered applique.

Quilt top made by:

Smyth, Mrs. Joseph Grigsby

Quilted by:

Smyth, Mrs. Joseph Gribsby

Where the quilt was made, county:

Newton

Where the quilt was made, state:

Texas (TX)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

The present owners of this quilt inherited it from Mr. Smyth's parents' estate. Mr. Smyth is the grandson of the quiltmaker.

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

The present owners of this quilt believe it was made in East Texas. The quiltmaker's husband, Joseph Grisby Smyth, was the son of George W. Smyth, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Joseph Smyth was born in Jasper County, Texas, in 1847 and married Mrs. Smyth in 1868. The couple had six children.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Quilt is presently used as:

Keepsake/memento

Where did the maker get their materials?

Unknown

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

One of 62 Texas quilts exhibited in “Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, 1836-1936,” Texas State Capitol Rotunda, Austin, Texas,

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

Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association’s Texas Quilt Search Archives

Publications (including web sites) where this quilt or maker was featured:

Bresenhan, Karoline Patterson and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes, Lone Stars: A Legacy of Texas Quilts, Vol. I, 1836-1936 (Austin: University of Texas Press), p. 56-57.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Private

Quilt owner's name:

Smyth, Mr. and Mrs. Needham B.

Quilt owner's state:

Texas (TX)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birthplace, country:

United States

Quiltmaker's marriage date(s):

1868

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):

Smyth, Joseph Grigsby

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

lumber business, ranching, banking

Number of children:

6

Who photographed this quilt?

Sharon Risedorph

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Assistant Director Winedale

Details

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