QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-5

Description of quilt:

This blue embroidered pictorial quilt made for the 1933 Contest expands on the theme of a Century of Progress by including both historical and scientific references.

Essay:

The 1933 Sears National Quilt Contest was announced in January 1933 with a deadline of May 15, 1933. Over 24,000 quilts were entered at local Sears stores or sent to one of 10 regional mail order houses. Quilts were judged at each site with the top three winners moving onto the next round. Finally just 30 quilts reached the final judging held at the Sears Pavilion on the 1933 Chicago World's Fair site. This quilt was made to compete with the special category of commemorative quilts for which Sears would have paid a bonus prize of $250. The maker's name is not known.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project

Who documented this quilt?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; Sears Quilt Contest 1933 Chicago World's Fair

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project Number:

043

Alternate inventory control number:

Get access # for Art Institute of Chicago

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt collector

Choose the best description of the source to the quilt:

Quilt owner

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Album of Inventors

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Roosevelt and Jackson Commemorative

How wide is the quilt?

72 inches

How long is the quilt?

89 inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; White

Overall color scheme:

One color/monochromatic

Type of inscription:

Date; Multiple Names

What is inscribed on the quilt?

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT 1933 ANDREW JACKSON 1833 C. MCCORMACK O. MERGENTHALER CHARLES GOODYEAR F. ZEPPLELIN T. BLANCHARD C. L. SHOLES WM. MARCONI O. WRIGHT W. WRIGHT J. ERICSSON MME. M. CURIE R. TILGHMAN G. WESTINGHOUSE S. MORSE T. EDISON E. HOWE W. RONTGEN A. G. BELL

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1933

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Location of inscription:

multiple locations

Describe where the inscription was found:

A scientist or inventor's name is embroidered in the center of each Album Block.

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

1933

When was the quilt finished?

1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

Inventors and History commemorating the Century of Progress 1833 to 1933

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Outline embroidery on all pictures and lettering.

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Meander

Quilt top made by:

Unknown

Quilted by:

Unknown

Where the quilt was made, state:

North Carolina (NC)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

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

In 1993, at the time when the book and exhibit were being planned, this quilt was owned by Shelly Zegart. The quilt went to the Chicago Art Institute in what date?

Why was the quilt made?

Commemorative; Challenge or Contest entry

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Where did the maker get their materials?

Unknown

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Commercial/Published source: Newspaper

Commercial name of the pattern for the top:

The images may have been published in newspapers.

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

Similar images that were embroidered appear on other quilts in this project.

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

This quilt was offered for sale in the "Shelly Zegart's Antique Quilt Exhibit" in Paducah in 1991. There it was described as #26. Roosevelt and Jackson Commemorative. Sears Contest Quilt. Cotton pieced and embroidered quilt; 87 x 71; North Carolina, dated 1933; For Sale - $3500. The quilt was included in the exhibition of 30 quilts entitled “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair” curated by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. The Knoxville Museum of Art and Smith-Kramer, Inc. coordinated the travelling exhibition to the following sites: Jan 7-Feb 7, 1994 Palm Beach, FL (The Society of the Four Arts); Mar 20-July 17, 1994 Lexington, MA (Museum of Our National Heritage); Aug 7–Sep 25, 1994 Midland, MI (Midland Center for the Arts); Oct 16–Dec 4, 1994 Logan, KS (Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum; Dec 18, 1994–Apr 23, 1995 Chicago, IL (Chicago Cultural Center); May 10-Jul 2, 1995 Grosse Pointe Shores, MI (Edsel and Eleanor Ford House); Jul 23-Sep 10, 1995 Los Angeles, CA (Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum); Oct 1-Nov 19, 1995 Janesville, WI (Rock County Historical Society); Dec 10, 1995-Jan 28, 1996 Neenah, WI (Bergstrom-Mahler Museum); Feb 18-Apr 8, 1996 Lexington, KY (University of Kentucky Art Museum); May 3-July 24, 1996 Knoxville, TN (Knoxville Museum of Art).

Contests entered:

Sears National Quilt Contest, 1933 Chicago World's Fair

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

Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World's Fair (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993), pg 80-81. List of inventors and their inventions is on pg 81.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

Art Institute of Chicago

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Unknown

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel