QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-31

Description of quilt:

Commemorative Quilt featuring the spinning globe logo of the Century of Progress Exposition.

Essay:

The Ida Stow quilt is a very important quilt in the evolution of 20th century quilt history. She entered an originally designed quilt which had a theme linked very closely to the Century of Progress Exposition. Sears had offered a bonus prize of $250 in addition to the top $1000 prize if the quilt was an original design. She was not alone. Today, these quilts stand out from other 1930s quilts due to their visual and literal messages. These were not traditional bed quilts made in Colonial Revival designs. The judges did not look favorably on these quilts. Ida Stow wrote a letter of protest to Sears Roebuck and Co. staff. She wrote: "I understand that the Century of Progress quilts or those featuring the progress of the last century are not being considered or given recognition over colonial designs, except that some are tagged Honorable Mention . . . Many of we exhibitors spent considerable time, thought and enery not to speak of the money, in our efforts to produce something worthwhile along the lines called for by your company to produce 'an unusual design to depict and commemorate the Century of Progress' and it is not with justice to us nor to your reputation to have the matter handled in this matter." Here is the postscript to Bertha Stenge: P.S. I just came across this envelope addressed to you which I neglected to mail you last Friday as I had intended. I went over this afternoon and got my quilt--the gray and blue--and did not neglect to tell Miss Wilford just how I felt and that I knew a number of the other exhibitors felt the same and that was that the C. of P. quilts did not have a fair judging. She said she had had not more than four complaints and many many delightful letters from others assuring her that they were much pleased and what a wonderful success it had been, and so on. I wondered if I am so unreasonable and unconsiderate as she tried to make me feel, but fail to realize that she was telling the whole truth or that we did not have a complaint coming. I still think there is room for investigation and seriously doubt that the full amount was paid out in prizes. How do you feel about it all. I told Miss Wilford I did not think that Mrs. Roosevelt is on Charity or that she will appreciate the selection of the judges especially if she could have seen what they had to choose from. Of course she said she had no control over them. Hoping I may some tme have the pleasure of meeting or taling with you again, I am Sincerely Ia M. Stow. Photocopies of this letter have circulated through the quilt history groups since about 1980. She was the little mouse that roared. She did not get any respect from Sears Roebuck and Co., but she was heralded by quilt historians. But who was she? What did her quilt look like? No one knew. Brackman and Waldvogel included the letter in the book Patchwork Souvenirs in the discussion of the Century of Progress quilts entered in the contest. The book was published in 1993. In 1994, the quilt surfaced and lo an behold, it was one photographed by Sears in 1934. It was already in the book. Sears mounted a small exhibit of Century of Progress quilts to be hung in the Sears Pavilion in the second summer of the World's Fair. Did Sears do the exhibit to right an injustice? Did Ida Stow's letter have that much influence? That year (unlike in 1933), Sears photographed all the quilts. And one was Ida Stow's.

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project; International Quilt Museum

Who documented this quilt?

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

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project Number:

102

Alternate inventory control number:

1997.007.0947

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner; Relative of quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

1994

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

Purchased the quilt

Who helped you fill out the form?

Merikay Waldvogel

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

A Century of Progress

How wide is the quilt?

76 inches

How long is the quilt?

91 inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy; Gray

Overall color scheme:

Two color

Type of inscription:

Date; Place

What is inscribed on the quilt?

The offical entry tag is still attached. The official contest entry label includes contest entry information: Name of Maker. Pattern Name, When Quilt Was Made, Selling Price if willing to sell, Quilter's Name, Address, City and State, Sears Store Name/Number. Entry label also included the following statement: "I certify that this quilt is entirely of my own making, and that it has never been exhibited previously" to which the quilter signed her name. Name: Ida M. Stow Pattern Name: A Century of Progress When was quilt made: May 1933 Willing to sell: No Certify to making it entirely alone: Ida M. Stow Address: 163 W. Washington St. Chicago or 200 Grand Blvd, Park Ridge City: CHICAGO State: ILLINOIS

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1933

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label; Typewriter

Location of inscription:

other

Describe where the inscription was found:

On front of quilt in bottom right corner

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:

Chicago 1833 - 1933

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Silk

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Other

Describe the quilting designs used:

Pictorial designs of cityscapes and the history of transporation are quilted in to the open areas of the quilt.

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

Ida Stow's explanation of her quilt: Typed. Explanation There has been a request for a quilt of unusual, or other than colonial design which would depict and commemorate the Century. Therefore, this quilt is submitted for your consideration. The colors blue and gray were chosen because they are the official colors of the Century of Progress. The design has for its center the authorized emblem of the Century of Progress--an emblem showing appropriately the world in its progress around the sun because such a design will be recognized and associated at once with the Century of Progress. Around that emblem is outlined one hundred years of achievements and advancements from the sailboat to the ocean liner, from the balloon to the airship and dirigible from the first steam engine to the great locomotive which crosses the continent in less than ___ or three days, and from Ft. Dearborn to the skyscrapers of 1933. (Collection of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.)

Quilt top made by:

Stow, Ida Mae

Quilted by:

Stow, Ida Mae

Other people who worked on this quilt:

Schulte, Carolyn

Where the quilt was made, city:

Park Ridge

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

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:

Waldvogel was contacted by a man from California who claimed to have purchased the Ida Stow quilt from Stow's grand-daughter. He purchased the quilt because of its art deco design. In researching quilts at the Chicago World's Fair, he came upon the book Patchwork Souvenirs and contacted the authors. At the time, Brackman and Waldvogel knew Ida Stow's name because she wrote a complaint to the Sears contest organizer saying that the Century of Progress quilts were not getting a fair judging. When he sent photos of the quilt, the quilt was familiar. In fact, it was already in the book, in a photo provided by Sears Archives (see pg 72). The owner was looking for a buyer. Waldvogel and Brackman wanted to include it in the travelling exhibit which had already begun. A buyer was found (Ardis and Robert James) who graciously agreed to loan it to the travelling exhibit. When the quilt arrived at the sponsoring museum's site (the Knoxville Museum of Art), the curators decided not to send it on the travelling exhibit due to its fragile state. The silk crepe was splitting. The quilt was shown only at the Knoxville Museum of Art when the exhibit opened. It was returned to the Jameses and eventually was donated to the International Quilt Study Center where it is available for viewing on their online quilt website.

Why was the quilt made?

Challenge or Contest entry

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on the quilt?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

The exhibition of 30 quilts entitled “Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World’s Fair” was curated by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman. The Knoxville Museum of Art and Smith-Kramer, Inc. coordinated the travelling exhibition that lasted from 1994 to 1996. This quilt was exhibited only at the Knoxville Museum of Art, the final venue in May through July 1996. At the International Quilt Study Center/Museum, the quilt was included in the exhibition entitled "American Quilts in the Modern Age 1870-1940."

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), 43. Merikay Waldvogel "Ida Mae Stow's quilt" in Quilting Today (Issue 46).

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

Photo of Ida Stow was provided by Steve Stow, her grandson. Notes of telephone conversations with her son Lloyd Stow and her grand-daughter Phyllis Chaulfon are in the collection of Merikay Waldvogel. The original letter Ida Stow sent to Sears Roebuck & Co. was copied by Ida and sent to another Chicago quiltmaker, Bertha Stenge, along with a post-script. That letter is in the Stenge collection at the Illinois State Museum. Green Ribbon Merit, Typed Explanation, and a handkerchief and 1933 souvenir pin (International Quilt Study Center & Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

International Quilt Study Center/Museum

Quilt owner's city:

Lincoln

Quilt owner's state:

Nebraska (NE)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Schulte

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1875

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

1957

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Urban

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

Stow, Henry J.

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

Elevator Installation and Maintenance

Quiltmaker's city:

Park Ridge

Quiltmaker's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

20-50 quilts

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

Ida was born in Missouri in 1875. She attended Missouri Teachers College and started a teaching career. She met her husband in Missouri. They married in about 1900 or 1901. They had two children (born in 1903 and 1909). They moved to Illinois and eventually settled in a suburb northwest of Chicago, Park Ridge, Illinois. She did not continue teaching, but worked in the high school office as a secretary during World War I. She stayed on at the high school. Her mother lived with the family. They quilted together. According to her son, he thinks her mother might have worked on the Century of Progress quilt, too. Usually they would send their quilts to country quilters in St. James, Missouri, but this quilt they did their own quilting. Lloyd said she devoted one room to the quilt. She got all the profiles of the buildings and transferred them as quilting designs. He said, "It was a massive job." She kept the quilt. It was still there when she died. She never entered another contst as far as he knew. It was on display at Marshall Field's. According to her grand-daughter, Ida and her mother quilted together. They made lots of quilts in standard patterns. "She was a tough fighter. Her husband was easy-going."

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel