QUILT INDEX RECORD

33-29-37

Description of quilt:

Each quilt entry was required to have an official entry form affixed to the quilt's bottom right corner. This quiltmaker also attached the judging point guidelines--as a reminder to the judges. This quilt in an original design was disqualified according to the family's story because French knots had worked through the silk.

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.

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; Chicago Historical Society Collection

Merikay Waldvogel Legacy Project Number:

003

Person filling out this form is:

Blood relative of quiltmaker

When was the form filled out?

c. 1990

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

Who helped you fill out the form?

Brackman (1983) and Waldvogel (1990-93)

Location of data collection:

Correspondence 1983-1992

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Floridian Garden

How wide is the quilt?

68 inches

How long is the quilt?

90 inches

What color is the quilt?

Blue or Navy

Overall color scheme:

One color/monochromatic

Type of inscription:

Place; Signature; Other

Describe the type of inscription:

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 perviously" to which the quilter signed her name.

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Mrs. LOUELLA BITTER, "Floridian Garden", Month of March 1933, $100. Original Design. Mrs. Louella Bitter, 1180 State Street, Quincy, Ill. Chicago Sears Store 1020.

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1933

Method used to make the inscription:

Attached label

Location of inscription:

other

Describe where the inscription was found:

Bottom right corner

Time period:

1930-1949

When was the quilt started?

March 1933

When was the quilt finished?

March 1933

Family/owner's date for quilt:

1933

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Subject of the quilt:

Floral Medallion at Center of Quilt. Smaller floral design at top of quilt.

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Silk

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

The attached lace was made by the quiltmaker.

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Blanket, buttonhole, or other decorative applique stitch

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

The family story of why the judges disqualified the quilt is that the French knots had worked through the silk. Another reason was that some of the penciled pattern lines were visible. According to grand-daughter Eleanor Alford, "I cannot believe that these reasons would have disqualified, rather, would have dropped the quilt back in prize position. My own theory is that the quilt was the worng size, which would indeed disqualify it. No one knows for sure." Alford to Brackman, January 20, 1983.

What color is the back of the quilt?

Blue or Navy

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid/crosshatch

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Other

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Grid/crosshatch

Describe the quilting designs used:

Ferns, flowers, doves in flight, birds on a nest, a pelican, etc.

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

Prairie Points backed with white lace edging is attached on all four sides.

Quilt top made by:

Bitter, Louella Beatty

Quilted by:

Bitter, Louella Beatty

Where the quilt was made, city:

Quincy

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Inheritance

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Quilt descended through family to Eleanor Alford (grand-daughter) who, with the consent of other family members, donated the quilt to the Chicago Historical Society where it currently resides.

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

Quilt was donated to the Chicago Historical Society after the Patchwork Souvenirs exhibition ended.

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression; Challenge or Contest entry

The quilt was made to be used for:

Bedding, special occasion

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

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

According to the owner (the quiltmaker's grand-daughter), her grandparents had a winter home in St. Petersburg, Florida for many years and both loved Floridian life. Grandmother was an accomplished artist (oils, charcoal, and pastels) so her talents were used to design the quilt. Among the quilting pattern itself can be seen many flowers, ferns, a pair of doves in flight, a cardinal and a pelican. Detail in the center floral design shows a pair of bluebirds flying to their nest containing two nestlings. Also can be seen butterflies in among the flowers. She loved nature." (Eleanor Alford to Barbara Brackman, January 20, 1983).

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 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 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 47-48. "Observe Golden Wedding" Quincy Herald Whig Paper, March 17, 1936. Obituary: "Mrs. Bitter Dies: Widow of Former Prominent Doctor" [Quincy newspaper], Jan 3, 1954. Photocopies of b/w family photos provided by Eleanor Alford include photos of winter home in St. Petersburg, FL. One of Mrs. Bitter with her daughters Eleanor, Agnes, and Laura in 1936.

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

1936 photo of Dr. and Mrs. Bitter, Quincy, IL on p. 48 Patchwork Souvenirs.

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

Chicago Historical Society

Quilt owner's city:

Chicago

Quilt owner's county:

Cook

Quilt owner's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Beatty

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's birth date:

12/24/1861

Quiltmaker's date and place of death:

01/03/1954

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

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

Dr. J. W. Edward Bitter

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

Medical Doctor

Quiltmaker's city:

Quincy

Quiltmaker's state:

Illinois (IL)

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Pleasure

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

1-5 quilts

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

no

Describe any favorite patterns, tools, etc. used by the quiltmaker:

Baby quilt with stork design made for grand-daughter Eleanor Alford. Two full-size quilts -- one lavender and white "Fool's Puzzle" design.

Any other notes or stories about the quiltmaker:

Her full name was Joanna Louella Beatty. She grew up in Maysville, MO, but was born in West Virginia. She came to Quincy to attend Chaddock College where she met her future husband. They were married in Maysville on March 17, 1886. He was on the staff of St. Mary Hospital. Her chief interests were her home and family. she was a talented artist and whenever possible coninued to study art at the Notre Dame academy in Quincy.

Who photographed this quilt?

Gary Heatherly

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Merikay Waldvogel