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Garfield and Arthur Quilt

A work made of pieced quilt; printed, cotton plain and twill weave fabrics; printed, cotton plain weave handkerchief.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of pieced quilt; printed, cotton plain and twill weave fabrics; printed, cotton plain weave handkerchief.

Date:

c. 1880

Artist:

Possibly Annie Ensminger Kready (American, 1871-1956) or Louisa Ensminger (American, 1850-1899)
United States, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, Manheim Township

About this artwork

Much like the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition Quilt in our collection, this quilt features a promotional handkerchief. Here the handkerchief, which is placed at the center of a four-pointed star, highlights the 1880 presidential ticket of James A. Garfield and Chester B. Arthur, who did indeed win the election (although Garfield was assassinated a mere six months after taking office). The pattern and color of the design appear celebratory, but in the late nineteenth century, campaigns and elections were beset by problems similar to those of the present day, including factionalized parties, close election results, and discussion and debate comparing the popular vote to the Electoral College, as well as uncompelling and scandalous candidates.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Artists

Annie Ensminger Kready , Louisa Ensminger

Title

Garfield and Arthur Quilt

Places

Pennsylvania (Object made in), Lancaster County (Object made in), United States (Object made in)

Date

Made 1880-1890

Medium

Pieced quilt; printed, cotton plain and twill weave fabrics; printed, cotton plain weave handkerchief

Inscriptions

The Union and the Constitution Forever

Dimensions

215.7 × 218.9 cm (84 7/8 × 86 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Shelly Zegart

Reference Number

2001.459

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/158431/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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