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Sunday School Picnic Quilt

A work made of appliquéd, pieced and embroidered quilt; dyed and printed cotton, linen and rayon plain, twill, satin and patterned weave fabrics; cotton, silk and rayon embroidery fabrics; plastic liberty bell charm.

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  • A work made of appliquéd, pieced and embroidered quilt; dyed and printed cotton, linen and rayon plain, twill, satin and patterned weave fabrics; cotton, silk and rayon embroidery fabrics; plastic liberty bell charm.

Date:

1932

Artist:

Jennie C. Trein (born Achenbach) (American, 1879–1977)
United States, Pennsylvania, Nazareth

About this artwork

Jennie Trein, an accomplished quilt maker who reportedly made over one hundred quilts, designed this one to commemorate the collected memories of many a Sunday picnic. In a compression of time and space that mirrors the nature of memory, the quilt depicts both recurring and singular events as happening simultaneously. For example, in the border of the quilt, at top right, Trein depicts herself with her small twin daughters en route to the picnic, but in the central picnic scene, she illustrates one of her daughters as an adult, dressed in her nurse’s uniform and with a dog on a leash. Similarly, the young couple hiding behind the cabin is also shown eloping on horseback off in the distance.
Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs, October 20, 2017-April 1, 2018

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Artist

Jennie C. Trein

Title

Sunday School Picnic Quilt

Place

Pennsylvania (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1932

Medium

Appliquéd, pieced and embroidered quilt; dyed and printed cotton, linen and rayon plain, twill, satin and patterned weave fabrics; cotton, silk and rayon embroidery fabrics; plastic liberty bell charm

Dimensions

214 × 213.2 cm (84 1/4 × 84 in.)

Credit Line

Robert Allerton and The Christa C. Mayer Thurman Textile Endowments

Reference Number

2001.450

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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