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Tobacco Premium Quilt

Quilt depicting flags from various countries, each waving right, with the American flag in the center, waving to the left.

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  • Quilt depicting flags from various countries, each waving right, with the American flag in the center, waving to the left.

Date:

1913

Artist:

Theresa Zett Smith (American, 1866–1920)
United States, New York, Syracuse

About this artwork

In the early twentieth century, ladies’ magazines and tobacco companies encouraged women to collect and use fabric premiums to make decorative items for the home, such as quilts and pillows. The premiums, which included items such as the printed cotton flags seen in this quilt, either came with a tobacco purchase or could be redeemed with coupons collected from the packages. The promotion was designed to incentivize tobacco consumption and encourage brand loyalty. Although many social commentators of the time regarded smoking as unladylike, men were free to indulge without fear of judgement.
Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs, October 20, 2017-April 1, 2018

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Artist

Theresa Zett Smith

Title

Tobacco Premium Quilt

Place

New York (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 1913

Medium

Pieced and embroidered quilt; napped and printed cotton plain and twill weave fabrics and silk satin weave fabric; silk embroidery threads

Inscriptions

Inscriptions: UNION JACK [TWICE], JAPAN, CONFEDERATE STATES, SPAIN AND IRELAND; AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, AUSTRO HUNGARY, FRANCE, GREECE, ITALY, JAPAN, MEXICO, POLAND, AND SCOTLAND; ARGENTINE REPUBLIC, AUSTRALIA [TWICE], AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BOHEMIA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, BULGARIA, BURMAH [TWICE], CANADA, CHILI, [THREE TIMES], CHINA [THREE TIMES], CHINA [EMPIRE], CHINA [REPUBLIC], COLUMBIA [TWICE], CONGO, COREA [SIC], COSTA RICA, CRETE, CUBA, DENMARK, ECUADOR, EGYPT, ENGLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY [FIVE TIMES], GREAT BRITAIN, GREECE [TWICE], GUATEMALA [TWICE], HAYTI [SIC], HOLLAND, HONDURAS [THREE TIMES], IRELAND, ITALY [TWICE], JAPAN, LIBERIA, MEXICO, MOROCCO, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, NORWAY, ORANGE FREE STATE, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PERSIA [TWICE], PERU, PHILIPPINE, POLAND, PORTUGAL, RUSSIA, SALVADOR, SAMOA, SAN DOMINGO [TWICE], SCOTLAND, SERVIA [SIC] [TWICE], SIAM [TWICE], SO. AFRICAN REPUBLIC [TWICE], SOUTH AUSTRALIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TUNIS, TURKEY, TURKEY-EGYPT, URUGUAY, U.S. OF COLUMBIA, VENEZUELA [THREE TIMES], AND ZION [TWICE]

Dimensions

226.7 × 181.3 cm (89 1/4 × 73 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

The Textile Society and Dr. Lawrence S. Thurman Memorial Fund

Reference Number

1990.131

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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