in the Museum of American Folk Art

he quilt collection of the DIAMOND IN THE SQUARE QUILT Quiltmaker unidentified Museum of American Folk Art is Lancaster County, 1910-1925 important not only because it com- Wool 78 78" prises a significant percentage of the Gift of Freyda Rothstein, 1998.8.2 By Elizabeth V. Warren T total collection (approximately one- quarter of more than 400 quilts), but also because it includes examples from most of the major Amish FOUR PATCH IN TRIANGLES QUILT 110. quiltmaking centers: Lancaster and Mifflin Counties Barbara Zook Peachey 11848-19301 in Pennsylvania; Ohio; and Indiana. This varied Yellow Topper Amish, Byler Group Mifflin County, Pennsylvania assemblage provides an opportunity to compare and 1910-1920 Cotton contrast the quilting traditions of the different areas 85/12 x 783/4" Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William B. and, in the process, consider the ways of life in these Wigton, 1984.25.12 communities that led to the creation of a distinctive style of American quilt. As guest curator, I have chosen twenty of these for the exhibition "Beyond the Square: Color and Design in Amish Quilts," on view at the Museum through November 7.

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PHILIP MORRIS The exhibition "Beyond the Square: Color and Design In Amish Quilts" is sponsored by COMPANIES INC.

SUMMER 1999 FOLK ART 110 The history, sociology, and these religions, including elaborate Harshly persecuted in Europe religion of the Amish have all been dress and ornate churches, and instead for their beliefs, the Amish began to fully discussed in many books. It is, chose the simplicity of the early Chris- migrate to America at the invitation of however, beneficial to bear some of tians as their model. William Penn. The first group proba- this background in mind when look- The Amish were followers of bly arrived with other "Pennsylvania ing at the quilts in the Museum's Jacob Amman (c. 1644—c. 1730), a Germans" in 1727 or 1737. During the collection and considering why they Swiss Mennonite bishop who was so colonial period they settled on the rich are distinct from other forms of Amer- conservative that he severed his ties farmland of Berks, Chester, and Lan- ican quilts. with the Mennonite Church in the caster Counties in Pennsylvania,

CENTER STAR WITH CORNER STARS QUILT Unidentified member of the Glick family Probably Arthur, Illinois 1890-1900 Wool with cotton backing 76/34 82/12" Gift of Phyllis Haders, 1985.3.1

The Amish in America today 1690s partly because he believed it where they could continue the way of are the descendants of the Swiss was not strict enough in its practice life they had led in Europe, which Brethren, part of the strong Anabaptist of Meidung, or shunning those who they essentially lead today. The movement that followed the Reforma- deviate from the Ordnung, or rules Amish attempt to keep themselves tion in the sixteenth century. The of conduct of the Church. Amman's separate from the outside world, and Amish rejected what they saw as the followers formed the group, later they generally reject those modern decadence of the Roman Catholic and called Amish after him, that conveniences such as electricity, cars, Protestant Churches of their day. migrated to the Palatinate re- telephones, and televisions that they Along with other Anabaptist sects, the gion along the Rhine and to the feel would bring them into contact Amish repudiated the iconography of Netherlands. with that world. Their style of dress, a

20 SUMMER 1999 FOLK ART fashion closer to eighteenth-century known examples exist that can be material, although sometimes found Europe than twentieth-century Amer- dated before 1870. The quiltmalcing on the back, was considered too ica, is also meant to distinguish them tradition seems to have taken hold "worldly" for quilt tops; the dimen- as a group apart. among the Amish in the 1870s and sions are square; and the center motif The Amish, like other Ger- 1880s, and the majority of Amish is surrounded by a narrow inner bor- manic groups, did not bring a tradition quilts extant today were made der and a particularly wide outer of quiltmaking to America with them. between the 1880s and the 1960s) border, which is finished with propor- Blankets, featherbeds, and woven cov- As befits the conservative life- tionately large corner blocks. erlets were the more typical styles of style of the Amish and their religious This quilt, like a great many prohibition against naturalistic other Amish examples, is also charac- images, the earliest Amish terized by stitching of exquisite qual- quilts were made of large ity. Although most Amish quilts were pieces of a single-colored fab- pieced together with a foot-powered ric (either cotton or wool), treadle sewing machine (acceptable much like the whole-cloth because it does not use electricity), wool quilts made in the late they were typically quilted by hand. eighteenth and early nine- This bedcover includes favorite Lan- teenth centuries by "English" caster County motifs such as a wreath- quiltmakers. By the end of the star center and a grapevine in the inner nineteenth century, these were border. Quite possibly the realistic followed by quilts with more quilting motifs, such as the grapevine colors and more design ele- and the stars, were the maker's way of ments, although large, geo- circumventing her society's prohibi- metric pieces of solid-colored tion against naturalistic designs. fabric were still the norm. The Fruits, flowers, baskets, and other classic Lancaster County nongeometric forms were often designs—Center Square, Dia- appliquéd onto the quilts of her "gay mond in the Square, and Dutch" (non-Amish Pennsylvania Bars—are examples of pat- Germans) and "English" (any other terns that originated in the Americans) neighbors. While the nineteenth century and contin- Amish generally rejected appliqués ued to be made through the because they served no practical pur- twentieth century, partly due pose, they may have felt it was accept- to the conservatism of all able to stitch many of the same aspects of Amish life. designs into their quilts, satisfying themselves with the knowledge that LANCASTER COUNTY QUILTS their tiny, precise stitches were neces- he Diamond in the sary to hold the backing, filling, and Square pattern, unique top together. Tto Lancaster County, The Lancaster County Double is probably an Amish adapta- Nine Patch Quilt in the exhibition is tion of the center medallion an example of a pattern that was prob- style of quilt that was popular ably developed after the classic Center among "English" quiltmakers Square, Diamond in the Square, and in the first half of the nine- Bars designs, most likely in the later teenth century. The Amish nineteenth or early twentieth century. woman's selection of this out- Double Nine Patch is a block-work moded style of quilt was not pattern, popular in the outside world happenstance. According to by the middle of the nineteenth cen- DOUBLE NINE PATCH QUILT seen among the Amish Mrs. Dan Troyer Amish quilt historian Eve tury but not Holmes County, Ohio Wheatcroft Granick, the until much later. 1915-1925 bedding. At some point in the nine- choice of the old-fashioned medallion It is in the beautiful, bold wool Cotton 75/34 43/14" teenth century, the Amish learned to style "seems to have been a deliberate examples of Lancaster County that one Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William B. make quilts from their "English" attempt to make their quilts in accor- is made particularly aware of the strik- Wigton, 1984.25.19 neighbors, which is what they call all dance with Amish standards of non- ing colors chosen by the Amish women people outside their sect. There are conformity to 'English' fashion."2 for their quilts. While much of the color very few documents (mostly estate The Diamond in the Square choice for a quilt was determined by inventories) that mention quilts among Quilt in this exhibition is composed of the fabrics and dyes available at any the Amish between the 1830s and the many typical Lancaster County fea- particular time, community values and 1870s, but such quilts had to have tures: The fabrics are fine-quality informal rules regarding the appropri- been exceedingly rare, and only two solid-colored wools, since patterned ateness of a specific color choice also

SUMMER 1999 FOLK ART 21 influenced the maker's selections. It is color choices allowed the quiltmakers the use of some bright colors in their sometimes confusing, therefore, to were also extremely limited. quilts. However, as is clear from the compare the bright colors of the quilts Two of the bedcovers included patterns chosen by the makers of these against the "plain" face that the Amish in the exhibition, Four in Block-Work and other quilts from Mifflin County present to the outside world. However, Quilt and Four Patch in Triangles in the Museum's collection, four- and since the Amish Ordnung does not Quilt, were made by members of the nine-patch patterns would appear to be specifically refer to quilts, the women Byler Group, also called the "Yellow the most popular designs among all were not prevented from combining the Topper" Amish because of HUMMINGBIRDS QUILT the color the groups in the Big Valley. Quiltmaker unidentified deep jewel tones and vivid pastels they of their buggy tops. The Byler church Unlike Lancaster County, Shipshewana, Indiana favored with more expected—and is slightly less conservative than the where wool was the fabric of choice 1920-1930 Cotton somber—earth shades and other Nebraska Amish, as is evidenced by for quilts, Mifflin County Amish quilts 87/34 x 68/14" dark colors. And while the Gift of David Pottinger, brightly colored fabrics were 1980.37.69 often purchased specially for quiltmaking, some Amish still use pinks, blues, greens, and other bright colors for their clothing, particularly for children, although the vivid hues are frequently hid- den beneath a black cape or jacket.

MIFFLIN COUNTY QUILTS ifflin County, Pennsylvania— Mspecifically the ("Kish Valley" or "Big Val- ley," as it is commonly called)—has been home to the Amish since the 1790s, when several families moved there from Lancaster and Chester Counties. Cur- rently, five separate and distinct Amish groups, all stemming from an original church that existed until the 1850s, occupy the Big Valley, and each maintains its own distinguishing rules, including those that encom- pass clothing colors and styles, buggy styles, housing styles and decoration, and quiltmalcing.3 The Museum's col- lection includes quilts made by members of three of these Amish groups. In gen- eral, the simplest examples tend to be those made by the Nebraska Amish, the most conservative group, not only in the Big Valley but in all of North America. Four- and nine-patch variations were the only kinds of pat- terns permitted among the Nebraska Amish, and the

22 SUMMER 1999 FOLK ART The Log Cabin Quilt in this exhibition was made of both wool and cotton in rich, saturated colors that were particularly pop- ular among the Peachey quilt- makers. Of special interest is the fact that there has been some minor use of patterned fabrics— checks and inconspicuous prints—on this quilt. As men- tioned above, patterned fabrics are generally considered too worldly for use by the Amish. Occasionally, however, rather than wasting material, the maker will use a small check or print that has been acquired in a bundle of fabrics in a subdued way, such as for the tiny chimney of a Log Cabin block. The second Peachey Amish quilt in the exhibition, the Crazy Patch Quilt, is also an Amish adaptation of a pattern common in the outside world at an earlier time. According to family history, the quilt was made by Leah Zook Hartzler for her sister, Lydia, on the occasion of Lydia's marriage to Daniel J. Yoder in 1903. In the outside world, Crazy Quilts reached their peak of popularity in the 1880s. This remarkable exam- ple can be considered both an Amish woman's interpretation of a design that was already waning quiltmakers outside her DOUBLE NINE PATCH QUILT among Quiltmaker unidentified community and a quilt that is Lancaster County, Pennsylvania totally in keeping with the rela- 1930-1940 Wool and wool-rayon blend are commonly found in a variety of church in the Big Valley, the tively narrow aesthetic parameters set 79% x 75/34" fabrics, and often the fabrics were Peachey or "Black Topper" Amish. by that community. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William B. mixed in a single quilt. The Four in This group has been described as While obviously influenced by Wigton, 1984.25.5 Block-Work Quilt (illustrated on page slightly more liberal than the other the fanciful silk and velvet Crazy 6) was probably made between 1925 two groups discussed here,5 and both Quilts popular in the last quarter of the and 1935 by Annie M. Peachey of these quilts are examples of pat- nineteenth century, the Amish maker Swarey, who used a number of differ- terns that were common in the out- of this quilt has imposed order and ent fabrics in her quilt, including side world, although their peak regularity on what is by definition a pieces of the newly available popularity among the "English" disordered and asymmetrical design. cotton/rayon. The American Viscose probably occurred at least a genera- The "crazy" patches are neatly set off Corporation opened a factory in tion before they were adopted by the by pumpkin-colored squares at the Lewiston, Pennsylvania, in 1921, mak- Amish. Wool and cotton Log Cabin corners, and on close examination it ing rayon -readily available to the quilts such as the Barn Raising can be seen that even the irregular Amish through a local outlet shop. example in this exhibition became patches themselves are ordered by a Amish quilts from Mifflin County, popular among most quiltmakers in traditional Mifflin County four-patch therefore, will often show a charac- the outside world in the 1860s. By pattern. teristic use of this fabric much the end of the nineteenth century, earlier than those made in other when this quilt was made by Lydia MIDWESTERN QUILTS communities.4 A. Kanagy Peachey, Log Cabins y far the largest number of The oldest Mifflin County were more likely to be show quilts Amish quilts in the Museum's quilts in the Museum's collection were made of luxurious and impractical Bcollection were made in the made by members of a third Amish fabrics such as silk. Midwest, particularly Indiana and

SUMMER 1999 FOLK ART 23 Ohio. This reflects both the large set- narrow inner border and a wide outer avant-garde techniques, Amish quilt- tlements of Amish in these two states border. Cotton is the preferred fabric, makers tend to specialize in the tradi- and the popularity of quiltmaking in although a variety of different cotton tional patterns that have been popular these communities, as well as the weaves are used (sometimes in a sin- for the past 150 years. Frequently, fact that the Museum was the benefi- gle quilt), and pieces of other fabrics these quilts are made for sale to ciary of a generous gift of Indiana such as wool may be found along with tourists, since Amish women have quilts in 1980.6 the cotton on some quilts. found that quiltmaking is an accept- What may be the oldest mid- The Indiana quilts in the exhi- able way to supplement their income. western quilt in the Museum's collec- bition demonstrate color combina- But while the restrictions of just a tion, however, was probably made in tions that were particularly preferred few generations ago have disap- one of the comparatively smaller com- by the Amish in the Midwest from peared—for example, patterned fab- munities. Although there is no the 1920s through the 1940s, when rics and appliqués are now genealogical information to prove most of the quilts in the Museum's acceptable—they appear to have exactly where the Center Star with collection were made. In the early been replaced by a resistance to Corner Stars Quilt was made, it twentieth century, black became a experimenting with the contemporary resembles a group of quilts made in favorite color for quilts, especially as fashion for creating fabric "art." This the Arthur, Illinois, community in the a background. Sometimes, a dark is consistent with the tradition of late nineteenth century.7 This stable blue was chosen instead. Both colors Amish quiltmaking, as one of the and prosperous community is known provided a strong contrast to the bold reasons Amish women may have for the use of fine materials, a strong reds, yellows, blues, greens, and been allowed to create such master- color sense, and unusual borders and other hues that the quiltmakers fre- pieces originally was that the quilts piecing arrangements,8 all of which quently selected for their patterns. were intrinsically functional and can be seen on this uncommon quilt. Such a dark and bright color combi- never intended as works of art. * Another unusual quilt in the nation often made even the simplest exhibition is the Double Nine Patch pattern appear especially exciting. Editor's note: This article is adapted Quilt from Holmes County, Ohio, The Hummingbirds Quilt, for exam- from Glorious American Quilts: The which is neither a crib nor a full-size ple, an exceptionally graphic quilt, Quilt Collection ofthe Museum of quilt but rather a long and narrow derives its visual appeal from rows American Folk Art(Penguin Studio, shape (75/34 x 43/14"). This elongated of inexpertly stitched four-pointed 1996) by Elizabeth V. Warren and textile was probably used as a lounge stars in vivid colors set against a Sharon L. Eisenstat. quilt and was made for the small, usu- black field. ally narrow daybeds that were once By the middle of the twentieth Elizabeth V. Warren is the consulting used in Amish parlors in place of century, Amish quiltmaking in all of curator ofthe Museum ofAmerican upholstered sofas.9 the communities had undergone Folk Art. Perhaps the greatest difference tremendous changes. A lighter color between Amish quilts made in the palette gained acceptance among many NOTES Midwest and those made in Pennsyl- of the quilters, and synthetic fabrics— 1 Eve Wheatcroft Granick, The Amish vania is the increased number of pat- often in harsh hues—began to be Quilt(Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books, terns found in the Midwest, both those widely used. Amish women became 1989), p. 29. borrowed from the outside world and aware that there are rules in the outside 2 Ibid., p. 76. those that originated in the Amish world about what colors go with others, 3 See ibid., p. 91, for a chart on the evolu- communities. The greater variety of and so their wonderful, uninhibited jux- tion of Amish and Mennonite groups in patterns may be a by-product of tapositions of colors were replaced by Mifflin County. the fact that the Amish in Ohio, Indi- more common combinations. Many 4 Ibid., p. 94. ana, Illinois, and elsewhere in the quilters also began using synthetic bat- 5 Ibid., p. 91. 6 In 1980, David Pottinger gave the Midwest generally do not live in such ting, which tends to be thicker than cot- Museum of American Folk Art ninety-two concentrated communities as their ton. This results in fewer stitches per midwestern Amish quilts. Most were from counterparts in Pennsylvania and con- inch and the selection of less intricate Indiana, but the gift also included quilts sequently have more opportunities to quilting patterns. Finally, as the quilts made in Ohio and from the Amish com- be exposed to the outside world and became valuable collectibles, some munity of Haven, Kansas, which had close its influences. Because of the slightly Amish started copying the old patterns ties to the settlements in Indiana. less restrictive nature of life in some for 7 Eve Wheatcroft CRAZY PATCH QUILT the new market, creating quilts that, Granick, interview with Leah Zook Hartzler midwestern Amish communities,10 while often still very effective, lack the the author, 1993. Black Topper Amish, there may have been greater freedom inspiration of the originals. 8 Granick, The Amish Quilt, p. 141. Peachey Group Mifflin County, Pennsylvania to experiment with quilt patterns. Amish quiltmaking today, 9 Stanley A. Kaufman with Leroy Beachy, Amish in Eastern Ohio (Walnut 1903 This great range of patterns can although very different from fifty Wool and cotton with cotton Creek, Ohio: German Culture Museum, be seen in the large grouping of mid- years ago, still retains its conserva- embroidery 1990), 88 < 75" western Amish quilts p.48. that are part of tive aspect. While contemporary 10 The Schwartzentruber Amish in Ohio Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William B. the Museum's collection. Typically, quilters in the outside world experi- and the Old Order Amish in Indiana are Wigton, 1984.25.15 the quilts are block designs sur- ment with hand-dyed fabrics, three- among the most conservative of all Amish rounded, like most Amish quilts, by a dimensional constructions, and other groups.

24 SUMMER 1999 FOLK ART