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Dark Ground Chintzes #3: Defining a Style

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Dark ground prints, one with a cracked ice figure, a version of a floral trail.

Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, attributed to 
Chester County, Pennsylvania 
This lovely quilt is undated but consistent with the nine-patch quilts we've been looking at 
inscribed from about 1785-1810.

Light ground and dark ground chintzes featuring floral trail style sets

Copp Family Nine-Patch, Connecticut
 Smithsonian Insitution
Estimated date 1790-1810

Beyond patchwork pattern, style characteristics here are a high-contrast color scheme
using very dark ground prints I'd call brown and very light prints or plain white.

Detail from the Copp quilt

Much like one dated 1808 by Ester Carter
Ester's uses more limited fabrics

For more about early nine patch quilts see this post

 Martha Frances Dabney Collier (1744-1815), About 1790, Virginia
Collection of Colonial Williamsburg

This star and tulip medallion  is quite worn, showing the particular problems with dark brown cottons and linens. The mordants weaken the fibers so the dark colors wear before others.



Connecticut project & the Quilt Index

Star quilt, Smithsonian Institution

These are not the kind of patchwork you see in Great Britain.
I'd guess it is an American style.

The undated quilts are attributed to about 1790-1810 based on the popularity of dark ground chintzes as described by Peter Floud and the date-inscribed examples shown in the last post.

From the Michigan Project
This almost a wholecloth quilt is so minimal it's modern.
The appeal of the dark/light style is the simplicity of the high contrast look.

Elizabeth Wilber, Old Sturbridge Village Collection 
in Massachusetts

Then there are style subcategories.

A border or flounce or a red and white toile.


From the Massachusetts project and the Quilt Index

Ditto


Smithsonian, no information

Tomorrow we talk about the color of the dark ground fabrics.


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