US - 1939 World's Fair - Patriotic Quilt
This machine sewn World's Fair patriotic quilt was sewn with cotton and rayon to commemorate the 1939 New York World's Fair. The quilt combines readily available calico, floral fabrics and finishing materials, as well as six commercially available 48-star U.S. parade flags and a souvenir rayon handkerchief textile of the fair.
The largest portions of the quilt used primarily cotton blue printed panels arranged around the copper-red souvenir textile. The U.S. Flags are arranged on the top and bottom of the quilt, with the cantons resting on the four corners at the outer edge. The two interior flag's cantons are placed against the souvenir handkerchief, which occupies the center of the quilt. Two blue columns divide the souvenir and two interior flags from the outlying four. The quilt is finished with a decorative brown saw tooth edge effect and red twill tape. The back of the quilt is white with irregular red and vertical stripes. The maker of this quilt did not sign the piece.
The handkerchief textile that occupies the center of the quilt was offered at the Fair in at least two styles. The first style, seen in this quilt, is copper-red. The other style incorporates an off-white overlay. While numerous commemorative souvenir textiles are known to have survived, this is believed to be the only surviving quilt to incorporate the textile.
The New York World's Fair of 1939 was a heavily promoted event and the subject of other flag-related examples found within this collection. See ZFC 3062, 3063 0604 for more information.
Provenance:
• Mark French Antique Quilts, Yellow Springs, OH, until 2008.
• Purchase on Internet Auction by Louise Veninga Zaricor for Zaricor Flag Collection, 2008.
Sources:
Welcome to Tomorrow, American Studies @ The University of Virginia, 23 June 2013, from: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/display/39wf/frame.htm
The 1939 New York World's Fair, 23 June 2013, from: http://www.1939nyworldsfair.com/index.htm
Brooke, Bob, 1939 NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR LIVES ON THROUGH COLLECTIBLES, 23 June 2013, from: http://www.bobbrooke.com/worldsfair1939.htm
1939 New York World's Fair, Wikipedia, 23 June 2013, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_New_York_World's_Fair
Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC) Archives, 2013.
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
