Images(3)

Quilt, Appliquéd

Date1850-1860

Probably by Amanda W. Lankford 1835 - 1921

OriginAmerica, Kentucky, Mason County

MediumPlain and printed cottons

DimensionsOW 77 ¼” X OH 89” (196.2 X 226 cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2016.609.6

DescriptionThis is a rectangular quilt with red, green, and pink printed cottons and solid yellow cottons appliquéd onto a white ground in a design consisting of nine large floral medallions, bordered by single and triple tulips growing from pots on all four sides. There is a folded 3/4" green printed binding on all four sides. The bedcover is quilted in 9 running stitches per inch with white cotton in a design of parallel lines. The quilt is backed in plain off-white cotton.Label TextThis pristine and colorful red, pink, yellow, and green appliquéd quilt from Mason County, Kentucky joins only one other Kentucky quilt in the collection. The technique of appliqué involved sewing cut shapes down onto a larger ground fabric. In this quilt the cut edges of the appliqués were carefully turned under before they were finely stitched. The lively design consists of nine large floral medallions with a border of tulips. The red, pink, and green color scheme was a popular choice for quilters both on the east coast as well as the Backcountry during the mid nineteenth century. The quilt is attributed to Amanda Lankford Ryder (1835-1921) or her mother, Emily Saunders Lankford (1811-before 1860). It is thought to have been created for the September 1853 wedding of Amanda to Andrew J. Ryder (1828-1914) in Mason County, Kentucky. The couple had six surviving children, one of which Amanda lived with in her later life until her death in 1921. Funded by the Friends, the quilt will be exhibited in a future exhibition at the Art Museums.

Art of the Quilter:
Flowers abounded on applique quilts from the mid-1800s. Wreaths, tulips, honeysuckles, and sunflowers were all cut out of bold printed textiles and sewn onto plain grounds. Roses were a popular motif, included in designs like the "Whig Rose," "Rose of Sharon," and "Rose Tree." Appliqued florals were not limited to a single location, appearing on mid-19th-century quilts from New York to Indiana.

Either Susan Emily Saunders or her daughter, Amanda Lankford, stitched the colorful flowers onto this quilt in the 1850s, when the family was living in Mason County, Kentucky. The quilt may have commemorated Amanda's 1853 marriage to painter Andrew Ryder. This quilt marked one stop on the family's westward move. Amanda was born in Virginia and moved to Illinois after her wedding.Provenance1850-1860, probably made by Amanda W. Lankford (Mason County, KY); prior to 2016, to Stella Rubin (Darnetown, MD); 2016-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)