Quilt, Drunkard's Path

Date1870-1879

Probably by Mary Elizabeth Crawford 1855 - 1912

MediumCottons

DimensionsOH 86 in.
OW 88 3/8 in.

Credit LineGift of Mary Norment

Object number2024.609.22

DescriptionThis is rectangular quilt pieced from red and white cottons. The design is known as Drunkard’s Path and consists of squares with a fan shape in one color and a contrasting color angle. This creates an overall effect of crossing diagonal lines. The quilt is bordered with three bands of alternating red and white. A white cotton strip is used as the binding. The quilt is backed in white cotton and has a relatively thin batting.Label TextIntroduction to Folk Art:

By the late 19th century, quilt patterns were identified by many evocative names. This pinwheeling pattern is a variation of the “Drunkard’s Path,” described by the Buffalo Courier Express as “very descriptively named...[showing] a more sinister imagination.”

This quilt has a special tie to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. It was probably made by Mary Elizabeth Crawford and descended to her daughter, Anna Barbara McNamee. Though McNamee lived most of her life in Hagerstown, Maryland, she moved to Williamsburg when her son, Carlisle Humelsine, served as the third president of the Foundation (1958-1977). This quilt likely adorned a bed in the Humelsine's residence, the Roscoe-Cole House on Duke of Gloucester Street, one of 89 original buildings in the Historic Area.ProvenanceCa. 1870s, potentially made by Mary Elizabeth Crawford [1855-1912] (Hagerstown, MD); 1912, passed by descent to Anna Barbara McNamee [1882-1963] (Hagerstown, MD); 1963, passed by descent to Mary Norment (Williamsburg, VA); 2024 given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)