Quilt, Silk "Crazy"

Date1895

MediumSilk, cotton, possibly wool

Dimensions75 1/2 inches X 64 inches

Credit LineGift of The Children of Elizabeth Shaifer Hollingsworth - Allison Shaifer Hollingsworth Moxey, Ann Davidson Hollingsworth Weeden and Christopher Alton Hollingsworth, and The Children of Sanfrid Davidson Shaifer - Mary Laura Shaifer Bell, Jodie Stovall Shaifer Huddleston and Sanfrid Davidson Shaifer, Jr.

Object number2025.609.1

DescriptionRectangular "Crazy Quilt" constructed from various-shaped patches of ribbons, satins, velvets, and pattern-woven textiles applied to cotton foundations and stitched around the edges with herringbone and feather stitch variations, with additional straight and satin stitches. Floral sprigs and a horseshoe are embroidered at intervals. The gold cotton sateen backing is brought to the front and stitched to form an edge finish about 1 1/2 inches wide. The quilt is fragile with some textiles disintegrating.Label TextAccording to the family history, this "Crazy Quilt" is the work of Virginia Brown Baker (1860-1911), who was born in a house originally known as "Orange Grove" in Biloxi, Mississippi; the house was renamed "Beauvoir" by a later resident, Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy. After marrying and moving to Indianola, Mrs. Baker began her quilt, using scraps of clothing worn by family members, including that of her husband, James Holmes Baker, a Mississippi state senator from 1892 to 1894.Provenanceca. 1895, quiltmaker Virginia Brown (Mrs. Joseph Holmes) Baker [1860-1911] (Biloxi and Indianola, MS); dates unknown, probably descended to quiltmaker's grand-daughter Dorothy Davidson "Dot" (Mrs. Sanfrid) Shaifer [1908-2005], (Claiborne County, MS); date unknown, to Dorothy's daughter, Elizabeth "Libby" Shaifer (Mrs. Al) Hollingsworth [1933-2016] (Claiborne County, MS); 2025, gift of Shaifer family through Al Hollingsworth to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)