Quilt, "This or That"
Date1885-1910
Maker
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wheeless Shaifer
American, 1866 - 1953
MediumCottons
Dimensions79 X 79 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 number2025.609.40
DescriptionSquare quilt with rounded corners pieced in squares and triangles in a pattern sometimes called "This or That." The quilt is made of sixty-four squares joined without sashings. The textiles in the piecing include multicolor small-scale prints, checks, stripes, and solids. Backing is of blue ground small-scale floral brought to the front and machine stitched to form edge binding. Quilted by machine in diagonal parallel lines alternating with wavy lines. Some stains and small holes.Label TextThis quilt is part of a large donation of quilts by the Shaifer family of Claiborne County, MS. These 46 quilts were made by women from four successive generations of the family, dating from the mid-1800s to the 1980s.
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wheeless (1866-1953) completed this quilt ca. 1885 before she married into the Shaifer family in 1888. These pieced quilts, often made using scrap fabric, resemble the quilts made by Amanda Guice Shaifer (1844-1930). Lizzie's early style may have been influenced by quilting alongside neighbors like the Shaifers, Andrews, and Forbes families.ProvenanceProbably late 19th century, Elizabeth Wheeless (Mrs. Percy Leon) Shaifer [1866-1953] (Claiborne County, MS); dates unknown, descended to Elizabeth Shaifer (Mrs. Al) Hollingsworth [1933-2016] (Claiborne County, MS); 2025, gift of Shaifer family through Mr. Al Hollingsworth (Port Gibson, MS) to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
ca. 1810-1830
ca. 1880
