Object Details
- Description
- This example of the “Whig’s Defeat” pattern was made in the mid-nineteenth century, probably in Arkansas. The quilter pieced and appliquéd six 25¾-inch blocks, using red and white cottons to make the quilt top. The blocks were set with 3-inch red and white pieced sashing and a 4¼-inch border.
- The pattern, “Whig’s Defeat,” has been linked to the victory of Democrat James Polk, over Whig candidate Henry Clay in the 1844 presidential election. Whether the quilter chose the pattern as a political statement or merely for its design is unknown.
- The quilt top was part of a donation to the Smithsonian by G. Ruth McHenry in 1961. It may have been in the family of Jane Winter Price, who made a “Carpenter’s Wheel” quilt that is also in the Collection.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- maker
- unknown
- date made
- 1860-1880
- Credit Line
- Gift of Miss G. Ruth McHenry
- Physical Description
- fabric, cotton (overall material)
- thread, cotton, silk (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 104 in x 92 in; 264.16 cm x 233.68 cm
- Object Name
- quilt
