1840 - 1860 Palmer Sisters' "Rose Wreath" Quilt

This exquisite example of raised appliqué and stuffed-work was the collaborative effort of two sisters who lived in Unadilla Center, Otsego County, New York. According to family information, Mary Palmer meticulously designed the mid-nineteenth-century, red-and-green quilt. It was completed with the assistance of her sister, Deborah.

Two large rose wreaths and four corner baskets of roses are appliquéd with red, green, and yellow cottons on a white ground fabric. Attention to detail is evidenced in the petals and stems. The petals of the large flowers are not only outlined with quilting, but each petal is individually stuffed and the stems are made of green cotton wrapped around a thin roll of white cotton cloth. All of the appliquéd roses, buds, and leaves are stuffed by inserting cotton fibers from the back though slashes in the ground fabric, with an inner lining of cotton attached. The central focus, a basket of fruit, and the grape vines in the space between the rose wreaths were quilted through the quilt top and inner lining. The three-dimensional effect of the quilt was further enhanced, as these areas were also stuffed from the back through the interlining.

Finally, an overall outer lining was added to the back and all of the flat quilting is stitched through the three layers. The precise design provided for the arrangement of the flowers in each corner basket to be a mirror image of the arrangement in the next corner around the quilt. Although raised appliqué was often used for details in mid-nineteenth-century quilts, it is unusual to find such an overall elaborate design executed in this technique. The technical expertise and fine quilting, 10 or 11 stitches per inch, contribute to this work of art.

Mary born in 1830 or 1831 and her sister, Deborah (Diana in official records), born in 1838 lived with their parents, Paul and Charlotte Holmes Palmer, in Unadilla, New York. There were two other children. Deborah was listed as a tailoress [sic] at the time of her death, May 7, 1875, of “brain fever,” now known as meningitis or encephalitis. Paul, their father, died a month later of erysipelas. Mary died in 1905 age 74. According to family information, the two great-great aunts who made the quilt never married and always lived in Unadilla Center. Photographs of Mary and Deborah Palmer were included with the donation.

In response to an article in 1976 about the Smithsonian, donor Virginia F Hotchkiss wrote: “I have inherited recently a lovely old handmade quilted bed spread in excellent condition. It was made by two great aunts in upper New York State and is well over a hundred years old. As it seems too bad to let it deteriorate either through use or disuse, I have been considering donating it to a museum that would insure its preservation. It always has attracted a great deal of attention when it has been on display.” Now part of the Collection, it continues to attract admiration for its complex workmanship and original design.

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