Object Details
maker
West, Betty
Description
Five 24-inch pieced 8-Pointed Star blocks and four Railroad Crossing blocks were constructed using 27 different printed cottons. This quilt top was made about 1879 by Betty West, who was employed by Leonides C. Campbell and his wife, Mary, as a nurse for their children.
One of the children, Mary C. Watkins, wrote in 1939: “Betty West, our Negro nurse, made this quilt for my brother Kennedy and me. The many stitches made by stiff old fingers showes the real love she had for the two white children entrusted to her care. I treasured the quilt & have kept it all these years in loving memory of her.”
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy C. Watkins
date made
1870-1880
ID Number
TE.T17773.00A
accession number
315496
catalog number
T17773A
Object Name
quilt
Physical Description
fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 87 in x 86 in; 220 cm x 218 cm
place made
United States: District of Columbia
See more items in
Home and Community Life: Textiles
Quilts
Textiles
Domestic Furnishings
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Quilting
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_556581