The embroidered sunflower occupying the center of this quilt was a symbol of the late 19th century Aesthetic Movement, which espoused art for art’s sake. British playwright Oscar Wilde, a famous champion of the Aesthetic Movement, visited Baltimore during his trip to North America in 1882. Wilde popularized the sunflower and the calla lily, two flowers that appeared on many crazy quilts and other decorative arts of the period. Quilt maker Annie Shakman immigrated to America from Bohemia in 1863. In 1870, she married fellow immigrant Moritz M. Heller (1844–1914) in Baltimore. By 1880 the family included three young daughters. Sadly, a fourth child, Viola, may have died within a year of her birth in 1886. Possibly in reference to the infant, Shakman included in her quilt two printed cigarette premiums featuring curious young children stealing a peak at a sleeping baby.