Mary Simon (née Heidenroder)
Floral Bouquet
1844-1854
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Mary Simon (née Heidenroder)
Floral Bouquet
1844-1854
Physical Qualities
Cotton, ink, 18 1/4 x 18 in. (46.4 x 45.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Olive C. Slater
Object Number
1946.44b
The most ubiquitous designs on classic style Baltimore album quilts are those featuring floral bouquets, cornucopias, compotes, baskets, and vases filled to the brim with flowers and fruits. In some cases these motifs stand alone, while in others they are enclosed within wreaths in a lush late-neoclassical/Victorian mode. This square displays the layered appliqué, varied fabrics, and inked-in details of the classic Baltimore album style. It is one of a large group of album quilt squares given by Olive C. Slater in 1946.
Appliquéd motifs are often further embellished with additional layers of fabric sewn on top of the first, usually in a contrasting color or pattern. This method is employed in album quilts to give the illusion of depth and to add details, such as the eye of a bird, interior petals on a rose, or colorful dots on a butterfly's wings. In this square, multiple layers of appliqué suggest three-dimensionality and variation in color within individual floral designs.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1946; Ms. Olive C. Slater.
Baltimore Album Quilts Revisited: A Matter of Style; 2nd Rotation
Inscribed: "Mary A. Sultzer" (inked)
