For October's Quilt of the Month, we are sharing this stunning Baltimore Album quilt from the late 1800s.

This hand-pieced quilt features 25 blocks surrounded by an appliquéd border. A wide variety of colorful fabrics are used to create images of foliage, birds, vases and wreaths. Fine inked details are included throughout the piece, though many have faded due to oxidation.  

A group of over 400 album quilts made near Baltimore, Maryland, from around 1842 through 1858 are known today as Baltimore Album Quilts. Blocks were often inscribed by donors and combined into cloth “albums." The album squares were covered largely with floral motifs, constructed of newly affordable calicoes printed in New England mills, along with costly imported cottons and chintzes. These quilts were exhibited publicly in stores and homes as well as agricultural and mechanics’ fairs.

These quilts include similar designs, fabrics and details that suggest community, religious and familial ties among the quiltmakers. And many were made as gifts to honor religious or civic figures, reflecting the devotion of the makers as finished quilts were a significant effort of time and money.  

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Album

Mary Simon  

Made in Baltimore, Maryland, United States; dated 1848

Cotton  

IQM 2024.044.0001