Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Quilt |
Catalog Number |
2011.fic.791 |
Description |
Signature quilt, white and blue, all cotton. Pieced, of an unusual pattern. Embroidered with 699 names; most are recognizably of La Crosse. Motifs include symbols for several military auxiliary organizations such as the Women's Relief Corps and Grand Army of the Republic. |
Date |
c. 1929 |
Material |
Cotton |
Dimensions |
W-75 L-75 inches |
Length (in) |
75.000 |
Width (in) |
75.000 |
Subjects |
"Things that Matter" Organizations & Clubs Textiles |
Search Terms |
Woman's Relief Corps Grand Army of the Republic "Things that Matter" Made in La Crosse |
Relation |
Show Related Records... |
Notes |
Featured in Things that Matter "The quilts on our bed during these cold months are meant to keep us warm. Some also have a story behind them while others are purely decorative. Signature Quilts tell a story. They were created in America as fundraisers for different organizations and causes. People would pay a small fee, such as ten cents, to have their name added to the quilt, which would then be auctioned off to raise yet more money. This blue and white cotton quilt may have been a fundraiser for the Woman’s Relief Corps sometime around 1930. There are many fraternal military organizations sewn onto the quilt besides the WRC, including the American Legion Roy L Vingers Post No. 52 and Auxiliary, the Thomas Rooney Ladies Auxiliary VFW of the US No. 1530, the United Spanish War Veterans, M.C. Casberg Comp. No. 11, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Auxiliary of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic was an organization created by Union military veterans who had served in the Civil War, and the Woman’s Relief Corps was their female auxiliary group. Both the GAR and WRC were large national organizations that were socially and politically influential. They even still exist today today, and focus their energy on patriotism, and Civil War education and memorials. Today, women’s auxiliaries are less common, now that most organizations, including veteran’s organizations, admit women, but these women’s groups used to be an important force for charitable work and community organizing. This signature quilt is embroidered with 699 names, many of which can be traced to the La Crosse area. These, and the insignia of many veterans’ organizations active here, give this object a double identity: it is both a bed covering and an historic document, a record of the people who lived here and what they cared about." This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune. Title: A Blue Signature Quilt Author: Samantha Reinders ad Rebekah Bain Publish Date: February 13, 2016 |