ticketsMember | Make a donation

Quilt, Tumbling Blocks with Signatures pattern

begun 1856
Not on view
In 1856, seventeen-year-old Adeline Harris, the daughter of a well-to-do Rhode Island mill owner, conceived of a unique quiltmaking project. She sent small diamond-shaped pieces of white silk worldwide to people she esteemed as the most important figures of her day, asking each to sign the silk and return it to her. By the time the signatures were all returned and ready to be stitched into a "tumbling-blocks" patterned quilt, Adeline had amassed an astonishing collection of autographs. Her quilt features the signatures of eight American presidents; luminaries from the worlds of science, religion, and education; heroes of the Civil War; such authors as Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson; and an array of prominent artists. Today, the autographs displayed in this beautiful and immaculately constructed quilt provide an intriguing glimpse into the way an educated young woman of the mid-nineteenth century viewed her world.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Quilt, Tumbling Blocks with Signatures pattern
  • Maker: Adeline Harris Sears (1839–1931)
  • Date: begun 1856
  • Geography: Made in Rhode Island, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Silk
  • Dimensions: 80 × 77 in. (203.2 × 195.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, William Cullen Bryant Fellows Gifts, 1996
  • Object Number: 1996.4
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Wholecloth whitework quilt, J. Wright American, Quilted cotton, American
Wholecloth whitework quilt
J. Wright
ca. 1815
Floral Applique Quilt, Emeline Travis Ludington American, Cotton, American
Floral Applique Quilt
Emeline Travis Ludington
ca. 1850
Quilt, Fruit Baskets pattern, Silk and silk velvet, American
Quilt, Fruit Baskets pattern
American
ca. 1860
Phebe Warner Coverlet, Sarah Furman Warner Williams American, Linen and cotton, American
Phebe Warner Coverlet
Sarah Furman Warner Williams
ca. 1803
Memorial to Salome and Moses Brown, Charlotte Brown American, Silk and silk chenille embroidered on silk and painted, American
Memorial to Salome and Moses Brown
Charlotte Brown
1824

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 5

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.