Tumbling Blocks quilt
The American Wing owns ten Amish quilts from communities in both Pennsylvania and the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa). It is a small but choice collection, and many of this group are outstanding in both design and condition. The museum likes to build strength on strength, and this quilt makes a fascinating comparison with another quilt we already owns from Kalona, Iowa signed by E. L., and completed in 1924 (2003.312). That quilt is a very somber and quiet quilt, in black cotton with a light blue pieced cross pattern in diagonally set blocks. This quilt is quite the opposite, with pieced blocks of a multitude of fabrics in unexpected colors. The Tumbling Blocks pattern squares are full of life and movement. It is instructive to have two quilts from the same Amish community, made only a year apart, that are so different, and speak to the artistic expression allowed in what is generally perceived as a very strict religious community.
Artwork Details
- Title: Tumbling Blocks quilt
- Artist: Alma (?) Yoder (American (Kalona, Iowa))
- Date: 1923
- Culture: American
- Medium: Cotton, silk, and velvet
- Dimensions: 78 × 70 in. (198.1 × 177.8 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Penny Nii, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.197.1
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Jodi Archambault
2005
Standing Bear/ Mató Nájin
ca. 1920
Frank Lloyd Wright
1912–14
Frank Lloyd Wright
1912–14
Frank Lloyd Wright
1912–14
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.