Floral Motifs on Early Chintz
Fritillaria imperalis - Crown Imperial Fritillaria
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) from the Charleston Museum, The Gracy Drummond Quilt, dated 1844-1845
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria)  from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, vol. 6, Plate 194
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) growing in modern garden
Common Names: Crown Imperial Fritillaria, Crown Imperial, Imperial Fritillary, Kaiser's Crown
 
Description: Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) is a member of the Lily family (Liliaceae). The Hortus Kewensis, ed. 2, vol. 2 recorded that this native of Persia? was introduced to Britain about 1596.

Quilts with this Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
 
  • Collection of the Carson House, Marion, NC, Floral Wreath Medallion made by Kadella, a slave owned by Colonel John Carson, North Carolina Quilts, p. 61, c. 1820-1840 
  • International Quilt Study Center & Museum, Medallion Quilt Possibly Made in Springfield, Ohio, Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon, p. 37, IQSCM 2001.015.0001, c.1852 
  • The Charleston Museum, The Gracy Drummond Quilt, Object Number 2011.26.1, dated 1844-1845 
  • Maryland Historical Society, Charlotte Augusta Norris Wedding Quilt, The Baltimore Album Quilt Tradition, p. 17, Object Number 1945.14.1, c. 1839 
Chintz with this Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
 
  • None known at this time. 


                     Additional Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) Motifs
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif from Private Collection, French Indienne style cotton-linen lily fragment, c. 1850
Chintz with this Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
 
  • Private Collection, French Indienne style cotton-linen lily fragment, c. 1850
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Furnishing Fabric, made 1840
Chintz with this Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, Furnishing Fabric, Object Number CIRC.383-1956, made 1840
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum, Textile; cotton; H x W: 105.5 x 43.5 cm (41 9/16 x 17 1/8 in.) Repeat H x W: 42 x 42.5 cm (16 9/16 x 16 3/4 in.; Gift of Josephine Howell; 1974-1-13, mid-nineteenth century
Chintz with this Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
  • Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum, Textile; cotton; H x W: 105.5 x 43.5 cm (41 9/16 x 17 1/8 in.) Repeat H x W: 42 x 42.5 cm (16 9/16 x 16 3/4 in.; Gift of Josephine Howell; 1974-1-13, mid-nineteenth century
                        More Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) Motifs 

                                                               (No pictures available at this time) 
 
Each of the following quilts has a different Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
 
  • The Poos Collection, Fountain and Swan Center Medallion Quilt, Chintz Quilts from the Poos Collection, p. 128, c. 1830
  • Atlanta History Center, George Washington Gordon Quilt, Southern Quilts , p. 108, documented in 1862 
  • Atlanta History Center, Chintz Applique Chintz Quilt made by a member of the Rev. Dr. Charles Colcock Jones family, Forget Me Not: A Gallery of Friendship and Album Quilts, p. 24, dated 1854-1856 
 
These three quilts share the same Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif: 
 
  • Shelburne Museum, Broderie Perse Quilt Originally Owned by George Washington Peter, Chintz Quilts: Unfading Glory, p. 34 and Cover, c. 1825-1850 
  • Brooklyn Museum, Elizabeth Welsh Medallion Quilt, Accession Number 78.36, c. 1830 
  • Collection of Catherine Sharoky, Reverse Applique Eagle Quilt, Eye On Elegance: Early Quilts of Maryland & Virginia, p. 81., 1830s. 

Each of the following Chinzes has a different Fritillaria imperialis (Crown Imperial Fritillaria) motif:

  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Pillar Printed Textile Fragment, Museum Object No. 1969.3345, 1830 -1835
  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Pillar Printed Textile Panel, Museum Object No. 1964.0042, 1820-1830 

 




    ©  Updated 11/2/2025    Author: Terry Terrell