Floral Motifs on Early Chintz
Pelargonium sp. - Geranium
Pelargonium graveolens by Laitche, Public domain.
Pelargonium agathosmum by L. Trattinnick, Neue Arten von Pelargonien, vol. 3, plate 119, 1828.
Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) from the Edisto Island Museum, Edisto Album Chintz Applique Spread, dated 1863. Photo courtesy of Edisto Island Museum.
Common Names: Geranium, Crane's Bill, Pelargonium, Storksbill
 
Description: Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) is a member of the Geranium Family (Geraniaceae).  The Hortus Kewensis, ed. 2, vol. 4 recorded one hundred and two species of Pelargonium, all but eight of which were native to the Cape of Good Hope.  Most were introduced to Britain in the last quarter of the eighteenth century.

Quilts with this Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) motif: 
 
  • The Edisto Island Museum, Edisto Album Chintz Applique Spread, "Lowcountry Chintz: The Townsend/Pope Quilt Legacy", Uncoverings 2013, dated 1863 
  • Shelburne Museum, Floral Chintz Album Bedcover, Object Number 10-151(1954-412), Art of the Needle: 100 Masterpiece Quilts from the Shelburne Museum, p. 19, dated 1850-1857
  • Shelburne Museum, Chintz Floral Quilt Attributed to a Member of the Ridgley Family, Museum Object Number 10-145 (1954-492), The Art of the Needle: 100 Masterpiece Quilts from the Shelburne Museum, p. 14, Early 19th Century 

Chintz with this Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) motif: 
 
  • None known at this time. 


                                     Additional Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) Motifs
                                                           
 (No pictures at this time)
                                                        

Two Quilts with the same Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) motif: 

  • Charleston Museum, Mary Lucy Sandiford Barnes Quilt, Shelving Locator HT 591, dated 1845
  • International Quilt Museum, Ardis and Robert James Collection, Mary Yeadon Album Quilt, Object Number 2006.003.0005, dated 1848-1849

Quilts each with a different Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) motif: 

  • Colonial Williamsburg, The James Betts quilt, Colonial Williamsburg Online Collections (http://emuseum.history.org) and search for James Betts quilt, c. 1840 
  • The Poos Collection, Charleston and Baltimore Roses Center Medallion Album Quilt, Chintz Quilts from the Poos Collection, pp. 186-187, c. 1846
  • Charleston Museum, Chintz Applique Quilt, Chintz Quilts: Unfading Glory, p. 45, Shelving Locator HT 7077, dated 1885
  • Charleston Museum, Chintz Applique Crib Quilt, Made by Emily Nancy Ballard McDow, Chintz Quilts: Unfading Glory, p. 42, Shelving Locator HT 441, 1850s
  • Charleston Museum, Chintz Applique Crib Quilt, Chintz Quilts: Unfading Glory, p. 42, Shelving Locator HT 441, 1850s
  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Sophia Myers Pearce Quilt, Object Number 1996.0011, c.1830-1840
  • Kansas State Historical Society, Mellichamp Quilt, Southern Quilts: Surviving Relics of the Civil War, p.41, c. 1850-1855
  • Private Collection, Applique Quilt, Made by Sarah F.B. Quick, America's Quilts and Coverlets, p. 177, dated 1844
  • Private Collection, Pieced and Appliqued Chintz Tree of Life Quilt, Crib Quilts and Other Small Wonders, p. 25, c. 1830-1840
  • American Museum in Britain, Chintz Summer Bedspread, Classic Quilts from the American Museum in Britain, p. 56-57, c. 1830
  • The Massilon Museum, Broderie Perse Quilt, Treasury of American Quilts, p. 146, c. 1835-1846

Chintz each with a different Pelargonium sp. (Geranium) motif: 
 
  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Fabric Fragment, Object Number 1969.3168, c.1790
  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Fabric Fragment, Object Number 1964.0042, c.1830s
  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Fabric Fragment, Object Number 1969.0175.001, c. 1825-1830




    ©  Updated 8/31/2018      Author: Terry Terrell