Floral Motifs on Early Chintz
Viola tricolor var. hortensis - Pansy
Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) from the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Fish Family Chintz Album Quilt, dated 1843
Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) by Prenn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) from Annales de la Société royale d’Agriculture et de Botanique de Gand [ed. C. Morren], vol. 1, Plate 12, fig. 1-3, 1845
Common Names: Pansy, Show Pansy, Fancy Pansy
Description: Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) also known as (Viola × wittrockiana) is a complex hybrid form of Viola tricolor (Viola), a common wildflower across Eurasia. Breeding of violas to produce pansies began in England between 1812 and 1814 to produce larger flowers, more intense colors, and a rounder face. By the 1830s the result of this plant breeding was beginning to be recognizable as the flower we call pansy today.* Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) is a member of the Violet Family (Violaceae).
Quilts with this Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) motif:
Chintz with this Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) motif:
( No pictures available at this time)
Description: Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) also known as (Viola × wittrockiana) is a complex hybrid form of Viola tricolor (Viola), a common wildflower across Eurasia. Breeding of violas to produce pansies began in England between 1812 and 1814 to produce larger flowers, more intense colors, and a rounder face. By the 1830s the result of this plant breeding was beginning to be recognizable as the flower we call pansy today.* Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) is a member of the Violet Family (Violaceae).
Quilts with this Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) motif:
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Fish Family Chintz Album Quilt, Object Number 5254, Historic Quilts of the DAR Museum, pp.88-89, dated 1843
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Hannah Nicholson Grave Quilt, Object Number 1991-36-1, c. 1843-1846
- Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, Quaker Album Quilt for Hannah Nicholson, Object Number 1986.0657.01, The Smithsonian Treasury American Quilts, p. 45, dated 1843
- Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Collection, International Quilt Study Center, Album Quilt Made by Members of the Evangelical Sewing Society of the First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA, IQSC2008.040.0004, Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon, p. 39, dated 1846
Chintz with this Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) motif:
- None known at this time
More Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) Motifs
Quilts with this Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) motif:
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Markey Garnhart Quilt, Object Number L.91.355, c. 1830-1840
- Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Collection, International Quilt Study Center, Album Quilt Made by Members of the Evangelical Sewing Society of the First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA, IQSC2008.040.0004, Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon, p. 39, dated 1846
Additional Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) Motifs
Quilts with the same motif but different from the Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) motifs above:
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ladies of the Third Presbyterian Church Philadelphia Quilt, Object Number 2006-162-1, 1864
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, First Baptist Church Sewing Society Quilt, Object Number 1982-134-1, dated 1846-1850
*William Cuthbertson, Pansies, Violas, and Violets (London: T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1910), xi and 4-6.
© Updated 8/2/2020 Author: Terry Terrell
Viola tricolor var. hortensis (Pansy) from Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Markey Garnhart Quilt, c. 1830-1840