Floral Motifs on Early Chintz
Nymphaea alba or Nymphaea odorata- White Waterlily
Nymphaea alba (White Waterlily) or Nymphaea odorata (American White Waterlily) on the 1843 Maria M. and Emma Fish Quilt, International Quilt Study Center & Museum, IQSC 2005.053.0003, 1843. Photo by Richard Bray with kind permission from the International Quilt Study Center & Museum
Nymphaea alba (White Waterlily) from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, vol. 21: t. 819 (1805), [S.T. Edwards].
Nymphaea alba (White Waterlily) growing in a modern garden pond.
Common Names: White waterlily, European white waterlily (Nymphaea alba), American White Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata ) 
 
Description: Nymphaea alba (White Waterlily) and Nymphaea odorata (American White Waterlily) are members of the the Waterlily family (Nympheaeceae). From the motif on the example chintz, it is not possible to distinguish which of the two was the textile designer's model. William Aiton's Hortus Kewensis, ed. 2, vol. 3, p. 292 recorded that Nymphaea alba (White Waterlily) is a native of Britain and Nymphaea odorata (American White Waterlily), native to North America, was introduced to Britain in 1786. 
 
Quilts with the Nymphaea alba (European White Waterlily) or Nymphaea odorata (American White Waterlily) motif: 
 
  • International Quilt Study Center & Museum, Maria M. and Emma Fish Quilt, IQSC 2005.053.0003, 1843 
  • International Quilt Study Center & Museum, Medallion Quilt probably made by Susan Pritchard Kirkwood, IQSC 2008.009.0001, dated 1837 
  • The Denver Art Museum, Anna E. Perrine Quilt, Denver Art Museum Object Number 1985-300, 1842-1843 
  • Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Appliqued and Pieced Quilt probably made by a member of the Bruce or Maury family, Four Centuries of Quilts: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection, p. 105, Object Number 2011.609.1, c. 1845 
  • The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Quilt Fragment, Object Number 1959-145-1, c. 1835 
  • Private Collection, "Tree of Life Center Medallion Frame Quilt with Blue Jays", Blanket Statements 130 (Fall 2017):1, dated 1845 
 
Chintz with the Nymphaea alba (European White Waterlily) or Nymphaea odorata (American White Waterlily) motif: 
 
  • The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Furniture Fabric Fragment, Object Number 1959.84.18, c.1835 
  • The Victoria and Albert Museum, Furniture Fabric Gift of the Calico Printer's Association, Object Number Circ.332-1956, c. 1835 






©  Updated 11/16/2025  Author: Terry Terrell