Floral Motifs on Early Chintz
Fragaria sp. - Strawberry
Photo of the strawberry fruit courtesy of James McNally [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) from Private Collection, English Center Medallion Quilt with Fruit Basket Medallion, c.1825. This illustration is almost certainly of a wild or cultivated form of F. vesca based on the shape and relatively small size of the fruit.
Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) by Denisse, E., Flore d’Amérique, t. 159, 1843-1846.
Common Names: Strawberry, Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Wood Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Garden Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa)
Description: Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) is a member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae). The Hortus Kewensis, ed. 2, vol. 3 recorded that Fragaria vesca is native to Britain. Most modern garden strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) result from a hybrid of Fragaria virginiana and F. chiloensis that has been subjected to intense selection by plant breeders from around the mid-eighteenth century.*
Quilts with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
Description: Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) is a member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae). The Hortus Kewensis, ed. 2, vol. 3 recorded that Fragaria vesca is native to Britain. Most modern garden strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) result from a hybrid of Fragaria virginiana and F. chiloensis that has been subjected to intense selection by plant breeders from around the mid-eighteenth century.*
Quilts with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Private Collection, English Center Medallion Quilt with Fruit Basket Medallion, c.1825
- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Petersburg Appliqued Quilt, made by the Boyle sisters, Object Number 1991-645, Four Centuries of Quilts: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection, p. 103, c. 1840
- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Museum Purchase, Object Number 2009.609.1, 1815-1830
- Private Collection of Mrs. Adams-Coffyn, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Dunton's Old Quilts, p 196, no date
- Private Collection of Mrs.Lassovitch, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Dunton's Old Quilts, p 189, no date
- Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Glenn, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Dunton's Old Quilts, p 184, no date.
- Private Collection of Miss Eleanor R. Thompson, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Dunton's Old Quilts, p 186, no date.
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Chintz Applique Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Object Number 2014.5, Eye on Elegance, p. 65, c. 1820
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Floral Roundels Medallion Quilt, probably made by a member of the Adams or Boyce family, Object Number 83.33, Historic Quilts of the DAR Museum, pp. 38-39, appliqued c.1815-1825, quilted c.1870
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Framed Medallion Quilt, made by a member of the Gillam family, Object Number 87.10, Historic Quilts of the DAR Museum, p. 41, c. 1825-1835
- Royal Ontario Museum, English Quilt Made in Yorkshire, 300 Years of Canada's Quilts, p. 27, c. 1815
- International Quilt Study Center and Museum, Ardis and Robert James Collection, Medallion Quilt with Fruit Basket Center Medallion, Object Number 2006.003.0002, Chintz Applique: from Imitation to Icon, Plate 10, 1830-1850
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Printed Textile Square, Object Number 1974-550, c. 1815
- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Printed Textile Intended for Quilt Square, Object Number 1974-551,1, c. 1815
- Panel 5 in Appendix I of Merikay Waldvogel, "Printed Panels for Chintz Quilts: Their Origin and Use," Uncoverings 34 (2013): 124
- Also, check out the May 7 & 21, 2019 Chintz Panels in Quilts blogs (https://chintzpanelquilt.blogspot.com/2019/05/) by Merikay Waldvogel and Barbara Brackman for several pictures, citations, and more information about the printed panel on which this motif occurs.
Additional Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) Motifs
This illustration is almost certainly of the hybrid garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) based on the large plump berries. It is from the Private Collection, Broderie Perse Bed Set, c. 1840.
Quilts with the above Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- None known at this time
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Private Collection, Broderie Perse Bed Set, c. 1840
Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Audubon Birds-Style Furnishing Fabric, (brown, green, and white colorway), 1831
Quilts with the above Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- None known at this time
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Victoria and Albert Museum, Audubon Birds-Style Furnishing Fabric, (brown, green, and white colorway), Object Number Circ. 292-1956, 1831
- Victoria and Albert Museum, Audubon Birds-Style Furnishing Fabric, (brown, yellow, and white colorway), Object Number Circ. 290-1956, 1831
- Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Printed Textile, by John Potts (Audubon bird-type print, manganese bronze, blue, and white colorway), Object Number 1959.0084.056, Printed Textiles: British and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850, p. 138, 1826-1836
Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) from the Private Collection, Brown and White Pillar Print, c. 1835
Quilts with the above Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- None known at this time
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Private Collection, Brown and White Pillar Print, c. 1835
Victoria and Albert Museum, Furnishing Fabric, 1790 (made)
Quilts with the above Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- None known at this time
Chintz with this Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Victoria and Albert Museum, Furnishing Fabric, Object Number Circ. 100-1960, c. 1790 (made)
- Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Printed Textile, Object Number 1969.3172, Printed Textiles: British and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850, p. 228, c. 1790
More Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) Motifs
(No pictures available at this time)
Quilts with a Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif on a stripe to match the printed panel (Waldvogel Panel 5), a detail of which is shown at the top of the page:
Chintz with a Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif on a stripe to match the printed panel (Waldvogel Panel 5), a detail of which is shown at the top of the page:
- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Museum Purchase, Object Number 2009.609.1, 1815-1830
- Private Collection of Mrs.Lassovitch, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Dunton's Old Quilts, p 189, no date
- Private Collection of Mrs. Adams-Coffyn, Appliqued Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Dunton's Old Quilts, p 196, no date
- Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Chintz Applique Counterpane Made by Achsah Goodwin Wilkins and Unidentified Others, Object Number 2014.5, Eye on Elegance, p. 65, c. 1820
Chintz with a Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif on a stripe to match the printed panel (Waldvogel Panel 5), a detail of which is shown at the top of the page:
- The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Block Printed Furniture Chintz, Object Number 1969.3172, 1969.3906.001, 1969.3906.002, 1969.3906.003, 1969.3906.004, 1969.3906.005, 1969.3906.006, 1969.3906.007, 1969.3906.008, 1969.3906.009, 1969.3906.010, 1969.3906.011, 1969.3906.012, 1969.3906.013, 1969.3906.014, 1969.3906.015, 1969.3906.016, Printed Textiles: British and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850, p. 228, 1795-1800
Quil with a different Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Patricia S. Smith Collection, Pieced Quilt (Strips with Four Patch on Point, Maker's Initials R.H.V., Object Number 1998.149.13, Calico and Chintz: Antique Quilts from the Collection of Patricia S. Smith, pp. 80-81, c. 1825
Chintz each with a different Fragaria sp. (Strawberry) motif:
- The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Blue and White Roller Printed Textile with Pillars and Fruit, Object Numbers 1969.1040, 1969.3782.001, 1969.3782.002, 1969.3782.003, 1969.3782.004, 1969.3782.005, Printed Textiles: British and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850, p. 31, c. 1815
- The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Fruit Basket Furniture Fabric Fragments, Object Number 1969.3128.002, c.1830
- Shelburne Museum, Floral Chintz Album Bedcover, made by members of the Townsend, Fuller, Pope, and Mikell families, Object Number 10-151 (1954-412), Art of the Needle: 100 Masterpiece Quilts from the Shelburne Museum, p. 19, 1850-1857
* Martin Welsh, "Strawberries," National Vegetable Society, https://web.archive.org/web/20080802231801/http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/growing_show_vegetables_1/strawberry.php, accessed 5/9/2019.
© Updated 3/23/202 Author: Terry Terrell