Wild Geese Flying Quilt
Datec. 1874
Credit LineGift of Winifred Franks, 1993
Object number1993.052.011
Label TextBy the time Winifred Franks donated this hand-sewn, pieced, and quilted flying geese spread in 1993, she only knew that it once had belonged to her husband’s aunt’s mother, Margaret Mulligan. Mulligan was believed to have had it at the time for her marriage to Henry Winder in 1874. While the triangles in this and other quilts represent birds, the shape has held symbolic meaning for millennia. For example, it represented divinity for the ancient Egyptians and wisdom for the Pythagoreans. Within the Christian tradition, it represents the Trinity.
The simple three triangle configuration of this pattern draws attention to the rainbow, ombré, or fondu print fabric. Textile printers invented a method to create this effect in the 1820s. Fabrics with this style of print were popular from the 1840s into the 1870s.
NameQuilt
CopyrightPhoto Credit: Alex Walker
c. 1880
c. 1898
2020-2021
