Air raid curtain or black-out curtain, made of black cotton, apparently a sheet that has been adapted for this purpose. Curtain is hemmed all four sides and has an offset (commercially sewn) seam running vertically. Five unevenly-spaced brass rings have been hand-stitched along top to hang a a window for blacking out any light in the house.
Made or purchased for us in the donor's home by her parents, Henry Keiper Long and Helen Hamaker Long. Her father was a member of Civil Defense during WWII; whenever an air raid siren went off, he would exit the house to check that all his neighbors had blacked out their windows to allow no evidence of light. The Longs' air raid curtain was hung over the dressing room window since the family used a weak light within this room only. After the air raid, her father would go off to join other members of the civil defense team to report findings and to drink. This group was headed by director J. Hale Steinman. Donor indicated her belief that the men used these occasions as an excuse to get together with buddies to drink and socialize.
The Long family lived in a house built by Mr. Long at 1431 Hunsecker Road on the eastern edge of Manheim Twp.
(Written by Wendell Zercher)
Provenance
Donor, Mrs. Nancy L. Gingrich.
Date Range
Early 1940's
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
DAC
Storage Wall
Island 2
Storage Cabinet
Unit 13
Storage Shelf
Shelf 3
Storage Container
Box 0059
Object Name
Curtain, Window
Length (cm)
35.56
Length (ft)
1.1666666667
Length (in)
14
Width (cm)
469.9
Width (ft)
15.4166666667
Width (in)
185
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2005-06-22
Condition Notes
Very good condition except for slight wear at crotch with seam somewhat separated.
One of two identical white china high-heeled 19th century woman's shoes, with molded floral decoration around entire shoe. Raised flowers trim front of shoe with a tied bow centered above. Lavishly painted with heavy lustrous gold paint around back and sides of shoe as well as the bow and centers of raised flowers. Printed on top of the shoe front is: "Souvenir/ of /Lancaster/ Pa."
The number "59" is handpainted on bottom of heel. Impressed underneath instep is: "A" over "1924"
One of two identical white china high-heeled 19th century woman's shoes, with molded floral decoration around entire shoe. Raised flowers trim front of shoe with a tied bow centered above. Lavishly painted with heavy lustrous gold paint around back and sides of shoe as well as the bow and centers of raised flowers. Printed on top of the shoe front is: "Souvenir/ of /Lancaster/ Pa."
The number "59" is handpainted on bottom of heel. Impressed underneath instep is: "A" over "1924"
Flat tin 6-pointed star pattern or template with1/2" diameter hole at center. Used for creating raised, sculpted plushwork (see Amish Arts by Patricia Herr, pp. 44-55).
Quilt is white cotton, top and back, with appliques of potted floral design done in solid red and a green with lesser yellow highlights. Pattern is often called "Pot of Flowers." Center is divided into quadrants with an identical large flowering & fruiting potted plant supporting 4 birds in each, creating a symmetrical design.Ornate pot has handles and the branches have leaves of stylized oak, tulip and cucumber. Border has a pair of wide-spreading flowering & fruiting plants on each side and a bird perched on a smaller sprig at each corner.
Blue is used only on the tail of the four corner birds. Red cherries cluster around branches on each plant; yellow ones at branch tips only. Cherries are cotton-stuffed balls stitched to quilt top only. Chain-stitch embroidered stems done in white thread.
Quilting is done in a fine grid (about 1/2") of blue contrasting thread over entire surface. Binding is red and batting is sparse or nonexistent..
Attributed to Sarah Annie Maisey Marker Smith (22 February 1883 - 22 December 1965). Married twice, she had 7 children & made quilts for many if not all. The family called them "cherry quilts." See Notes.
Provenance
Donor reports quilt was acquired by his wife's parents, Lynn and Lois Langdon, who lived in Idaho and were antiques collectors. At an auction in Oregon state (c.1987-88), the quilt was described as a "Pennsylvania wedding quilt." The Langdons purchased it, thinking it would be appropriate for the Lancaster bed & breakfast "The Patchwork Inn" run by donor and his late wife. (Donor's wife, Joanne, died some time ago. He remarried and they continued the B&B for another 10 years.) The Martins had a collection of over 100 quilts in this B&B. Now retired, donor is finding homes for many of the quilts.
Bio. info on maker Sarah Annie was obtained by Trish Herr from Morgan Anderson (see file). Quiltmaker lived on Easterday Rd, north of Myersville, MD.
Red binding and many stuffed cherries heavily worn. Loss of 2 cherries on one of the large quadrant plants. Minor soiling with some liquid stains, mostly around edges. Reverse has light acid burn at some fold lines. Along one quilt edge are spaced eleven minor holes, probably where tacked up for display in B&B.
Object ID
G.02.47.01
Notes
Applique quilts such as this cherry type "Pot of Flowers" design with its color palette of red and green were being made circa 1850s-1870. Red and green applique quilts were popular in the East, then spread westward where they remained popular during this time, then faded. Two more Pot of Flowers are dated 1902 and 1904, but really had a significant resurgence in the1920s and 1930s. See Connie Nordstroms, "One Pot of Flowers Quilt Pattern -- Blossoming through Centuries", Vol. 23 of the Research Papers of the AQSG, 2002 in file.
Place of Origin
Myersville, Frederick County, Maryland
Role
Quiltmaker
Credit
Given by the W. Lee Martin family in memory of Joanne M. Martin, Heritage Center Collection
All-white quilt made with unusual arrangement of pieced cotton panels, both machine and hand stitched.
Quilt top and quilt back are essentially identical; all plain-weave cotton except for two 8" wide side panels of ribbed weave and bottom 4.5" wide panel of ribbed basket weave. Centerfield has variously joined panels: at center is 13.5" wide panel flanked by two 9" wide panels and all surrounded by a 9" wide border. Very unusual piecing throughout: overlapping seams, hemmed seams and corners that do not align in conventional manner.
Quilting designs: center panel has 3 feather wreaths on a grid field, and the remaining plain-weave panels each have an undulating feather design on a field of diagonal lines. Cotton batting is deteriorated into clumps from laundering and cotton seeds scattered throughout.
Provenance
Inherited by donor from unknown Mueller family member.
Moderate wear; minor scattered stains, esp. at periphery. Most notable are two tiny blood stains, now faded. Minor separation at several seams, esp. middle panel.
Object ID
G.03.26.01
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Mueller, Jr., Heritage Center Collection
Quilt with Broken Star pattern, cottons with colors indicating Ohio Amish origin (appraiser suggests PA due to greens & pinks). Machine pieced and hand quilted. All solid colors, some polished.
Central large star of yellow, pink, green and lavender on a navy ground. Enclosed by a thin 1.5" wide pieced border of pink and green as well as on outer border of navy, about 7.5" wide. Boldly finished with a sawtooth applique binding of yellow.
Backing is two different lavender solid cottons. Printing on a selvage edge has "LANCASTER KALBURNIE" visible in several areas. Batting is a thin cotton.
Dense quilting is finely done in a contrasting color. Star has parallel lines with feather wreaths in between. Undulating feather motif and grid on both outer border and corners of the large square of navy ground.
Other examples of Broken Star: p. 115 in Eve Granick, The Amish Quilt; p. 52 ff. in Pellman & Pellman, The World of Amish Quilts
Made by an unknown Amish quiltmaker in Ohio or Pennsylvania.
