Both the flowering tree design and the cut-out chintz method of appliqué seen on this bedcover were originally popular for quilts made in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century America. The maker of this example may have been inspired by antique fabrics to re-create the earlier style, as some of the motifs in the center were cut from chintz that was printed in the first half of the nineteenth century. Other fabrics used in the center field date from the early twentieth century. Professional quiltmakers of the period advertised in women’s periodicals that they would sew new quilts using antique fabrics provided by the customer.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Tree of Life Cut-out Chintz Quilt," exhibition label for QUILTS: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2010.