The Star of Bethlehem Quilt is made entirely of silk in a pattern that could—and, thirty years earlier, probably would—have been made of cotton. Silk quilts were created in America during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but they reached their height of popularity during the latter half of the nineteenth century. A number of economic, social, and aesthetic factors contributed to the great vogue for these delicate textiles, made more for show than for daily use as a bedcover. At midcentury, because of the expansion of trade with China, silk—once too rare and expensive for the average quiltmaker—became both attainable and affordable and began to replace cotton for dresses and quilts among the most stylish. At this time, a silk show-quilt style developed parallel to the cotton calico-quilt style. By the 1880s, the height of show-quilt popularity, silk fabric was mass-produced domestically. Unfortunately, these silks were usually “weighted,” or treated with mineral salts for extra body. Such treatment made the silks heavier, but it also created a serious conservation problem: many of the fabrics in the quilts have been eaten away by the added minerals.

The popularity of the silk show quilt also can be traced to the influence of the periodicals of the day. In 1850, Godey’s Lady’s Book published a pattern for silk patchwork, and for the rest of the nineteenth century, most editors of fashion-conscious publications advocated the silk show-quilt style as opposed to the old-fashioned cotton patchwork.

Although the maker of this quilt remains unidentified, its ownership can be reliably traced to the family of Jeremiah Sullivan Black, attorney general of the United States in 1857 under President Buchanan and an advisor to President Andrew Johnson.

Elizabeth V. Warren, "Star of Bethlehem Quilt," in Stacy C. Hollander, American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 348.