Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden QuiltMid-19th century88 1/4 x 92 1/2 " (224.2 x 235 cm)CottonMuseum purchase with funds provided by Nina Beaty2024.10.11range of techniques (including appliqué, chintz appliqué, and trapunto) appliqué vignettes depicting the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Two figures enact the narrative in multiple stages: Eve picking the apple at the urging of the serpent; Eve sharing the apple with Adam; and the couple being expelled from paradise. grapevine frames the scene with apple trees and other flora and fauna. 1578789162Unidentified member of the Sinclair FamilyTextilesThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domainUnited StatesVermontTextilesRecent AcquisitionsAdam ReichGerald E. Roy, “This Old Quilt: Saving a Masterpiece,” Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting (March/April, 2009): 12-13.
Gerald E. Roy, “This Old Quilt: Saving a Masterpiece Part 2,” Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting (May/June, 2009): 12-14.Provenance suggests this may be the work of a member of the Sinclair family of Vermont. The quilt was sold by an apparent descendant in 1999. The buyer Gerald Roy provided information speculating that it was made by one or more daughters of Franklin J. Sinclair (1825-1909): Lucretia, Florence, Abbie, or Jessie. However, given their young ages in the mid-19th century, their mother Adelia Sinclair seems like the most likely candidate of the family. In the 1860 census, Franklin Sinclair is listed as a journeyman carpenter; his wife Adelia Knowles Sinclair (1826-1896) was 33 at this time. The couple married in 1846.This is one of a group of four known survivals with similar motifs likely made by the same hand(s) or within a local style. One was offered to AFAM from the estate of Joanna Rose but could not be accessioned due to serious condition problems including significant fabric loss. Another example sold at Doyle in 2006. Apparently later iterations of the pattern were made by Sylvia Queen, of Connecticut, Indiana, and Kansas, now in the holdings of the Smithsonian and the Johnson County Museum of Shawnee, Kansas.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated
with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art
Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org18301870 2024 10 1 Provenance suggests this may be the work of a member of the Sinclair family of Vermont. The quilt was sold by an apparent descendant in 1999. The buyer Gerald Roy provided information speculating that it was made by one or more daughters of Franklin J. Sinclair (1825-1909): Lucretia, Florence, Abbie, or Jessie. However, given their young ages in the mid-19th century, their mother Adelia Sinclair seems like the most likely candidate of the family. In the 1860 census, Franklin Sinclair is listed as a journeyman carpenter; his wife Adelia Knowles Sinclair (1826-1896) was 33 at this time. The couple married in 1846.This is one of a group of four known survivals with similar motifs likely made by the same hand(s) or within a local style. One was offered to AFAM from the estate of Joanna Rose but could not be accessioned due to serious condition problems including significant fabric loss. Another example sold at Doyle in 2006. Apparently later iterations of the pattern were made by Sylvia Queen, of Connecticut, Indiana, and Kansas, now in the holdings of the Smithsonian and the Johnson County Museum of Shawnee, Kansas.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated
with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art
Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org