Cleveland-Hendricks Crazy Quilt1885–189075 × 77"Lithographed silk ribbons, silk, and wool with cotton fringe and silk and metallic embroideryGift of Margaret Cavigga1985.23.30(including construction) Contained crazy quilt constructed of twelve bordering blocks ca. 18 1/2" sq. around large central block (36 1/2" x 37") composed of gold lithographed silk with red rooster surrounded by lithographed medallion in each corner and middle of each side. The campaign silks feature the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates Tilden and Hancock, nominees of 1876 and 1800, respectively, and Grover Cleveland and Thomas Hendricks, the successful candidates. Also included are other 1884 campaign textiles, some signed "A." Zeese & Co., an 1884 barbecue ribbon from Ithaca, NY and a ribbon from Cleveland's inauguration on March 4, 1885. A political cartoon features a frowning Republican and smiling Democrat. There is a triangle of silk in each outer corner with a striped fan with velvet border, the embroidery different in each corner.. The quilt is composed of a variety of rich fabrics with silk and metallic thread embroidery. Motifs include: stars, boots, creascent moons, flowers, artist's palette, Japanese fans, ewer, butterflies, machine appliques, and a hand pointing to the cartoon. The quilt is backed with a rich burgundy challis and tied with pale blue silk bows in a 20" repeat with half-drop. Fringed three sides with commerical 2" deep metallic cotton. Applied fringe three sides, edges turned in. Ribbons stitched to backing. Embroidery around patches and pieced blocks.152858928Artist unidentifiedTextilesThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain. embroidered on rectangular cream colored patch upper left: 'J.F.R.'; embroidered in yellow silk on cream colored patch lower right: 'R'United StatesTextileseMuseum - Collection HighlightsThe maker or makers of this quilt were obviously actively concerned with the election of Democratic presidential hopefuls for some time. She chose to wait until the success of her party to make this quilt commemorating the event and has included many campaign and political ribbons and silks. The large central rooster is an emblem often used by the Democratic party in the 1880's and 90's and Cleveland in particular. According to a letter in the object file, this quilt was cut down from a larger size, but a letter to the author of the assertion was unanswered. Below the rooster are the portraits of two unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates, Samuel J. Tilden of New York (LL) who ran in 1876, and Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania (LR) the candidate in 1880. These fabrics were evidently saved by the maker until after Grover Cleveland's successful 1884 campaign, as Cleveland and his running mate, Thomas A. Hendricks, are shown in the upper right and left respectively.TEXTILESThe constitutional amendment giving the vote to American women was not ratified until 1920. Therefore, the unidentified maker of this quilt voiced her political sentiments in one of the only socially acceptable means available to her in the late nineteenth century. Using the idiom of the Crazy quilt, she constructed a strong statement of Democratic sympathies in a highly fashionable format. The strutting rooster prominently featured in the center of the quilt was an emblem often used by the Democratic Party during the 1880s and 1890s, particularly in Grover Cleveland’s presidential campaign. Below the rooster are portraits of two unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates: Samuel J. Tilden of New York, who ran in 1876, and Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania, the candidate in 1880. These fabrics, originally parts of printed campaign banners, evidently were saved by the maker until after Grover Cleveland’s successful bid in the 1884 campaign. Cleveland and his running mate, Thomas A. Hendricks, are shown in the upper corners of the central block. A Cleveland-Hendricks inaugural ribbon, dated March 4, 1885, with an image of an American flag and pileus, is placed above.In addition to the political references that abound on this textile, the quiltmaker included elements more typically associated with the Crazy quilt aesthetic, including Japanese-inspired corner fans, a small handheld fan, flowers, stars, and a crescent moon. The Japan pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 is often cited as a significant contributing factor to the development of the American Crazy quilt. The design principles of the Aesthetic Movement, which emphasized surface ornamentation and exoticism, also influenced the direction of American quiltmaking in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Both come together artfully in this contained Crazy quiltStacy C. Hollander, "Cleveland-Hendricks Crazy Quilt," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 353.18851890 1985 23 3 The maker or makers of this quilt were obviously actively concerned with the election of Democratic presidential hopefuls for some time. She chose to wait until the success of her party to make this quilt commemorating the event and has included many campaign and political ribbons and silks. The large central rooster is an emblem often used by the Democratic party in the 1880's and 90's and Cleveland in particular. According to a letter in the object file, this quilt was cut down from a larger size, but a letter to the author of the assertion was unanswered. Below the rooster are the portraits of two unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates, Samuel J. Tilden of New York (LL) who ran in 1876, and Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania (LR) the candidate in 1880. These fabrics were evidently saved by the maker until after Grover Cleveland's successful 1884 campaign, as Cleveland and his running mate, Thomas A. Hendricks, are shown in the upper right and left respectively.TEXTILESThe constitutional amendment giving the vote to American women was not ratified until 1920. Therefore, the unidentified maker of this quilt voiced her political sentiments in one of the only socially acceptable means available to her in the late nineteenth century. Using the idiom of the Crazy quilt, she constructed a strong statement of Democratic sympathies in a highly fashionable format. The strutting rooster prominently featured in the center of the quilt was an emblem often used by the Democratic Party during the 1880s and 1890s, particularly in Grover Cleveland’s presidential campaign. Below the rooster are portraits of two unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidates: Samuel J. Tilden of New York, who ran in 1876, and Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania, the candidate in 1880. These fabrics, originally parts of printed campaign banners, evidently were saved by the maker until after Grover Cleveland’s successful bid in the 1884 campaign. Cleveland and his running mate, Thomas A. Hendricks, are shown in the upper corners of the central block. A Cleveland-Hendricks inaugural ribbon, dated March 4, 1885, with an image of an American flag and pileus, is placed above.In addition to the political references that abound on this textile, the quiltmaker included elements more typically associated with the Crazy quilt aesthetic, including Japanese-inspired corner fans, a small handheld fan, flowers, stars, and a crescent moon. The Japan pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 is often cited as a significant contributing factor to the development of the American Crazy quilt. The design principles of the Aesthetic Movement, which emphasized surface ornamentation and exoticism, also influenced the direction of American quiltmaking in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Both come together artfully in this contained Crazy quiltStacy C. Hollander, "Cleveland-Hendricks Crazy Quilt," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 353.