America's Quilting History

The history of broderie perse is a intriguing one. In French broderie perse means Persian embroidery, but it also came to refer to the lovely appliqué of printed chintz flowers and other motifs to a solid fabric. Although the term wasn't used for these unique appliqué quilts until the late ninteenth century they have been made since around the early 1700s.

The first chintz or painted cottons were imported to England from India as early as 1600. The original prints were those in fashion in India at the time. As many English consumers did not find them appealing Indian textile producers began to design prints based on floral and other themes from English art. When oriental motifs became popular in England and Europe these were also worked into the prints. The result was a fascinating and sometimes incongruous mixture of east and west. Most popular of these prints was the Tree of Life depicting a large tree filled with a variety of species of both flowers and birds. Although these fabrics originated in India they became known as "Persian" prints. These chintz fabrics were often made into bed coverings using the whole piece of cloth.

The English textile industry became alarmed with the increasing popularity of these cotton prints from India fearing that England's wool and silk trades would be threatened. The influence of this powerful industry soon brought about a ban on the import or production of printed cottons in both England and the colonies. As a result the cost of this ornate cloth became so high that even affluent women had to find new ways to use these valued textiles. Women resorted to cutting out motifs from these "Persian" prints and appliquéing them to less expensive fabrics in order to extend what little they could acquire. In time this ingenious technique of broderie perse, that had blossomed out of necessity, became a popular art on it's own.What a perfect opportunity this must have been for a woman to display her creativity and skill with the needle!

Rare examples of large bed coverings covered with intricately appliquéd birds, flowers and other motifs can be found in museum and private collections today. Often each motif was narrowly turned and invisibly stitched to create an exquisite scene. Other times a blanket stitch had been used. It appears that paste was used to adhere the motif fabric to the background before appliquéing. Quilt Historian, Kimberly Wulfert shares the following information on pasting broderie perse. "In more than one source I have read paste was used in the early 1800s by women making cut-out-chintz quilts. A later reference is in 'Chintz Quilts, Unfaded Glory.' Bullard and Shiell quote from the 1882 Dictionary of Needlework to describe how to make broderie perse quilts and paste is mentioned. The fabric is stretched on a frame before the fabrics are pasted down and allowed to dry. Remove it from the frame to stitch the edges down.There's no mention of what the paste is made of."

Broderie perse is sometimes called chintz quilting as often flowers and other motifs from glazed chintz were used. Although the art of broderie perse was developed in England early in the eighteenth century. It wasn't long after American women were settled on these distant shores before they began to carry on the tradition of broderie perse. They were eager to use these lovely prints but the yardage was scarce. The story goes that in colonial times England would not allow the colonies to produce printed fabric and the price was extremely high for imported prints. Men would pick up a yard of this precious cloth when on business in Charleston, Baltimore or New York. The women would then take these "Persian" prints and appliqué the flowers and birds to homespun fabric. The result was called a one-yard quilt. This story may well be a mixture of myth and fact.

In time the English were allowed to make their own prints and by the last part of the eighteenth century Americans were also producing chintz. As broderie perse become more and more popular some fabrics were produced specifically to be cut apart and appliquéd. These often included an urn or vase full of flowers as a central motif.

Broderie perse was for show and these bedcoverings were used for special occasions. Only the wealthy had the leisure time and money needed to make them. Many of these skillfully made bedcoverings were left unlined to serve as summer bedspreads for guests. Others were layered and quilted. Because they were created for show they were well cared for and preserved. As a result there are exceptional examples of "broderie perse" in museums today.

As we look at the evolution of broderie perse in America we find that the earliest examples were done in a medallion pattern with an arrangement of flowers or other objects in the center often with circling flowers or vines. These were usually not pieced quilts and if any piecing was done it was done as a border. The medallion pattern was most commonly used from about 1775 to 1840.

England protected the lucrative business of textile manufacturing by not allowing skilled textile workers to immigrate to America. Nevertheless a few slipped through. By the late 1700s textile manufacturing was established in America. The invention of the cotton gin made it much easier to produce cotton fabrics. Soon after powered looms were up and running.

After 1840 when cotton fabric was readily available broderie perse was often seen in pieced quilts with each square showing a different flower, bird or other motif. What a perfect example this is of the creative evolution that has occurred all along in quilt making.

References:

"Clues in the Calico", by Barbara Brackman

"Kansas Quilts and Quilters", by Brackman, Chinn, Davis

"Quiltmaking in America: Beyond the Myths", Laurel Horton (Editor)

"Quilts a Living Tradition", by Robert Shaw