Commemorative album quilts were popular in the United States between 1840 and 1860. These quilts were typically cooperative endeavors, made by a number of women. The finished work was presented to an honored recipient such as a teacher, minister, or other important community member. This beautiful quilt, however, belongs to a type sometimes referred to as a "death watch quilt." It was made in 1847, the year of his death, to honor Eli Lilly, grandfather of Colonel Eli Lilly, who in 1876 founded the Indianapolis pharmaceutical firm named for him. Twenty of the blocks were signed by the friends and family who gathered at Lilly's bedside during his final days, and his own signature appears in the block with the lyre.
The most elaborate album quilts came from Maryland's Baltimore County and are called Baltimore album quilts. In this accomplished example, a green-and-red-swag border frames floral blocks in vivid hues. Wreaths, floral sprays, cornucopias, and baskets-traditional album-quilt motifs-fill the central area. Elaborately drawn and expertly appliquéd patterns make this quilt a particularly successful instance of a timeless American art form.
[This] quilt was created by the Lilly family, along with spouses and friends, during the long months of 1847 [when] Eli Lilly lay ill.
-Louise Francke, 1996
