On our recent trip to the American South - Charleston and Savannah in late April - Glen and I were impressed and inspired by the amount of 18th and early 19th century architecture and decorative arts which have been saved in these two beautiful cities. A case in point: We wandered into the
Charleston Museum , by the way, the oldest museum in the United States, founded in 1773, and found in the
Textile Gallery the most amazing and comprehensive collection of 18th and 19th century
broderie perse quilts made by early Charlestonian women and donated by their families.
Displayed in low level lighting to preserve the fabrics and their original colors, these quilts fairly glowed
inside their glass cases. Broderie Perse is an early technique of hand applique' in which motifs are cut from printed fabrics - mostly cottons- and attached in pleasing arrangements on a cotton or linen background
fabrics. The background fabric is then finely hand quilted . These quilts incorporated French and English copper plate and wood block printed dress and upholstery goods. The detail is amazing and the colors are superb. The patterns echo the
chinoiserie craze of the 18th century and the neoclassical taste of the late 18th and early 19th.
Enough words - let the quilts talk for themselves.
This little crib quilt below was actually my favorite - I may have to make my own version of this with some reproduction fabrics.
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