Seeing BLUE -Centennial - HOLE IN THE BARN DOOR Quilt INDIGO BLUE PRINTS; Size: 70" x 82"; c.1890s, Illinois Start Price USD 1,500.00 Current Price USD 1,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, October 05, 2008 End Time Sunday, October 12, 2008 Location Woodside, New York See more about 'Seeing BLUE -Centennial - HOLE IN THE BARN DOOR Quilt' Description SEEING BLUE, in the Fall of 2004 the Museum of American Folk Art presented the Show: "BLUE"... From the earliest times of human history when the savage Britons used the fermented leaves of the woad plant to create their "war paint" through the cultivation of indigo and its extraction for use as a dye to the discovery of a synthetic indigo in 1897, the mystery and allure of BLUE has been manifested in all of the Arts. To the American Quiltmaker of the last Quarter of the Nineteenth Century the availability of durable, colorfast blue print fabrics was a bonanza that rivaled the discovery of gold. The popularity of this indigo blue at the time of the 1876 Philadelphia American Centennial Exhibition has christened them with the name "CENTENNIAL BLUES."  From Steve Kane Quilts and Folk Art - A QUALITY QUILT A "CENTENNIAL" BLUES & WHITE "HOLE IN THE BARN DOOR" with Border Quilt All Cotton Prints. Large Double Size: approx. 70 inches by 82 inches. Made about 1890 in ILLINOIS. Expert Quilting. Excellent Condition. As Curator Stacy Hollander writes in the "Magazine of the American Folk Art Museum" (Fall 2004) BLUE "creates an infinite, dimensionless space" that reflects "the profundity of faith, life, grief and joy."  However, BLUE was thought of "as a kind of Black, not a first tier color" until the late Eighteenth Century.  "The devotional implications of the color" had long been evident in Art, but it took the discovery of the "CENTENNIAL BLUES" to put this BLUE into the wardrobe and home furnishings of American households. The HOLE IN THE BARN DOOR pattern is sometimes called MONKEY WRENCH because of its schematic, turning device look. The POUND SIGN of the modern telephone is its contemporary incarnation, but this design can be seen in Ancient Roman Mosaics in many slight variations.  The association with the BARN DOOR is the most descriptive in this case.  Barn doors have this kind of an opening through which is often seen an animal head - either cow or horse.  This mosaic quilt block mimics the head of an animal in an abstract rendition that is especially well exploited in this HOLE IN THE BARN DOOR Quilt. The Indigo Blue Print FRAME surrounds 9 x 10 individual blocks of the pattern (90 total) in various "Centennial Blue" fabrics set against a white patterned Background.  These 90 within their frame have always reminded me of a herd of cattle standing within a corral with only their distinctive heads registering on the viewer.  The importance of cattle to the economy of the American West at the time this quilt was made cannot be understated.  Barbed wire had closed the unlimited open range in 1873,  and big outfits like the King Ranch had consolidated their land holdings by 1885.  The population of Chicago was ravaged by the water pollution following torrential rain storms of 1885 and the spread of disease from the cattle stockyards.  This quilt made in Illinois reflects this "cattle consciousness" in its stylized renditions of the BARN DOOR Block Pattern. This is a big, luxurious cotton quilt that is nicely quilted and in ready-to-use condition.  The BACKING is a white muslin as is the BINDING.  There are many charming blue prints, among them the "polka dots" is especially festive. A STORY - "OVERHEARD AT A BRIMFIELD COFFEE STAND" First LADY: "That sign says: 'Muffins, apple, corn - One Dollar; Blueberry - One Dollar and Twenty-five Cents.'  Why do 'Blueberry Muffins' cost Twenty-five cents more than the rest?" Second LADY: "Because we're in New England where everything "Blue and White" costs more whether its a quilt, a plate or a blueberry muffin." VISIT MY eBAY STORE TO VIEW MORE ANTIQUE AMERICAN QUILTS AND OTHER FOLK ART ITEMS.  Code  BW 3   Place a Bid!