This quilt by a town seamstress in Maryland, Mrs. Longmire, can also be found at the Richard L. Nelson Gallery at UC Davis. This quilt was made in the 1880’s by a working African American building a life and career in Maryland rather than sharecropping. The work is titled “Silk Medallions” and uses materials from her business like silk and cotton scraps from clothing made at her business.
This quilt has many rectangular and square patterns repeated throughout the design. These shapes join together to form larger rectangles eventually leading to a square at the center and back outward building upon themselves. The rectangles and squares are pieces of scraps of silk and cotton coming together to form a quilt just as the fabric comes together to create clothing. This pattern suggests a regular rhythm through the recurrence of the shapes. The continuous nature of the pattern both in and out also is suggestive of a continuous and flowing rhythm.
The patterns, colors, and prints are varied throughout the piece probably based on availability of fabric scraps. The variation offers change between the prints and solids offering complex and simple sensations. However, her placement is intentional and structured to create an emphasis on the movement inward to and outward from the center. The sequence of colors keeps the pattern in motion and enforces the flow that connects the vibrations of the piece.
This quilt is made from the apparel of a society. It reflects the seamstresses’ position in the town and movement towards her inner goals and desires. The quilt is also a marker of the beginning of changes in society with regards to African Americans. Likewise, the term medallions in the title suggests something worth marking as notable, for example Olympic contestants receive medallions for their wins as do Nobel Prize winners. This mimics the notable developments of the scraps in the piece, the seamstress’ ambitions, and the changing social dynamics facing African Americans.
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