Mountain Mist Pattern 44, copyright 1934
Circa 1934
United States
Mountain Mist Collection, Gift of the Robert and Ardis James Foundation, 2012.015.0042

This pattern title was copyrighted during the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s. The pattern for this piece says, “In answer to the demand for really new pieced quilt patterns, we offer this highly interesting original design that included appliqué stars to heighten the effect.”

Hollywood is one of the original free quilt patterns printed inside the wrapper of Mountain Mist batting. Its parent the Stearns & Foster Company began this trend in 1929 as a then-groundbreaking marketing campaign. These quilts and patterns became the centerpiece of their advertisements and made Mountain Mist patterns an American favorite for decades.

This piece is one of the quilts we acquired in 2012 and is featured in our exhibition, “Inside the Wrapper: The True Tales of the Mountain Mist Quilt Pattern.” It is also one of the quilts that will be featured in guest curator Linda Pumphrey’s forthcoming book, Mountain Mist Historical Quilts: 14 Mid-Century Quilts Made New