Dated 1844
Possibly made in the Hudson River Valley, New York
Patricia Cox Collection, 2012.003.0007

The initials “ES” and the date “1844” can be found quilted into corners of this quilt. Although we do not know where “ES” lived, the stylized tree border and the mid-1840s date suggest a New York origin. Research done on New York State quilts has shown that the tree border is a regional style, especially popular in the Hudson River Valley between about 1840 and 1860. The trees depicted on quilts from this era range from naturalistic weeping willows to stylized, almost leaf-like trees, as you see here. Like this Oak Leaf, the New York tree-bordered quilts frequently were made with blue and white fabrics.