Saturday, April 14, 2012

British Commemorative Panels


English panels were exported to the United States but several were made exclusively for the home audience. The English quilt on the cover of Averil Colby's book above features a floral panel with the inscription in the border "G-50-R" 


Americans would have been unenthusiastic customers for fabric celebrating the Golden Jubilee, King George III's 50th Anniversary in 1810.

King George III


The cover quilt is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. See these links:



The Duke of Wellington's Victory over Napoleon in 1815 would not have inspired customers to line up at the wharves in Boston or Charleston.
See Celia's blog post about a quilt with the Wellington panel by clicking here:

"Princess Charlotte of Wales Married
to Leopold Prince of SaxeCobourg May 2, 1816"

A few years after the American/British War, George III's granddaughter Princess Charlotte married. This panel made to celebrate the wedding might have made it across the Atlantic. Royals-watchers were broken hearted when Charlotte died in childbirth a year later, making her cousin Victoria heir to the throne (Victoria married Leopold's nephew Albert.)


This English medallion quilt with a different colorway of the Princess Charlotte panel sold at Christies four or five years ago.

See more here:

The New England Quilt Museum has another fabulous medallion quilt featuring this panel. See a picture at the Quilt Index:

And read about a reproduction Princess Charlotte panel at Penny's blog here:


In 1821 the late Princess Charlotte's father was crowned as George IV. This panel celebrates her mother, "Her Most Gracious Majesty Caroline Queen of England." Caroline of Brunswick and George despised each other and she was barred from the Coronation, although she had her supporters, the customers for this panel.
A woodcut on paper from the time


This portrait was advertised as actress Anne Brunton Merry (1769-1808), born in England and died in Virginia. There must be many other unidentified portrait and commemorative textiles out there.

See a George IV commemorative calico at this post

America and Washington on a toile

It's interesting that American-themed scenic toiles were imported but we do not find any of these multicolored commemorative panels featuring Franklin, Washington, Jefferson or Liberty for the American market during this period.

UPDATE: In the comments box Hester noted the quilt on the right from a Kerry Taylor auction in 2007. Similar style and proportion in the frames; another octagonal panel.










5 comments:

Donna Keating said...

I've done some genealogy research in recent months and just discovered that my 4th great grandfather served in the militia in the War of 1812. This makes me even more interested in your blog posts. Many thanks.

Barbara Brackman said...

You should make a quilt to recall his service in the War.

Hester said...

I just found an Englisch quilt on the net. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/4629423

It look the same

Barbara Brackman said...

Good Work Hester. I had not seen that one. It does look like it has the same style.

Niagara 1812 Legacy Council said...

This looks great. Good job!