Eagles: Antique Quilts and Antique Kit Quilts

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Eagles on Quilts and Textiles and Eagle Quilt Kits

Eagles on Quilts and Textiles
and Eagle Quilt Kits

by Kimberly Wulfert, PhD

After six years of discussion and debate, the American Bald Eagle was chosen to be the official symbol on the Great Seal of the United States on June 20, 1782 by our Congress. The die-cut of the seal has changed seven times during its 224-year reign. The frequency and variety of needlework, textiles, and quilt tops that contain some form of the Bald Eagle are too great to crystallize down to a number. The forms the image took changed over the years.

Early 19th Century Eagle on Pillar Print, Indigo

Circa 1830s. Private owner.
Thank you for lending your photo.

1876 Centennial Commemorative fabric
Private owner.
Thank you for lending your photo.

The first Seal depicted a long and narrow-necked eagle, with opened legs, like a frog. The right talon held a single branch of leaves, many arrows were in its left talon. A shield without stars formed its body. A banner held in its beak contained a reference to 13, via the E Pluribus Unum motto written on it. A circle of 13 stars inside of a celestial design hung directly above the eagle's right-facing head. The direction the head faces is said by some to indicate either peace or war; peace when facing right and war or a willingness to defend peace when facing left. In All Flags Flying, by Robert Bishop and Carter Houck, there is an eagle made in likeness to the Great Seal’s eagle appliquéd on a quilt. (pg. 15)

A superficial investigation into changes in the eagle’s appearance in various artists’ renditions elucidated some characteristics associated with its design through time. I wondered if the same factors could also help date a printed textile, items of needlework or a quilt top. For example, earlier eagles have a menacing look like a bird of prey and they are slimmer than their charming and chubby version appearing in the last quarter of the 19th century. Down-turned wings appear after 1850. The eagles were less elaborate as time went on.

Recognizing that using artistic eagle items to interpret possible dates for textiles has its limits, I recorded six characteristics of one or more eagles on 32 quilts and textiles dating from 1799-1948. I listed the book photo reference and the specifics in a chart: Brief Study of Characteristics of Eagles on Quilts and other Textiles.

Here is what I found:

In the 1799-1850 range, there was an even number of thin and chubby eagles and an even number of wings up and down. This group had the greatest number of defined shields -- 14 out of 16 textiles.

The next group ranged from 1851 to 1899 and showed twice as many down-turned wings than up, and twice as many thin than chubby eagles. There were three out of 12 textiles with defined shields.

The last group, 1900-1950 was just the opposite, with all wings turned up, and all the eagles were chubby. There were two out of four defined shields.

The popular large eagles in each corner design, with their head pointing toward the center, appeared in the last quarter of the 19th century and continued to be made through the 1930s. America’s Centennial may have been the original inspiration, as patriotic needlework. This specific arrangement of four appliquéd eagles became known as the Union Quilt. It’s also referred to as the four block or four corner eagle quilt. This eagle carried an olive branch in its mouth, and nothing in its talons. It was in fact chubby, simple in it’s design and had very fluffy tail feathers.

The pink and green Union Quilt pictured on the left would have been made in the 1880s if the green is “acid green”, a yellow green with a tiny yellow and black print, and the pink is a “double pink” a pink on pink design or a pink background with a small print in white on it. But if the green and pink fabrics are solid colors, then this quilt would have been made in the 20th century, probably in the 1920s or 30s.

There are many color combinations, center design and border versions of this style. An example made around 1880, in Pennsylvania, is now in the Kitty Clark Cole Collection at the Michigan State University Museum. Many four block eagles quilts were made there. Three Union Quilts came up in my group; two were chubby, one thin, there were no up-turned wings, one was down-turned, and the other two were held out to the sides evenly. There were no defined shields.

Eagle motifs were commonly placed on needlework in the 1930s celebrating Patriotism, the NRA and the Bi-Centennial celebration of Washington’s birthday.

An eagle used as a symbol of freedom, of protection and success in battle, and strength is not new. They are referenced in Mythology, the Old Testament, American Indian legends, Roman times, Western Europe and the Far East. The Emperor Napoleon nicknamed his only son the eaglet and placed an eagle with its wings spread on top of a battle flag standard. Prior to the German swastika, an eagle was their national symbol. The hammer and sickle symbol replaced Russia’s former symbol, the imperial eagle.

A double-headed eagle appears on one quilt I heard about. This was unusual, but in fact, the Austrian Empire used a double-headed eagle on their coat of arms, as did Ivan the Great to symbolize a linking of the East and the West brought about by his marriage. A silk whole-cloth quilt, ca. 1700s, made in Goa on the western coast of India, has double-headed eagles quilted in each corner. They are difficult to make out, but the quilt is incredible. Click on the image found here, to enlarge it.

The eagle quilt known as The Secession quilt is shown in Orlofsky’s book “Quilts in America,” pages 191-2. At a 2003 auction it sold for $67,500. This stunning whole-cloth quilt, featuring a large eagle quilted in the center, was made in 1860 by a South Carolina woman. Jemima Ann Thewitts Cook made the quilt in linen, interestingly. It is corded, stuffed and elaborately quilted, with vines, cornucopias, flowers and patriotic symbols and surnames of governors and her husband, who was a general, is quilted in. It survived the Civil War because it was buried in a wooden box with the silver. The condition is poor due to washing upon retrieval.

Next I’ll discuss Eagle Kit Quilts