The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce

From the Revolutionary Era to the present day, quilts have served as both cherished heirlooms and silent witnesses to the evolution of American industry, politics, and global trade. The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce explores how the materials, dyes, and techniques used in quiltmaking reflect centuries of economic shifts and technological innovation. Featuring over 40 quilts and coverlets from Bowers Museum’s permanent collection, as well as loans from the family of famed quilter Jean Ray Laury and others, this exhibition traces the journey of fibers like cotton, silk, wool, rayon, and polyester through two and a half centuries of American quilting.

Visitors will encounter quilts that speak to the mass-production of domestically printed cotton fabric in the 19th century, as well as to the ingenuity of makers during times of scarcity, such as Depression-era scrap quilts and wartime cotton regulations. Highlights include a rare 1776 whole-cloth wool quilt, an early Bethlehem Star quilt with chintz appliqué, a quilt made of handkerchiefs commemorating the American centennial in 1876, and a 1975 pictorial quilt celebrating scenes of California life.

Through these textiles, period ephemera, and multimedia interactives, The American Quilt invites reflection on the intimate relationship between cloth and community, and how trade policies shape the availability and aesthetics of everyday materials. Whether hand-stitched by anonymous or known makers, each quilt offers a tactile record of American life, labor, and legacy.

Exhibit Credit: 

The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce is organized by Bowers Museum and curated by Tara Miller. The exhibition is supported by Flying Geese Quilters Guild and Repiecers – Southern California Study Group