Limited Edition \"The Bride\'s Quilt\" Album Applique from Smithsonian Collection For Sale

This GORGEOUS cotton album quilt is all hand appliqued and hand quilted, with machine embroidered accents. The quilt is a limited edition reproduction made in the 1990\'s of \"The Bride\'s Quilt\" album applique quilt from the Smithsonian Collection. The original masterpiece was made in June of 1850 by 18-year-old Eliza Jane Baile, who began stitching the quilt in her home in Carroll County, Maryland. Album quilts often featured different patterns in each block and could be made by a group of women. However, Baile appears to have made the intricate piece entirely on her own, as only her initials and inscriptions appear on the quilt.The quilt was completed on October 30, 1851, just weeks after she married Levi Manahan on October 11, 1851. The quilt showcases Baile\'s significant talent as an artist. She used original patterns featuring wreaths of strawberries and flowers.Eliza and Levi Manahan raised eight children on their farm in Maryland. She was a dedicated member of her community and a folk artist known beyond her quilts. The quilt was passed down through generations. In 1954, her youngest daughter, Addie Manahan, donated her mother\'s masterpiece to the Smithsonian\'s National Museum of American History.
The quilt measures 70\" X 84\" and is in excellent condition, with the occasional light spot and no wear. I haven\'t tried to clean this one.
There is quilting around the applique and in double straight line and grid designs in the background, all at 6 stitches to the inch.
The back is white, the hand stitched binding is solid red, and the batting is thin.
The AMAZING DETAIL make this reproduction COLLECTOR\'S QUILT stand out!