Furnishing Chintz Quilt

Maker:

Unknown

Date:

1820 - 1840

Made from cotton Chintz furnishing fabrics, this coverlet is patch-worked with a simple square design. Chintz designs were printed on calico, a type of cotton. The word calico comes from ‘Calicut’ – the region in India that became associated with the production of the fabric.

Chintz’s were known for their full range of colours and dyes, which made them complicated to produce and therefore expensive. The first part of the printing process produced a black outline, and then alum and iron mordants were printed and dyed in Madder to give red/browns. Yellow and blue were added last, either by printing or ‘pencilling’ (painting on by hand). Dark background chintz, seen a lot in this quilt was popular from 1780-1795, and during a revival in the 1820s-30s, when this piece dates from.

In the centre of the quilt is a block printed panel showing exotic fruits in a basket. These panels were printed onto fabric lengths and were cut and sold individually for the purpose of using as sewing centre pieces, such as for patchwork, cushions or other homemade furnishings.