Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
BRT.75.72 |
Object Name |
Quilt |
Title |
Courthouse Style Quilt |
Description |
A log cabin variation quilt is known as "Courthouse Steps". It is made up of 'logs' that are folded one over the other to build a pattern. Each block of the quilt is made up of two colours, a light and a dark, that are opposite each other in the block, forming triangular pyramids which meet at the centre of the block. The quilt is backed with a piece of red cotton. Colours include red, brown, yellow, green, blue, pink, rust, and black. |
Year Range from |
1890 |
Year Range to |
1900 |
Dimensions |
W-175 L-135 cm |
History |
This is an example of a Log Cabin style of quilt that is referred to as 'Courthouse Steps'. Log Cabin quilts traditionally have a red square in the centre to represent the hearth. The "cabin walls" were made of light fabric strips on two sides with darker strips on the other two sides. One interpretation is that the dark fabric strips represent the sun shining on one side of the cabin, casting a shadow on the other. The Courthouse Steps pattern has symmetrical strips on alternate sides of the square that resemble courthouse stairs. Courthouses were a central fixture of towns and cities in the 1800s. This quilt was acquired for the Museums by Margaret Lawrence (1914-1998) who moved to Port Credit in 1950 with her husband, Bill. Margaret was heavily involved in historical research being an active member of the Mississauga South Historical Society and a volunteer for the Mormon Genealogical Library in Mississauga. In 1968 she became the Secretary of the Toronto Township Historical Foundation and remained a board member until 1988. She generously donated many items to the Bradley collection. Reference: Quilts and Other Bed Coverings in the Canadian Tradition, Ruth McKendry, 1979. |
People |
Lawrence, Margaret Helen |