Medallion Chintz
Unknown relative of the Ranson family
c.1820
82" x 89"
Cotton
MSU Museum Accession 2001:158.13
Photo by Mary Whalen, all rights reserved by MSU Museum

Kitty Clark Cole purchased the quilt on eBay. A typed index card attached to the quilt says, "This quilt (owned by Miss Rose Ranson, 1507 Mound Avenue, Jacksonville, Illinois) was handed down through the Ranson family and was most likely made in the middle 1700s or earlier. Note that none of the figures or designs are repeated in fabrics of the 19th century. It's chief interest is in the medallion in the center, which represents birds, fruits, and flowers. This medallion undoubtedly predates the patches around it, as the coloring has been differently applied to it in a hit and miss fashion." Quilt scholar Merikay Woldvogel thought the quilt may be older and that the fabric was from England.

By Beth Donaldson, excerpted from The Michigan Quilt Project: New Discoveries exhibit.