There is a renewal of interest in handmade craft works and the personal narratives behind them. The American Folk Art Museum in New York is currently running an exhibition called Women Only: Folk Art by Female Hands through September 12, 2010 which consists of drawings, quilts, rugs, paintings and other works. At the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, an exhibition on Amish quilts is entering it's final month. In London, the V&A Museum's exhibition on quilts from 1700 to present has proved to be one of their most popular recent exhibitions.
BST195369 Pictorial quilt, 1895-98 (detail) by Harriet Powers/ Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachussetts, USA
Craft highlights in the Bridgeman archive
Quilts range from a commemorative quilt from 1876, featuring the American flag, to a pictorial quilt with narrative scenes from the Bible. Needlework is also displayed wtih woollen and cross-stitch samplers of moral and religious verse bordered by intricate flowers, maps of Europe and even anti-slavery protests.
XBP229298 Amish Village (watercolour on paper) by H.F. Lang (19th century)/ Private Collection, Boltin Picture Library
Collections strong in quilt and craft designs include the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Barnes Foundation and regional American historical societies, among them New-York, Dallas, Virginia, New England and New Orleans. Bridgeman also has access to impressive archives such as The Design Library in New York and Christie's which have wonderful collections of 19th and 20th century textiles and decorative arts.
IMA243601 The Garden, 1971 (textile) by Alba Corrado (b.1938), Indianapolis Museum of Art
BRN189674 Bookmark depicting two birds and a heart, 1794 by American School/ The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania, USA