18th Century Pieced Quilts

Last updated: Jan 7, 2024

The list on this page includes 18th century patchwork quilts as well as counterpanes, bed covers, and similar textiles with piecework or patchwork. A separate page on wholecloth quilts is available elsewhere on this site. Several quilts are inditialed and/or dated using the same sort of cross stitch as laundry marks.

Johnson defines patchwork as “Work made by ſewing ſmall pieces of different colours interchangeably together.”

Jonathan Swift references patchwork when Gulliver describes the clothing that the people of Lilliput construct for him:

When my Cloaths were finiſhed, which was done in my Houſe, (for the largeſt of theirs would not have been able to hold them) they looked like the Patch-work made by the Ladies in England, only that mine were all of a Colour.

In his Directions to Servants in General, Swift tells the Waiting-Maid that “Two Accidents have happened to leſſen the Comforts and Profits of your Employment; Firſt, that execrable Cuſtom got among Ladies, of … making [their old Cloaths] into Patch-work for Skreens, Stools, Cuſhions, and the like.” (Some of Swift’s sarcasm and humor may be lost on the modern reader; the second of these so-called accidents is the invention of small locked boxes for securing tea and sugar, forcing the maid to buy her own brown sugar and reuse tea leaves instead of stealing from her mistress.)

Additional references to patchwork quilts are at the bottom of this page.

In the 18th century, patchwork was also used on pockets and housewifes. Patches were also used to repair clothing.

• V&A T.201-1984, quilted patchwork bed cover of silks and velvets with embroidery in metal threads, England, c. 1690-1720
• V&A T.615-1996, quilted patchwork bed cover created from a variety of silk velvets, satins, silver and silver-gilt tissues and other complex-weave silks, England, c. 1690-1720
• Levens Hall, Kenworth has a quilt dated to 1708; cannot find a good picture of the quilt online, but there is a detail from it on this postcard and this photo
• The 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet “one of the earliest known dated patchworks, and is constructed in the mosaic patchwork tradition of piecing over papers”; see also Tangible Culture, 1718 Replica Coverlet, Quilt Studies Issue 4/5, and The 1718 Coverlet: 69 quilt blocks from the oldest dated British patchwork coverlet
• V&A 1475-1902, patchwork coverlet made up of a combination of plain- and complex-weave silks, with block-printed cotton patches over-printed with gold, England, early 18th century
• Colonial Williamsburg 2005-1,A, quilt top, pieced silk and velvet with paper templates, Great Britain, c. 1700-1730
• Silk patchwork fragment made up from square blocks that have been quartered into triangles, with a central star medallion and several smaller star shaped motifs, c. 1700-1760
• McCord Stewart Museum M972.3.1, patchwork quilt in silk, cotton, and linen, 1726; see also An Early-Eighteenth-Century Pieced Quilt in Montreal
• Mosaic silk patchwork coverlet including fabrics printed with references to George I, c. 1720-1750
• V&A 242 to G-1908, patchwork bedhangings in a clamshell pattern made in England c. 1730-1750; “each of the [printed cotton, embroidered cotton, linen, and fustian] patches has been pieced over printed or plain linen, before being individually lined with linen”
• Danvers Historical Society 1893.49.1, a patchwork firescreen made in Massachusetts c. 1730s-1750s
• V&A T.117-1973, quilted patchwork bed cover made from early eighteenth century silk ribbons, c. 1740-1800
• International Quilt Museum 2008.040.0145, framed-center quilt made in France c. 1750-1770
• Mount Vernon W-1117, patchwork quilt in silk and wool, c. 1750-1800
• V&A T.19-1987, Quilted patchwork bedcover of plain-weave and complex-weave silks, including ribbons from the 1720s-1740s, made in England c. 1760
• Quilt made in South Carolina c. 1762-1763
• MFA 43.177, pieced quilt with horizontal and vertical bands of pink and white silk plain weave, possibly upcycled from an earlier quilted petticoat, Massachusetts, c. 1760
• Whitworth Art Gallery T.2012.7, pieced coverlet made of floral plate-printed textiles, England, c. 1775-1799
• Mattapoisett Historic Society FCL 51, Massachusetts, 1775-1800
• Dana Auctions Sep 19 2020, c. 1775-1800
• Quilt of (c. 1725-1775) crewelwork, printed cottons, and wools, Connecticut, c. 1775-1800
• Mount Vernon H-554, cotton and linen quilt, c. 1775-1815; “At a glance the quilt appears to be in the whole cloth style, but upon closer observation, you will notice that there are 2 fabrics. One fabric is denser and darker for the center field, and the other is a lighter and airier motif in the four borders.”
• Mount Vernon H-587, linen and cotton patchwork quilt top, c. 1775-1825
• DAR Museum 6521, calimanco star-in-the-window quilt, c. 1775-1825
• Historic Deerfield F.649, wool quilt with a pale green center and a pink border, America, c. 1775-1800
• Historic New England 1938.1422, striped twilled wool center with brown wool border, possibly Vermont or Connecticut, c. 1780-1840
• National Museum of American History 1977.0101, pieced wool quilt, 1790-1810
• Met 1975.2, a pieced and quilted coverlet made of small pieces of French and English printed cottons, Britain, late 18th century; see also A Quilt and Its Pieces
• MFA 59.587, quilt made of copperplate prints in sepia on natural cotton, England, c. 1780-1800
• MFA 49.414, pieced quilt with urns and borders, made in New York, late 18th century
• Colonial Williamsburg 1986-259, pieced printed cotton strip quilt, America. c. 1780-1810
• University of Rhode Island 771/Varnum House Q004, a late 18th century strip quilt
• Wenham Museum 4979, an 18th century strip quilt
• National Museum of American History 1995.0008, composed of alternating wide and narrow block printed stripes within a border, USA, c. 1790-1800
• Late 18th century simple frame quilt, made from early printed furnishing cottons on both dark and light grounds, c. 1780-1810
• Winterthur 1969.0568, appliquéd and embroidered quilt made in Ireland in 1782
• DAR Museum 60.56, appliqué quilt in printed blue linen on an off-white linen ground, USA (possibly Maryland), 1783
• Wadsworth Atheneum 1967.75, Anna Tuels paper template-pieced quilt in various worsteds, silk, and printed cotton, New England, 1785
• V&A T.20-1938, small bedcover (or cushion cover?) in patchwork and embroidery, dated 1786
• Rachel Mackey quilt, Pennsylvania, 1787
• Kerry Taylor Auctions Apr 1 2008, a patchworked panel in block prints and roller prints with a central portrait of Anne Brunton in the role of Horatia
• McCord Stewart Museum M969.15.147, a quilt block made in the United States in 1789
• DAR Museum 2015.16, framed center medallion quilt, USA (possibly Philadelphia), c. 1790
• DAR Museum 91.325, pieced wool quilt top of inlaid patchwork construction, edge-to-edge piecing without hems (“According to family history, fabrics were tailoring scraps from Revolutionary War uniforms. Some of the wool used has been indentified as those used in military uniforms, but some date to the 1790s.”), Maryland c. 1790
• Kerry Taylor Auctions Dec 12 2006, a patchwork coverlet made of wool patches probably taken from coats, with a large double-headed eagle on an armorial shield in the center, 18th century
• American History Museum 190856, pieced and crewel-embroidered quilt, Maine, c. 1790-1795
• Paine House quilt, Rhode Island, c. 1790-1800
• Colonial Williamsburg 2006-158,1, appliquéd and pieced quilt with framed center medallion, Virginia, c. 1790-1800
• V&A T.45-1914, patchwork and appliqué cover in wool and silk, made in Prague c. 1790, with panels that “depict a variety of engaging imagery including military, symbolic, allegorical, commemorative and everyday scenes, alongside floral decorations. The design celebrates everyday activities and pleasures alongside scenes of military and cultural achievements.”
• Spencer Museum 1980.0019, Mrs. Wilson's Heirloom quilt, “Circle in center with 13 figures surrounded by haystacks; surrounded by small, vari-colored/patterned diamonds. Border of circles with figures around the diamonds. Band of vari-colored/patterned triangles near the edge of the quilt. White trim around the edges … Each character in the center and border is portrayed in a type of three-dimensional stump work known as a "dressed picture," figures cut from paper and clad in fabric,” England, 1790-1810
• Brooklyn Museum 41.285, pictorial quilt c. 1795; “This spirited quilt illustrates life in England or Ireland in the late eighteenth century. Using a combination of cotton printed fabrics and embroidery, the unknown quilter created mirrored scenes of village and country life on the outer border, and showed elaborately dressed couples engaged in conversation or dancing along the inner ring. The multiple borders and stylized floral cartouches are common elements in quilts from this region and time period, but the vignettes offer the maker’s own perspective on the world.”
• Fragments from a broderie perse quilt made in Pennsylvania and dated 1767
• Colonial Williamsburg 1978-23, appliquéd, pieced, and embroidered framed center medallion quilt, Virginia, c. 1790
• Cowper and Newton Museum OLNCM.2657, an appliqué coverlet in cotton and linen, with knotting along the edges of the figures, England, 1790; see also Cowper’s Counterpane and Patchwork and Plum Cake; described in a poem as a Patch-work Counterpane
• Tree of Life coverlet with Indian chintz figures cut out and appliquéd to linen, made in Ireland c. 1780-1799
• Late 18th century quilts featuring appliqués (especially center medallions like Cooper Hewitt 1995-50-30 & Met 2005.284 or larger textiles like Philadelphia Museum of Art 1930-100-1/2011-101-1) from John Hewson’s printed panels include American Folk Art Museum 2006.5.1, Philadelphia Museum of Art 1934-16-1, Smithsonian American Art Museum 1998.149.2, and possibly Winterthur 2010.0018; see also The Man of Many Vases: John Hewson and Chintz Panels in Quilts.
• Kunstmuseum Den Haag 0271242, a doll’s patchwork quilt in triangle-shaped pieces of cotton, with a white linen lining, c. 1785-1814
• National Museum of American History 1985.0771, a child’s triangle-pieced quilt made in Scotland or America, c. 1790-1800
• Premier Auction Galleries Jan 31 2016, an 18th century hand-stitched infant quilt with raw cotton interior
• V&A T.417-1971, quilted patchwork bed cover or coverlet of printed cotton and linen, England, 1801
• National Museum of American History 28810, framed center pieced quilt made of clothing and furnishing fabrics, probably from the family’s dry goods business, Connecticut, c. 1790-1810
• International Quilt Museum 2007.034.0001, appliqued chintz quilt in a Tree of Life design, c. 1790-1810
• National Museum of American History 281767, Le Moyne star pieced quilt, USA, c. 1790-1810
• Mount Vernon W-365, Penn Treaty quilt, Virginia, c. 1790-1802
• National Museum of American History 211584
• Historic New England 1941.1450, “central panel ten rows two-colored glazed wool blocks each divided by four equal triangles; opposing triangles same color,” 1790-1820
• Henry Ford 2013.29.1, chintz appliqué quilt made in Pennsylvania, 1793
• Pieced and appliqued quilt made in Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1795
• National Museum of American History 1981.0007, quilt with piecing and reverse appliqué in brown and tan block-printed cottons, 1795
• MESDA 3271, “utilizes twelve woodblock printed cotton patterns. The quilt is characterized as a "hit or miss" patchwork using small squares cut to a uniform size and shape and are pieced in an all over pattern,” Maryland, 1796
• V&A T.102-1938, coverlet made from a wide range of block-printed cottons of the 1780s and 1790s, England, 1797
• V&A T.76-1925, patchwork quilt with hexagon-shaped patches, England, c. 1770-1799
• International Quilt Museum 2008.040.0140, paper pieced hexagon quilt, 1796
• National Trust 254771, a patchwork bedspread using hexagonal templates, 18th century
• Winterthur 1957.0048, pieced quilt made in Maine, c. 1795-1805, using newspapers dating to 1788, 1789, and 1790
• Hampshire Cultural Trust HMCMS:C2007.85, “Patchwork quilt, coverlet, shiny glazed cottons, chintzes and dark ground cotton prints, in octagonal and pentagonal shapes with plain cream ground, pieced to form a patchwork of regular flower beds in an early 'Grandmother's Flower Garden' design,” c. 1790-1815
• Spencer Museum 1928.0914, check-patterned quilt with brown and cream chintz blocks, United States, c. 1790-1825
• Historic New England 1929.1765, “blocks on points divided by 4" green plaid sashing; intersections of red blocks on point. Originally purple wool, now faded to blue-grey,” possibly Massachusetts, 1790-1840 (I'm leaning more towards 19th century on this one, though)

Additional References to Patchwork Quilts

Patchwork quilts are also explicitly described in 18th century probate inventories, including: James McKindo (York County, Virginia, 1731), Sarah Green (York County, Virginia, 1759) …

• “ a quilt made of cloth patchwork” (Trial of Samuel Chester, October 14, 1741)
• “What property have you lost? A sheet, an old quilt … What do you know them by? - My wife made this out of a bit of patchwork, and these sheets I bought.” (Trial of Samuel Wallis, February 26, 1783)
• “The beſt chamber was much in the ſame ſtyle with the parlour. The bed was green harrateen, the window curtains white linen. On the bed was very pretty patchwork quilt; which, as well as other things in the houſe, had been Mrs. Simplins’s mother’s, who died a little after Mr. Brown.” (The Two Farmers: An Exemplary Tale, 1787)
• “one quilt, value 2 s. … Can you swear to it: what marks are there on the quilt? - Different patch-work about it; (the quilt deposed to;) this is mine.” (Trial of Maria Green, April 24, 1790)
• “a patch-work quilt, value 3 s.” (Trial of Cecilia Humble, July 7, 1790)
• “MARY OWEN was indicted for stealing, on the 7th of June, half a yard of silk, value 2 s. 6 d. twenty remnants of cotton, value 5 s. a piece of binding, value 6 d. the property of Richard Hudson and William Corney.
  RICHARD HUDSON sworn.
  I live at No. 4, Broad-street, Carnaby-market, I keep an upholsterer’s shop and cabinet-maker; we have missed cottons and buckrams, and tapes and callico. On Tuesday morning last I heard the prisoner was to have a patch counterpane raffled for in the neighbourhood, and upon her not coming back to breakfast, I enquired after her, and understood there were not members enough to be procured; I saw the counterpane, and they were all my patterns of cotton, and I saw a child’s frock which was my property; I found all these things in her lodgings by a search warrant; I can swear to them all by the patterns, and to this piece of India silk in particular; it matches to a piece I have here, where it was cut off; the prisoner has worked for me a year and three quarters. The value of all the things I can swear positively to is thirty-nine shillings. William Corney is my partner.
  JOHN BROWN sworn.
  (Produced the counterpane.)
  It was pawned with me for ten shillings, I did not take it in.
  DOROTHY HOUSEMAN sworn.
  I know the prisoner; she gave my little girl some little bits and shreds to make two counterpanes on, and I was to have one for making the other; she said they were the perquisites that were allowed on cutting out at Mr. Hudson’s and Corney’s shop.
  Prosecutor. I allowed her none, I forbid her taking any bits.” (Trial of Mary Owen, June 8, 1791)
• “His mind now reſembles a quilt I have ſeen at an inn, compoſed by the induſtrious landlady, in a ſort of work, which, I believe, the women call patch-work; triangular or ſquare ſhreds ſewn together to form a motley whole — here a little bit of chintz, ſurrounded by pieces of coarſe and tawdry cotton; there a piece of decca work, joined to a ſcrap of dowlas; in one place a remnant of the fine gown of the Lady of the manor; in the next, a relict of the bed-gown of her houſe-maid.” (Desmond: A Novel, 1792)
• “Q. Do you know [Bellamy’s] wife was a quilter? – I don’t know, there was some such thing in the house as patch work.
  Q. There was the appearance of needle work going forward? – There was.
  Court to Hanson. Where were these needles laying? – In a box there was other clothes and some of this patch stuff in the box, it was a large clothes chest.” (Trial of John Jellison & Thomas Bellamy, February 19, 1794)
• “one patch-work bed quilt, value 10s.” (Trial of Sarah Morris, February 15, 1797)
• “a cotton and linen quilt, called patch-work, value 1s.” (Trial of James Lowther & Mary Wood, July 12, 1797)
• “Small ſlopings of printed linen joined together in patch-work might exerciſe the ingenuity of little girls, and would not look ugly in a poor child’s gown or cradle quilt; benevolence, and a kind diſpoſition, ſoon ſhow themſelves in the minds of children; let them as early as poſſiible be uſed to ſpare a little of their pocket money to alleviate the diſtreſſes of children of their own age.” (Lessons for Youth, selected for the use of schools, 1799)