Stylized American Eagle, 13 Stars, U.S. Pennsylvania Eagle Quilt.
Stylized American Eagle, 13 Stars, vines, flowers & leaves with a green calico border.
Pennsylvania-made quilt with large eagle in center within two frames of charming flowers, this Pennsylvania-made quilt presents a symbol which many viewers probably can identify only as some kind of bird. Inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch motifs, the figure is clearly based on the coat of arms of the United States. (Compare it with the official version appearing in the U.S. great seal, represented on the reverse of a one-dollar bill.) This eagle still has 13 stars and a shield on its breast, but flowers have replaced the olive branch and arrows, representing peace and war. The crest is also gone. The colors replicate those of the floral border.
The militaries and nobility of Byzantium, Germany, Russia, Austria, Spain, and France under Napoleon, flew their colors with an eagle depicted somewhere on them. The Eagle standard was carried in battle by Roman legions, and signified even earlier kings and empires. In powerful nations prior to the birth of the USA, the average citizen in those lands might not have presumed to modify the 'official' form of such an eagle or to use it in a home-made item like a quilt. The First Amendment has protected and perhaps even fostered such creativity. It has been manifested in folk arts and crafts and here in this quilt as well.
Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 55.
Provenance: Acquired by the Veninga Flag Collection in 1999. LV03 (ZFC1864).
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.
Wulfert, Kimberly, PhD, Patriotic Quilts Through Time, 20 November 2011, from: http://www.antiquequiltdating.com/patrioticquilts.html#ParagonKit
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
