RED AND GREEN BETHLEHEM STAR QUILT, 1840-1860

Colorfast dyes available after 1840 spurred the mid-century red and green quilt craze. “Turkey red,” a complicated dye process, was widely available to American calico printers by 1840. Green had to be dyed in two steps (yellow, then blue) until late in the 1800s, but a more reliable option called “chrome green” provided the leafy and emerald hues seen in mid-century quilts.

Sarah Hall Gwyer (1819-1882), North Carolina or Omaha, Nebraska
Cotton
94” x 94.5”
Gift of Jack and Patricia Glass honoring the Glass, Schlossberg, Gwyer, and Yates Families, 85.62.3