BALTIMORE ALBUM QUILT, ABOUT 1850

Mid-century quilters embroidered roses in green wool to resemble the moss rose (rosa muscosa), whose buds and stems are covered in a moss-like substance which emit extra fragrance. Long familiar to botanists, its popularity in quilts appears to be the result of its becoming more widely available to American home gardeners about this time.

Made by a member of the Hayden family, Baltimore, Maryland
Cotton with wool embroidery
100” x 96”
Loan courtesy of Debby Cooney