HENRY CLAY CAMPAIGN QUILT, 1844

The Politics

As a Presidential candidate in 1844, Henry Clay opposed the annexation of Texas, a move many feared would lead to war with Mexico. His campaign reached out to women who, though lacking the right to vote, might sway male relatives’ votes. Women, Clay believed, would prefer a candidate who kept their men out of a war.

The Quilt

Rebecca Lombart made this while living in Philadelphia, with two Clay ribbons in the border and another saying simply “Abstinence.” Clay’s anti-abolitionist stance hurt him in anti-slavery Philadelphia, but Lombart and others apparently found enough in his platform to win their support.

Rebecca (Lombart) Williams (1819-1880), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Silk
100” x 106”
Gift of Grace Ann Gartland, 2003.24

Many ribbon designs were made available nationwide for the Clay campaign; printers could add text specific to their area’s campaign events. This ribbon’s design is the same as one of those on the quilt, but announces a barbecue in Pennsylvania.