Quilt

Period2021

Place MadeNeptune, New Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumCotton, polyester

Dimensions90 × 80 in. (228.6 × 203.2 cm)

ClassificationsQuilts and Coverlets

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 2021

Object number2021.14

DescriptionA large rectangular quilt in the Jacob's Ladder pattern, consisting of blocks straight set eight by ten with no sashing, in bold shades of brown, deep and light blue, clear yellow, and white, with a wide border of narrow brown sashing framing strips of wood grain patterned cotton alternating with yellow squares set on point on white background. The quilting is machine sewn, with an overall pattern of feathered swirls and outline stitching. The batting is low-loft polyester. The backing is a simple patterned cotton, with a printed fabric commemorative label reading "The Jacob's Ladder pattern was used for this quiltn. The colors slected were inspired by a box found under the floorboards in the room where the enslaved people lived. The box contained broken pieces of different shades of blue, off-white, and brown china. Those colors were chosen to represent the enslaved people. Yellow was added to give the blues and browns some color. The quilt was machine pieced and quilted by Michelle Lewis of Neptune, New Jersey, September 2021."
Curatorial RemarksThe Jacob's Ladder quilt pattern - also known as Underground Railroad, Stepping Stones, Road to California and other names. There is strong oral and folk tradition that the Jacob's Ladder pattern was used as a signal along the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War, alerting those escaping slavery of safe havens. Quilt historians, however, have not been able to date quilts using the Jacob's Ladder pattern to before the Civil War era. The earliest published patterns seem to appear beginning in the early 20th century. It could be that the modern Jacob's Ladder pattern developed or evolved from an earlier pieced four- or nine-patch pattern with similar bold lines and contrasts. What is certainly true is that enslaved women used even the smallest scraps of fabric to create covers for both warmth and a glimmer of beauty and hope within the grim surroundings of enslavement. Another connection may be to the early African American spiritual, "Jacob's Ladder." This tune, closely connected with enslavement prior to the Civil War, may have developed as early as 1750 and was known and sung from about 1825 on. The lyrics are a direct reference to the Old Testament story of Jacob's dream of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven (Genesis 28:10-22). A publication in 1867 referred to the song, while full lyrics most familiar today seem to have first been published in 1907.NotesIn 1998, during a major restoration of Marlpit Hall, one of the Historical Association's 18th century historic sites, a corncob and clamshell were discovered. The two items were deliberately placed beneath the threshhold of a doorway within the second floor space. Original documents and estate inventories of the Taylor family indicate that these spaces were occupied by the enslaved men, women, and children whol lived within the household. A similar discovery at the Lott House in Brooklyn just weeks before provided context for the Association's archaeological find. In 2019, Senior Curator Joseph Zemla discovered a large number of additional cached items beneath floorboards in the kitchen loft spaces. The finds included small animal bones including sheep's vertebra, additional shells, corncobs, and multiple ceramic shards. Most of the shards were of white earthenware ceramic in blue and white glazes. Patterns included stripes, florals, and other typical motifs of the late 18th and very early 19th centuries. Most were no bigger than 1 to 2 inches square. Additional textile deposits were also found, including a scrap of fabric that was identified as the remnant of a pair of men's knee breeches, specifically the band around the hem at the knee. The scrap was of cotton corduroy lined with natural linen, and included one remaining hand-sewn buttonhole. The shards and textile fragment were incorporated into the permanent exhibition at Marlpit Hall "Beneath the Floorboards: Whispers of the Enslaved at Marlpit Hall," which opened in October of 2021. Gilda Rogers, Executive Director of the T. Thomas Fortune House and Cultural Center in Red Bank, NJ, served as one of the members of the exhibition's advisory committee. Rogers put the Association's curatorial team in contact with Michelle Lewis and Gloria Douglass, both of Neptune, N.J., who were avid quilters. Lewis and Douglass visited Marlpit Hall, where they viewed the shards. The Association commissioned a quilt inspired by the shards but provided no other direction other than an overall size for the quilt, which was planned for display on the four poster tiger maple bed within the house. Lewis and Douglass selected the Jacob's Ladder pattern, traditionally associated with the Underground Railroad. Blue and white honored the colors of the shards, and Lewis was able to locate wood grain patterned cotton fabric to relfect the shards' location beneath the wooden floorboards in the kitchen loft. This is the first quilt in the Association's collection to honor and reflect the rich traditions of African American quilting history.

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