[Quilt] Mary Carpenter Pickering (1831-1900) worked on this quilt while her friend John Bruce Bell accompanied a wagon train to the Oregon Territory. In American culture, quilts are often passed down through the generations, becoming treasures commemorating their makers. Mary Pickering's quilt has been cherished by 3 generations of her family.

Courtesy of the National Museum of American History, gift of Dr. Robert S. Bell in honor of the Frank Bell family: Frank and Bertha Wickersham Bell and their children; Raymond Bell, Mary Bell Stone, William Pickering Bell, Richard Craig Bell, Dorothy Jo Bell Foster, Frances Bell Brantingham, Margaret Bell Koester, John Burton Bell, and Dr. Robert S. Bell.
Quilt appliqued with fruit and flowers, made by Mary Carpenter Pickering (1831-1900) of Ohio, mid-19th century A.D., cotton fabric

[Back to:] Return to A Celebration of Community
Contacts | FAQ | Press Room | Privacy | Copyright
Top  Top