A few weeks ago, we were in Denver visiting my son, and who can go to Denver without visiting The Tattered Cover book store? Not me. Got two treasures there, both on the half-priced-because-they’re-used rack. One is a coffee table book titled Quilts in Everyday Life, 1855-1955: A 100-Year Photographic History, and its 192 pages contain the author’s collection of antique photos depicting quilts in some way.

Quiltphoto1

Usually the quilts are backdrops for the photo,

Quiltphoto2

but sometimes there’s a photo of a woman stitching a quilt block.

The author, Janet E. Finley – former president of the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum (a place you can bet I’ll visit on my next visit) – adds to the visual enjoyment of the book by adding 1-2 paragraphs about each photo. It’s quite satisfying to see quilts portrayed in such a major, meaningful, and historical way. Nobody would have to twist my arm to convince me to replace collecting doilies with collecting these old photos that shine the spotlight on the importance of quilts during that time in our history. and it points to the importance of quilts.

Back in the day, my grandmother made quilts for each of her children and grandchildren. I can remember my mother using our quilts to protect furniture when we moved and to provide something to sit on at the beach and to protect her backseat from our wet swimsuits. Everyday use, I suppose.

** A note that seems important: I don’t make any money from these links. Not a penny.