Artist: Ruth Anderson Wilson
Title: Alphabet Quilt
Audio:
Date: 1931
Dimensions: 86″ x 74″
Location in Library: Fourth floor
Media: Cotton fabric, batting, and thread
Owner: The Brooklyn College Library Collection.
Gift of Barbra Buckner Higginbotham. © Artist’s Estate
Description:
Ruth Anderson Wilson made this alphabet quilt during the Great Depression, when practical concerns far outweighed artistic aspirations. Nevertheless, the quilt is fully worthy of a place on a wall. It has a balanced composition and a charming color palette, and it is expertly sewn, with small, even stitches that indicate a skilled and steady hand.
Furthermore, the quilt contains a small but sophisticated surprise. After 23 pairs of letters and illustrations, the letter Y is paired with the word “YOU.” For a young reader, this penultimate square is a joke whose punch line is self-awareness.
