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.