The Quilting Party—Art
Art can be a painting, a sculpture, or a statue. There are many other types of art, too. Works of art show us people's ideas. They can also show us the way people lived long ago. Look at the painting below. It was painted sometime between 1854 and 1875. That is around 150 years ago. What are the people in the painting doing?
Primary Source
The Quilting Party, artist unidentified, American, 1854–1875. Source: Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Background
People don't know who painted The Quilting Party. Today it tells us a story about what life was like when it was painted. A quilt is a blanket made of squares of fabric that are sewn together. Long ago, a group of people from a community would have a party to sew all the squares on a quilt. A quilting party was a fun way to get this work done.
