Depression Era Quilts in Nebraska

The Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival was a movement popularized during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. It emphasized "traditional" American activities and objects. Colonial Revival interiors rejected the busy look of the Victorian era. For a time, early American antiques and reproductions became common in American homes. As a traditional craft, quilting was an important element in home decorating. This, combined with necessity for some, helped quilting flourish. Home Arts Magazine, March, 1932   Floral Applique Maker Unknown Probably Made in Nebraska Circa 1930 80" x 72" Buffalo County Historical Museum 87.32.6   Drunkard's Path Marguerite Marks Nelson Made in Polk, Nebraska 1930 75.5" x 67" Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Katherine Nelson, Vista, California 13076-2 Marguerite Marks Nelson was born in Ord, Nebraska, in 1900. She made this quilt sometime around 1930, which is the year she married Harold Nelson, a farmer and barber. Marguerite taught history at Park High School. She died in 1936, three days after the birth of her daughter, Katherine. LeMoyne Star Murl (Mabel) Brickner Gunnerson Made in Aurora, Nebraska 1930-1940 90" x 77" IQSC 2006.023.0002 Sunburst Phoneta Bruner Munroe Made in West Point, Nebraska 1932 90" x 84" Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Lily B. Munroe, West Point 4948-593 Lily Munroe donated this quilt to the Nebraska State Historical Society. Her mother, Phoneta Bruner Munroe, made it for her in 1932 when Phoneta was seventy-eight years old. It is an exact copy of another quilt made by Lily's grandmother, Amelia Brobst Bruner. Amelia's quilt, which is also in the Society's collection, was made while she lived in Pennsylvania prior to her 1856 move to Nebraska with her husband, Uriah. Improved Nine Patch Elizabeth Brook Swartz & Rose Marie Riek Swartz Made in Fillmore County, Nebraska Late 1920s-1936 88" x 75" Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Darlene Miltner, Lincoln 11698-3 This quilt was made by Mary Elizabeth Rook Swartz and her daughter-in-law, Rose Marie Riek Swartz. They lived on a farmstead close to the Big Blue River, five miles north of Grafton, Nebraska.

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