Signature Quilt

Quilt, white with red embroidered names, early 1900s [1984.150.1]

Signature quilts became a popular tradition in the mid 1800s. These quilts were especially well kept treasures by their owners. Many signature quilts were gifted to individuals who moved across country as a special remembrance to communities they parted with. Signature quilts were also often made by groups, such as a church group, to fundraise for a cause.

This particular quilt is made from white cotton with names arranged in a diamond pattern and embroidered in pink and red thread. We speculate that the darker red names were embroidered later on to the quilt, and that the pink names have been faded from a darker original color through washing or from exposure to sunlight; some pink names are quite worn. Difference in the color fastness of dyed embroidery floss could also account for some variation. The quilt shows wear on the edges and backside, suggesting that it was employed for warmth and cover for many years.

Detail shot of signature quilt [1984.150.1]

E. (Edith) Augusta Ariss, superintendent of the nursing school at the Deaconess Hospital owned this quilt. Her Methodist connections may mean that the quit was made by a Methodist group. Many of the names have been identified as Great Falls names. Ariss was a friend of Tina J. Ross, the mother of the donor, who came to Great Falls around 1887 by railroad. The quilt, which was kept in a Ariss's cabin in Monarch, was purchased by the donor.

Ariss was responsible for the development of the Great Falls Deaconess Hospital. Suggested for the position to Rev. William Wesley Van Orsdel (Brother Van), she was hired and brought to Great Falls. The fledgling 20 bed hospital had opened in 1900 and closed due to poor management and lack of funds. In 1910, with Ariss at the helm, the hospital, despite struggling from over crowding in the beginning, flourished into a multi winged facility. Ariss was also responsible for founding the training program at the Deaconess which provided trained graduates not only to Great Falls but to the rest of Montana. Ariss was an active leader, often seen assisting the kitchen, scrubbing, and washing.

Detail shot of signature quilt [1984.150.1]

This quilt was recently photographed and given new, archivally sound storage, thanks to the collections care grant awarded to The History Museum Archives and Collections in 2020. The quilt is now gently rolled around an archivally sound tube which is suspended on quilt rack arms, preventing any future pressure points which would damage the quilt over time.