Released October 31, 2017
Lincoln in Quilts: Log Cabins, Flags and Roses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Megan Simpson, 317.234.8146, [email protected]
INDIANAPOLIS — Experience a new look at the life of Abraham Lincoln through the textiles of his time. Lincoln in Quilts: Log Cabins, Flags and Roses is a must-see for any quilt lover or Lincoln enthusiast and connects to four key times in Lincoln’s life; his early years, his adult political life and White House years, the Civil War and the mourning period following his assassination in 1865. The exhibition opens on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 and runs through Feb. 19, 2018.
One of the jewels of this exhibition is a quilt attributed to Elizabeth Keckley, who served as Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker. The spectacular silk quilt is made from scraps of the silk dresses she created for her customers, including Lincoln’s wife. Another highlight is a quilt that has not been seen on public display for at least 25 years. The piece, by Margaret Frentz of New Albany, incorporates campaign ribbons from every presidential and vice presidential candidate in the 1860 election.
Quilts have long been a way of capturing memories and memorializing the dead, and Lincoln’s passing was no different. The exhibition includes the banner that hung in Ford’s Theater at the time of his assassination, along with the Memorial Log Cabin quilt which features wool believed to be from the mourning crape draped around the columns at the Indiana Capital.
Lincoln in Quilts: Log Cabins, Flags and Roses is the first exhibition to bring together several nationally and internationally known quilts with connections to Lincoln. Many of the items for the exhibition come from the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection at the Indiana State Museum.
For more information on the exhibition, please call 317.232.1637 or visit indianamuseum.org.
HOURS AND LOCATION
The Indiana State Museum is located at 650 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. Exhibition gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The first Tuesday of each month (Community Tuesdays) admission is half price. Auxiliary aids and services are available with advance notice. For more information, call the museum at 317.232.1637.
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The Indiana State Museum is located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It is Indiana’s museum for science, art and culture, offering a place where you can celebrate, investigate, remember, learn and take pride in Indiana’s story in the context of the broader world. Even the building is a showcase of the best Indiana has to offer in architecture, materials and sculpture. Easy and convenient parking is available in the attached underground garage.
