Oscar Wilde Inspires Crazy Quilts

Oscar Wilde Inspires Crazy Quilts

Back in 1882 Oscar Wilde hit the American lecture circuit like a storm and inspired a “new style of bed quilt, “the Oscar Crazy” with “a sunflower in the middle, and all about it patches of silk and velvet of every color to be found in your own rag bag, borrowed, begged or stolen, from those of your friends.” [Excerpt from the Green Mountain Freeman, Montpelier, VT; September 13, 1882.]  

The Quachita Telegraph, Monroe, Louisiana, September 2, 18882 described this year’s rage as the “Oscar Crazy Quilt” using a half-yard square with a sun-flower, lily, daisy or pansy in the center with bits of silk and velvet of all colors, arranged helter-skelter, a sort of artistic confusion of colors.  The name is the article is called “Old Fashioned Industries Revived.” written by the New York Correspondent of the Chicago News.  On September 20, 1882, the correspondent is identified as Anne Wakeman, and the article is titled simply “Patchwork” in the Abbeville Press, Abbeville, SC and again on October 4, 1882, in The Forest Republican, Tionesta, PA.  

At the start of the tour, artist James Kelly drew a sketch of Mr. Wilde that was used in promotional materials for the lectures.  More can be found at: http://oscarwildeinamerica.org 

The image was published on June 6, 1882 in the Memphis, TN Public Ledger advertising the June 12, 1882 lecture in Memphis and again in the Atlanta Constitution on July 2, 1882 for Mr. Wilde’s lecture on Decorative Art.  I’m sure it was in other papers, but these are the only ones I have documented.  The newspaper ads were probably the source used in the CQs identified by Barbara Brackman.  https://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2018/09/oscar-crazy-quilts-2-portraits.html

Sunflower motifs were found in Peterson’s, one of the popular ladies magazines of the day.  In January 1882, Peterson’s published a sun-flower design in crewels; and in their June 1882 issue, they provided a pattern for the “Oscar Wilde” penwiper.  

Clark’s O.N.T. Spool Cotton Thread joined the Oscar band wagon and placed a mini-Oscar along with Jumbo holding a sunflower – called the Jumbo Aesthetic.  

The poster from the Patience opera reminded me of an image I had on one of the crazy quilts in my collection.  It is appliqued onto the block and out-line embroidered to highlight the image.  There are sunflowers on another block on the quilt.  I will post more images from that quilt shortly.  

Note:  Many of the newspaper sources were found at:  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

Update:  Oscar Wilde's likeness could be purchased for 10 cents and added to your quilts.  Image from the 1886 J.F. Ingalls catalog.  It is the same as what was in the newspapers advertising his lectures and is based on the Kelly sketch.