Quilts Bring History Alive -
why quilts matter: history, art & politics

We all wonder how people really thought, dressed, traveled, and behaved in generations past, and we need only to look to quilts to find out. Since quilts were made-not by artisans-but by ordinary women whose lives they closely reflect, they are fonts of information about the people and periods they represent. In this episode we will explore the quilt's unique ability to preserve, not only our own family histories, but the history of America beyond the reach of memory. Join host Shelly Zegart as she analyzes quilts from two centuries up to the present, extracting information about everything from the state of transportation to the prevalence of smoking in their makers' world.

Episode Duration: 27 minutes and 11 seconds

Episode Number: 102

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About Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics:

This new documentary series focuses on why quilts are bigger than you think, seen through the lenses of history, art, and politics.

For the quilter, collector or casual observer, the nine episodes take you behind the scenes and into new territory, exploring the centrality of the quilt in American culture and revealing the unsuspected size, breadth and depth of the quilt culture.