Name/Title
QuiltEntry/Object ID
0075.001Description
Wool log cabin pattern quilt. Warm and extremely heavy.Use
Every day, common household use, was used on a bed as a functional piece of bedding from its creation in the 1930s until the early 2000s by the family of Lottie Susan Thomas Bowman - children, grandchildren, extendeds + guests.
The quilt is warm - and extremely heavy. Lottie Bowman's grandson, David Hall, was asked by his wife Mary on more than one occasion to lift the quilt up so she could roll over.Context
Made by Lottie Susan Thomas Bowman, daughter of Rev. P.S. Thomas.
Wool men's suit material with cotton Albemarle plaid backing. Lottie Thomas Bowman was a skilled seamstress who worked for many years for B. Ney and Joseph Ney clothing stores on the court square. The wool fabric used in the quilt may have come from scraps of material left over from alterations.
An example of the art and skill that can be found in an everyday object and the early intersection of home and work by a woman who was both a devoted mother and a working mother.Cataloged By
Mary Ann SecristAcquisition
Source (if not Accessioned)
Whitney HallMade/Created
Artist
Lottie Susan Thomas BowmanDate made
circa 1930Time Period
Early 20th Century, 20th CenturyPlace
City
HarrisonburgRegion
Shenandoah ValleyState/Province
VirginiaContinent
North AmericaNotes
Pre-World War II
HomemadeLocation
Location
Room
BasementBuilding
Burkholder-Myers HouseDate
April 13, 2022Inventory
Inventory Project
INV2026.1Inventoried By
Hannah HendricksInventoried Date
May 15, 2026Condition
Reason for Exam
At AcquisitionOverall Condition
GoodCondition Detail
Frayed / Fraying, DisjoinNotes
Condition issues are in keeping with the quilts approx age (70+ years) and regular use.Maintenance
Maintenance History
Notes
Cleaning has been recommended but repair has been discouraged as its condition is part of its history per Gloria Comstock at the Quilt MuseumValuations
Value
$350.00Estimator
Whitney HallDate
Apr 13, 2022Provenance
Notes
The quilt remained in the family home at 102 Broad St., Harrisonburg following Lottie Bowman's death in 1964. Lifetime rights to the home and its contents passed to Lottie's daughter, Helen Dinkle Bowman. Helen gifted the quilt to her great-niece, Whitney Hall in the mid-to-late 1990s, but the quilt remained in use and in the family home until Helen's death in 2004. Following Helen's death the quilt was stored by Helen's nephew, David Hall, until its donation in 2017General Notes
Note Type
Date CatalogedNote
5/19/2017Create Date
April 13, 2022Update Date
July 9, 2026