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1895 Democratic Convention, American Folk-Art / Crazy Quilt of Patched Fabric

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:1,400.00 - 1,800.00 USD
1895 Democratic Convention, American Folk-Art / Crazy Quilt of Patched Fabric
Political
1895 Democratic Convention American Hand-Stitched Folk-Art Style Crazy Quilt of Patched Fabric
c. 1895 Late 19th Century, “Crazy Quilt,” Colorful American “Folk-Art” Hand-Stitched Patched Fabric, Including an 1895 Democratic Convention “ALTERNATE” Black print upon White Silk Ribbon, Choice Extremely Fine.
This original, quite fabulous looking, 70” x 62” knotted “Crazy Quilt” has a great deal of fine embroidery hand-stitching work around the multitude of pieces of pieced fabric. It is really not “over-the-top” or too fanciful in its overall design. It uses a lot of nice old fabric, being stitched together for the patterns, including Several Old Political Silk Ribbons. This Quilt includes likely the maker’s own Silk Ribbon which reads, “State - Democratic - Convention - ALTERNATE - CITY HALL - Springfield, Ohio - Aug. 20 and 21, 1895.”

There is another Silk Ribbon from the “Mountain Echo,” dated 1898 (PA) and several others, with a number of initials embroidered into the quilt as well as a portion of a “Father’s Wedding necktie”! There is some actual light wear to the fabric as is typical with period silk and a few panels having slight fraying. Overall this is an impressive, very handsome original piece of colorful American “Folk-Art,” that combines some 1895 Period Politics and that looks really outstanding and vibrant on display.


The Cleveland administration approached the election of 1896 badly damaged by the results of 1894. In that election Republicans and even a few Populists had routed Democrats across North and West. In 24 states no Democrat won federal office. In retrospect, historians have called 1894 a realigning election, one in which voters ended the Gilded Age's close political competition with a resounding decision in favor of the Republican Party.

Grover Cleveland's economic policies had largely demoralized his party. A conservative Democrat devoted to laissez faire and the gold standard, Cleveland alienated potential Democratic voters in the South and West who applauded the Populist Party's plans for new government intervention on behalf of farmers and other debtors.

Illinois reflected the widening division in the party. Governor John Peter Altgeld established a friendly policy toward workers and unions with his Haymarket pardons and refusal to call out state troops against the Pullman strikers. But President Cleveland acted quickly on behalf of employers to quash the strike with a court injunction and regular Army forces.

In 1895 Altgeld jumped on board the free silver bandwagon by coming out in favor of the white metal's coinage at a state silver convention in Springfield.

At this gathering the Illinois native William Jennings Bryan transfixed the audience with a speech in favor of free silver. Bryan had been born in Salem and educated at Illinois College in Jacksonville before migrating west to Nebraska and a career as a journalist. Now he toured the country lecturing in favor of currency reform.