Going West!Quilts and Community
Published by GILES in association with Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Publish Date — October 2008 (UK and USA)
Dimensions — 144 pages, 279 x 254mm (10 x11 in.), portrait
Illustrations — 96 colour and 12 mono illustrations
Hardback price — UK£25.00/US$49.95
ISBN — 1-904832-45-8
ISBN — 978-1-904832-45-4
Book Details (pdf) — Going_West_AI.pdf
Sales Points
A stunning photographic display of over 50 quilts, presented in colour with additional details
Features a map of the Great Platte River Road Trail and an essay on the history and social context of quilt-making
by leading quilt scholar Roderick Kiracofe
Accompanies an exhibition opening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery,
Washington D.C.
About the Book
Going West! Quilts and Community presents in striking colour over 50 19th-century quilts either made, or lovingly transported along the great migratory wagon trails, and reveals the essential role that quilts and quiltmaking played in the lives of frontier women.
The Great Platte River Road was the principal route for America’s western expansion as early as the 1830s. Pioneers heading for a new life in the Nebraska Territory packed their wagons with necessities that almost always included quilts. Quilts served an important purpose along the difficult journey, whether used as sturdy domestic bedding along the trail, or packed tenderly in the trunk as a tie to all that had been left behind. The quilts have been selected by independent curator Sandi Fox, who is the guest curator for the exhibition, and coauthor of the accompanying book.
