Rebecca Dennis Wylie

There are four quilts in the Wylie House Museum collection likely made by a Wylie, but only one that can be confirmed as such. Rebecca Dennis Wylie was the mother to eight children and the wife of Theophilus Wylie. She lived in the house from 1859 until her death in 1913. We know from family correspondence that she was an accomplished seamstress and quilter. 

Rebecca completed this crazy quilt some time between 1875 and 1890 for her daughter, Louisa Wylie Boisen. The quilt shows off a wide array of fabrics, small paintings, and impeccable decorative stitching.

Crazy Quilts and Japonisme

Japonisme, or the influence of the Japanese design aesthetic in Western art, experienced extreme popularity in America the last quarter of the 19th century. Following the display of the Japan pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, Americans began incorporating Japanese design in fine art, paper goods, architecture, decorative arts, and of course: textiles. Crazy quilts frequently made use of fine silks, assymetrical patterns, and Japonisme-inspired visual motifs such as fans and butterflies. 

In this 1885 letter to her sister-in-law, Sara Seabrook Wylie makes reference to the Gilded Age craze for crazy quilts.

Excerpt from a letter from Sara Seabrook Wylie to Mrs. Louise W. Boisen, February 7, 1885:

"Now Lou, everything is selling of cheap, under clothing especially. I can get night dresses very cheap, and everything. Now is the time for bargains, so if you wish me to get anything for summer, you had better send now. Embroideries are very cheap. Maggie Black said there were bunches of ribbons for “crazy quilt” are selling for ten cts a bunch. I told her to get one for me for Mother."

This letter was written during the period in which Rebecca's crazy quilt was completed. It is very likely that the "bunches of ribbons" that Sara describes here eventually found their way into the crazy quilt in the collection today.

Painted details

Rebecca Wylie: Quilter, Seamstress, Painter?

Rebecca's quilt is a masterful tour-de-force of the style, and it is remarkably well-preserved for its age. We can be confident that Rebecca was responsible for the cutting, piecing, and decorative stitching on display throughout the quilt. 

It is unclear who is responsible for the numerous painted decorative motifs used in the quilt. One painted block is signed, "Laura Worley, 1884." Very little is known about Miss Worley, but it is possible that she is the artist responsible for the paintings on display in the quilt. It is unclear whether the paintings were made with the intention of being included in the quilt, or if Rebecca selected completed paintings on fabric for inclusion in her quilt.

Travel for Textiles

Letters between the Wylie women record the regional textile markets of the late 19th century; when a sister or daughter traveled to a metropolitan center, her family was sure to make requests for fabric, trims, and ribbons to be brought back for their use. In this August 15, 1889 letter, Rebecca Wylie sends a shopping list to her daughter who was in Chicago at the time.

Excerpt from letter from Rebecca Dennis Wylie to daughter, Louisa Wylie Boisen, August 15, 1889: "About the quilts, it will take a 3 ¼ plush if it can be divided into four and 5 ¼ yds lining calico width. Mrs. Murphy wants 50 cts worth of plush any color you please but she seems to like red. Then I would like cord to put round and finish the quilts but cannot tell how much, perhaps there is some nicer finish. Shall I send the money?                                                                                                                             R.D.W,                                                                 You had better get some cloth for pants for Anton"

Margaret Wylie Mellette and Crazy Quilting

While Margaret Mellette's crazy quilt is not in our collection, we know that it was started and most likely completed in the house. Margaret mentions sending along her partially finished project to her mother, Rebecca, for completion. This excerpt speaks both to Rebecca Wylie's acknowledged expertise in quilting, as well as the regional textile market mentioned above. 

Margaret was writing from her home in Watertown, Dakota– an even more rural outpost than Bloomington, Indiana in the late 19th century.

Excerpt from letter from Margaret Wylie Mellette to sister, Louisa Wylie Boisen, January 5, 1889:

"Charlie expected to stop at Bloomington on his way and I expect if he goes he will do so yet. I think Mother said if I put in my quilt and pieces she would finish it for me as I can’t see. Well I put that in his trunk. If I am mistaken it can just as well stay at home till I am able to sew on it, as here I can find no silk that I like as well as yours. I thought I would write to Fan about it and maybe she can find some for me. I got a black broad cloth dress that I think will be nice."