Housetop Variation
Annie Mae Young
American, 1928–2013

Details
Title
Housetop Variation
Artist/Maker
Annie Mae Young (American, 1928–2013)
Date
undated
Medium
Fabric
Dimensions
86 × 74 inches
Credit
Museum purchase, and gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection
Accession #
2017.79
On View
Currently not on view
Housetop quilts are so named because of the repeated motif of concentric squares, as if one were viewing a shingled rooftop from above. The quilter chooses a medallion of fabric for the center and constructs the rest of the quilt outward in a radiating fashion. At the center of this example, Gee’s Bend quilter Annie Mae Young placed a rectangle of fabric featuring two flowers. The new context of this textile, which is now hung on a wall rather than spread on a bed, reframes it as an alternative to the still-life tradition. Floral compositions, whether painted or quilted, long have been embraced for their domestic associations and decorative beauty.
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