My Crazy Dream, like many other Crazy quilts, contains complex and rich visual references that make it a true cultural expression of its era. Its elaborate and abundant embroidery reflects the revival of interest in decorative embroidery spurred by Britain’s Royal School of Needlework display at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The paddle fans, spiders, and overall “cracked ice” format reveal the influence of the East, again the result of an influential display at the Centennial Exposition, this time Japan’s. The profuse, wide-ranging imagery generally points to the late-Victorian fondness for a “fairyland” atmosphere, full of fantasy and whimsey.