When a sister or friend was about to leave on a very long trip or perhaps move to a far-away location, 19th-century women sometimes made signature Album quilts as special keepsakes to remind them of their loved ones. Mary Van Pelt, who owned this quilt, might have been leaving on such a journey; friends and relatives made blocks that reflect their sadness. Mary’s sister wrote on one block: My sister, my sweet sister/ No tears but tenderness to ever miss me/ Go where I will to me thou art the same/ A loved regret which I would not resign. 

The botanical images on Mary’s quilt may also have sentimental symbolism: roses and tulips as declarations of love, oak leaves representing strength, and daisies symbolic of farewell.