Many Amish benefitted financially from selling their old quilts and were eager to do so, rather than holding onto a highly-valued old bedcover considered a “status symbol” by outsiders. Some Amish individuals became active participants in the quilt market, helping to facilitate transactions between antiques dealers and their coreligionists. David Riehl, shown here, was a dealer in his own right, buying quilts from friends and neighbors and selling them to big city dealers. Within Amish society, there is great diversity, with some individuals choosing to have little interaction with outsiders, while others have been quite comfortable in public settings, including doing business with non-Amish. 

Title: 
David Riehl, Amish Quilt Dealer
Maker: 
Photograph by Rob Clark, Jr.
circa
1987