Quilts for the Roosevelts

Quiltmakers have long deemed their cloth expressions as appropriate gifts to commemorate relationships and mark special occasions. Americans sent thousands of gifts to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in gratitude for their efforts at fighting the Depression and uplifting the spirits of Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt was known to have a deep appreciation for quilts. Given the many documented quilt gifts, it’s easy to surmise that a significant number of Americans made quilts to honor the Roosevelts and other elected officials. Quiltmakers have a long history of generosity, giving quilts as gifts of commemoration or to comfort those in need. But what was the symbolic heft of these quilts? Some were overtly concerned with electoral politics; others were more commemorative as they attempted to honor and celebrate the Roosevelts in imagery. Although these quilts were likely not created merely as bedcovers and indeed likely never saw everyday use, within American society quilts were understood as objects tied to cherished life milestones, such as birth, marriage, and death. As such, quilts were intimate gifts made by hand and often with love, rather than formal, sterile objects. To the makers, they likely were an outlet to feel closely connected to the President and First Lady, and a comfort to the maker more so than to the recipient.