Susan Roach, left, and Laura Westbrook,documenting historic textiles for the LA State Museum archive

Textile Documentation at the Louisiana State Museum

In the fall of 2007, folklorists Laura Westbrook and Susan Roach spent several days documenting textiles from among the collection of the Louisiana State Museum. The Museum's textiles span a broad range-from ornate Carnival costumes like the one modeled here by Dr. Westbrook, to decorative household and ceremonial items, to more utilitarian handcrafts.

The primary focus was the Museum's extensive quilt collection, which we were able to view and record in its entirety. Working with photographer Peter Jones and Wayne Phillips, Curator of Costumes and Textiles for Louisiana State Museum, the team identified, photographed, measured, and catalogued more than 100 Louisiana quilts and similar items. Each piece of handiwork reflects the region's history and illustrates the variety of their makers' techniques, styles, and materials.

The museum's collection includes several "crazy quilts" made to commemorate local events, political campaigns, and special occasions such as the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition that was held during the winter and spring of 1884-85 in New Orleans. Some of the pieces in the collection were intended for everyday use, some as serious art, and some (as yet) remain mysterious. The documentary team carefully measured and photographed antique pieces of needlework that are too old and fragile to remain on public view, but will be studied for clues to their origins. One quilt incorporates sections of printed cloth that provide clues to their original use as quirky advertising signage. One of the documented pieces had seemingly been used as a rug, and when it was unfurled it released dirt it had held for a century!

Laura Westbrook and fancy Mardi Gras ball collar

The nineteenth century pattern seen here is "The Whig's Defeat," sometimes also called "Grandmother's Engagement Ring." It is one of several Civil War-era textiles in the museum's collection.

In September 2007, the team presented a workshop at the annual conference of the Louisiana Association of Museums about documenting historic textiles in museum collections. The workshop addressed the importance of documenting historic textiles in museum collections, and provided training in the documentation of quilts in museum and private collections.

Textile documentation provides a written and photographic record of individual pieces and the artists who made them. Textiles with a known history have more value to scholars, families, and museums than those of unknown provenance. Collecting all possible information adds to the value and meaning of any individual textile, whether in a museum or family collection. The records of individual quilts and their makers can be archived and included in the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project, a statewide effort to document a sampling of Louisiana quilts for inclusion in a state quilt database. The database will be linked to the National Quilt Index, which features documented quilts from across the U. S. Other textiles can be documented and records archived at the Earl K. Long Library on the UNO campus along with other documentation projects of the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program hosted by the university.

The Folklife Program hopes to have the quilts in all Louisiana museums documented for inclusion in the state and national research databases and for possible inclusion in a future state quilt exhibition. The Louisiana Association of Museums would like this to be an annual event, and Dr. Westbrook is working on strategies to most effectively tailor the presentation to meet the needs of Louisiana's museums, particularly smaller museums that need assistance documenting the items in their collections and developing exhibitions of historic and newly-made textiles.


Learn more about the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program's Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project

Get more information on the Louisiana State Museum's annual conference