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North American Quaker Tapestry Records
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Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The original Quaker tapestry project began in England in 1981. Anne Wynn-Wilson, its founder, envisioned a series of embroidered panels to celebrate and commemorate significant events in Quaker history. The idea for a North American Quaker Tapestry grew out of a study retreat led by Wynn-Wilson held at Pendle Hill in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, in May 1988. The Project planned six panels, to be designed and embroidered by American Friends. An exhibit of the designed works, together with selected English examples, toured the United States in 1993 and 1994. Four additional panels were planned, but only about half of the panels were executed. Ruth Hall Brooks of Salem Quarterly Meeting, NJ, (1925-2014) was the organizer and clerk for the North American TapestryProject.
Records of the North American Quaker Tapestry project, 1988-2013. Includes exhibit panels, blueprints and sketches of the panels, posters, calendars, and commemorative materials, correspondence, photographs, general publicity, the completed Quaker Women Pioneers panel and unfinished FGC and Peaceable Kingdom tapestries.
The collection is divided into four series:
- North American Tapestry project
- Tapestry panels
- Quaker Tapestry Tour
- Miscellaneous
- Exhibition guide to the Quaker tapestry; editor, Margaret H. Simpson; text compiled by Betty Harris, Harold Nichols and Margaret H. Simpson; cartoons drawn by Anne Wynn-Wilson the design team. BX7631.2.Q25 S5 1991
- Pictorial guide to the Quaker tapestry. Kendal [England]: Quaker Tapestry at Kendal, c1998. + BX7631.2.Q25 P42 1998
- Quaker Tapestry [videorecording]: Anne Wynn-Wilson at Pendle / Ruth Hall Brooks. Videorecording 184
- The Quaker tapestry: a celebration of insights / John Greenwood; prologue by Anne Wynn-Wilson. London: Impact Books, 1990. BX7631.2.Q25 G73 1990
- The Quaker tapestry: and the North American Quaker tapestry; the first North American tour. Swarthmore, Pa.: Friends Historical Library of College, 1993. BX7631.2.Q25 N6 1993
- Quaker Tapestry at Guilford [1 videocassette (VHS): col.; 0.5 in. Videorecording 188
Donor: Ruth Hall Brooks, Accession numbers: 1998.007, 2006.003, 2007.012, 2010.022, 2011.003
Donor: Roni Sionakides, Accession number: 2016.005
The first donations were processed in 2002. The collection was re-processed in 2016 together with additions from Ruth Hall Brooks, Clerk of the North American Tapestry Project, and Roni Sionakides, the Midwestern Clerk.
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- SKM
- Finding Aid Date
- 2016
- Sponsor
- Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce items in this collection beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0/.
Collection Inventory
Also includes Brooks's registration for Quaker Tapestry Project workshop held at Pendle Hill, May 1988, and slides of Pendle Hill workshop, 1988
Physical Descriptionoriginal panel
Brooks recorded significant events beginning with the start of the project at Salem Monthly Meeting in Oct. 1988 through 2006 when she made the first deposit of records to Friends Historical Library. Spiral notebook. Also, a small address book of persons who worked on tapestries and slides, 1988-1992
History, exhibitions, correspondence, newsletters of the Quaker Tapestry, begun in 1981, which was the inspiration for the American project.
Compiled by Brooks to explain the project; contents removed from binder
Correspondence between Brooks and Ed Bronner concerning the accuracy of information in the tapestries.
Spiral bound notebook
Expressions of interest, membership lists, etc.
History, exhibitions, correspondence, newsletters of the Quaker Tapestry, begun in 1981, which was the inspiration for the American project.
Compiled by Brooks to explain the project; contents removed from binder
Small account book
The designs for five panels were included in the booklet created for the North American Tour, 1993-1994. Only two were completed at that time: "Salem, West Jersey" and "Quakers and the Okehockings." Eight additional panels eventually were designed, only a few completed.
Original sketch by Anne Wynne-Wilson and Ruth Hall Brooks. Stitched by Salem Monthly Meeting, NJ. As of 2011, the framed panel is displayed at Friends Village, Woodstown, NJ.
Clippings, photographs, etc. Folder includes children's' sketches of panel topics. Paperwork for loan to NJ State Museum, 2002-2003
Reproductions consist of 2 dittoes, a transparency, and a photocopy
posterboard
posterboard
Inspired by Jane Levis Carter; cartoon designed by Signe Wilkinson. Stitched by Willistown Monthly Meeting, Pa.
News release, clippings, correspondence
Reproductions consist of original transparency, dittoes and photocopies
postboard
Designed by Mary Lou Goertzen. Stitched by Willamette Valley Group, Eugene, OR. Not completed?
Includes sketches, workshop photographs.
Reproductions consist of color sketch, original ditto, photocopy
postboard
Designed by Veronica Sionakides, Red Cedar Meeting, East Lansing, MI. Based on the painting by Edward Hicks. The panel was not completed. Sionakides was the Midwestern Clerk for the project. Her group was laid down in 2005. The partly stitched panel deposited FHL 2016.005.
Primarily correspondence with Ruth Hall Brooks
Sketches, children's drawings
Removed to FHL Relics
Reproductions consist of original sketch, photocopy and a ditto
posterboard
Inspired by a workshop at Carlton College, with children's drawings at 1991 FGC Gathering. The plan was for this panel to be a travelling project with attenders at the FGC Gatherings to stitch French Knots indicating the location of their meetings. Unfinished tapestry deposited FHL 2011.003.
Planning, sketches, exhibition at FGC. Photographs of workshop on FGC and QUIP panels at FGC in 2004.
Spiral notebook
Reproductions consist of original ditto, original transparency, dittos and photocopy
postboard
Central Pennsylvania Friends, designed by Joan Blaskow. In 2006, Ruth Hall Brooks noted that the panel had been badly damaged, location unknown.
Correspondence about the project
Western Quarter of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, designed by Mary Jo Ciganek. The panel was deposited by Ruth Hall Brooks. The framed tapestry was loaned to the Quaker Information Center, Philadelphia, Pa., and returned to FHL in 2016.
Workshops, research for panel, photographs, etc.
original panel
Reproductions consist of 6 photocopies
Not completed.
Also partial tracings
Triad Tapestry Committee of North Carolina, designed by Jean Gordh.
Correspondence, workshop photographs
Ruth Hall Brooks sketched tentative ideas but not executed.
Includes report and evaluation after completed
With earlier publicity materials
Edited, corrected, and annotated
Removed from binder
cardboard
Calendars, catalogues, reproductions