LANCASTER, PA — On Saturday, November 9, join LancasterHistory for a special Esprit Quilt showing to view a selection of these iconic quilts and learn more about their history, cultural significance, and the women who made them.

Doug Tompkins, American businessman and co-founder of Esprit Clothing, assembled a large collection of Amish quilts including 82 made in Lancaster County between 1880 and 1950. Tompkins and his wife, Susie, starting buying the quilts in 1971 after they saw the "Abstract Design in American Quilts" exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The exhibit broke ground by featuring quilts as examples of art. This prompted the Tompkins to collect quilts as pieces of art to decorate the Esprit corporate offices and serve as inspiration for their clothing designers.

"Whereas the Tompkins saw these quilts primarily as pieces of art, we see them additionally as windows into the culture that produced them. We like to call them 'fabric documents,'" said Dr. James McMahon, Curator & Director of Collections at LancasterHistory. "LancasterHistory is proud to serve as caretakers of the Esprit Quilt Collection and share some of our favorites with the quilt-loving public."

In Collections Up Close programs, LancasterHistory staff and visiting experts highlight documents, photos, and artifacts from LancasterHistory’s vast collections. In a conversational setting, participants will hear the stories of these objects and what they reveal to us about the history of Lancaster County and its place in American history.

“Lancaster County Amish Quilts from the Esprit Quilt Collection,” a Collections Up Close program, takes place on Saturday, November 9 with two presentations, one at 11am and one at 2pm, at LancasterHistory. Tickets are $10/LancasterHistory Members and $15/Non-Members. To register, please click the applicable program hour below or call (717) 392-4633.

REGISTER FOR THE 11AM PROGRAM

REGISTER FOR THE 2PM PROGRAM

About LancasterHistory

LancasterHistory is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established to educate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historical organizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation of resources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within the broader context of state and national history, including the homes of 15th US President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith.