Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Eleanor Roosevelt Portrait Quilt
Artifact IDMO 1953.1090
Object Type
Quilt, Bed
Artist
Callie Jeffress Fanning Smith
(American, 1881 - 1946)
Date1940
Mediumoil paint on fabric (satin)
Dimensionsobject (bedspread) H 77 1/2 in x W 61 in (196.9 cm x 154.9 cm )
Physical DescriptionA quilted bedspread with a cream-colored front divided into twelve blocks, each decorated with painted, embroidered, and appliqued portraits of Eleanor Roosevelt throughout her life. The blocks are outlined in pink satin with a yellow rose design at the corners. Embroidered at the top center is the inscription: To Our First Lady / Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. The artist's embroidered signature is at the bottom center: Callie Fanning Smith, Feb. 1940. The quilt is backed with pink satin.Historical NoteCallie Jeffress Fanning Smith of Sulphur Springs, Texas produced this remarkable quilt and sent it to Eleanor Roosevelt in March 1940. In a letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, Smith wrote: “To say that I admire you tremendously is only saying it mildly. . . . It is a feeling of great pride to me that I am living today during your time. . . . I know that my brush does not have the perfect touch that was in my mind and heart, but you will, somehow, know that I wished that I could make something very beautiful for you.”
Additional Details
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view
Related Links