Amish Quilts

As a history of the Amish quilt as an art object and a study of the commercialism of products imbued with Amishness, this work is invaluable. Smucker's exploration of how non-Amish collectors have been able to define and impose value on Amish products and how dealers, Amish and non-Amish, have appropriated the appeal of ‘Amishness’ while trading on stereotypes sheds much light on how mainstream society constructs the identity of minority ethnic groups.

This compelling book looks closely at one form of material culture—Amish quilts—illuminating both their particular role in American history and the holistic methods by which to examine material culture... The book is well written and organized, thoroughly researched, and beautifully illustrated... It provides an important material culture case study, reminding us to look carefully at multiple cultural contexts as we build historical narratives.

A fascinating story of the influence that the art world and commercial demands can have on a craft. Smucker debunks the theory that all Amish quilts are dark and cautions the reader against falling into the trap of generalisation when discussing their design. It is a refreshing examination of the story of Amish quilts that highlights how the art world has defined their value.

Amish Quilts presents a story that lives up to its subtitle's promise, explaining how these fabric creations have become American icons. Without sentimentality, she unfolds the events that have been too long packed away, revealing the actions and motives of many of the people who played significant roles in the creation of the quilt market and of making new meanings for these objects.

Smucker's engaging writing style and keen sense of American history and consumerism makes this book suitable for academic libraries that service art and fashion programs, textile collections and museums, and public repositories in communities where craft is integral to daily life.

Smucker has combined meticulous scholarship, clear presentation, and thoughtful analysis to give general readers, museum curators, art historians, and material culture specialists the wherewithal to consider such claims of authenticity.

Janneken Smucker provides a fascinating account of Amish quilts by placing the quilts into the context of history, culture, art, economy, and community.

Smucker’s excellent book is beautifully written and will significantly advance the scholarship in quilt studies and, more broadly, material culture studies and art history. This is the book that will stand as the authoritative text on Amish quiltmaking.

Janneken Smucker offers a comprehensive study of Amish quilts in context, placing them beyond the Brethren communities into the wider world of commerce and culture. She insightfully explores the Amish quilt and its role among critics and galleries, dealers and pickers, hired seamstresses, folk art gurus, and American mythmakers.

This book is a landmark not only in the field of quilt history but also in American social history. The author traces the cultural biography of Amish quilts from the hands of their makers to the hands of their collectors, with many stops in between. The extraordinary color plates reveal the beauty of Amish quilts, while the impeccably researched text reveals the complexity of this craft tradition.

Janneken Smucker has woven together facts about a fascinating and complex people—their history and their quilts—and has completely pulled back the curtain (or should I say quilt?), like no one else before to reveal the inside history about collecting and commerce of these prized objects. This is a book many of us have been waiting for.