Emma Merkesell’s Large Hand Appliquéd Tulips Linen Quilt Square, Signed, 19th c. handmade wooden cross Every inch of the finished

Every inch of the finished side is decorated

with black tempera paint for his hat and face

Plus a hollowed out half walnut shell to pile them into

I believe it is Zanesville

with just a bit of darkening and bumping around the edges

Emma Merkesell’s Large Hand Appliquéd Tulips Linen Quilt Square, Signed, 19th c. handmade wooden cross Every inch of the finishedI find this an exceptionally beautiful thing, wonderfully bold and at the same time every bit as tender and expressive as the 19th c school girl drawings I love so much. Sewn onto the linen at lower left is a piece of ruled paper signed by an Emma Merkesell; I have done some searching and the only Merkesell I have found is an Emily Merkesell of Cass; County, Iowa, who married in 1877 it seems possible to me that that Emily could be our Emma, though I