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Historical records matching Ellen Harding Baker
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About Ellen Harding Baker
Sarah Ellen Harding (1847 - 1886) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1847. She married Marion Baker of Cedar County, Iowa on 10 October 1867. They lived in Cedar County until 1878, and then moved to Johnson County, where Marion had a general merchandise business in Lone Tree. Ellen had seven children before she died of tuberculosis in the spring of 1886.
She made her "Solar System" quilt in 1876. The wool top of this applique quilt is embellished with wool-fabric applique, wool braid, and wool and silk embroidery. Included in the design is the appliqued inscription, "Solar System," and the embroidered inscriptions, "E. H. Baker" and "A.D. 1876." The lining is a red cotton-and-wool fabric and the filling is of cotton fiber.
Ellen's striking and unusual quilt resembles illustrations in astronomy books of the period. She used the quilt as a visual aid for lectures she gave on astronomy in the towns of West Branch, Moscow, and Lone Tree, Iowa. Astronomy was an acceptable interest for women in the nineteenth century and was sometimes even fostered in their education.
Quilt Information
- Measurements: overall: 89 in x 106 in; 225 cm x 269 cm
- Maker(s): quilter: Baker, Ellen Harding
- Date Made: 1876
- Place Made: United States: Iowa
- Donated by Patricia Hill McCloy and Kathryn Hill Meardon, two of Ellen's granddaughters, to the Smithsonian
Sources
- Smithsonian's History Explorer; 1876 Ellen Harding Baker's "Solar System" Quilt.
- BeforeSchoolStarts.com; Sarah Ellen Harding Baker’s Solar System Quilt.
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Ellen Harding Baker's Timeline
| 1847 |
June 8, 1847
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Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
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| 1868 |
1868
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| 1886 |
March 30, 1886
Age 38
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Lone Tree, Johnson County, Iowa, United States
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