Artwork Information

  • Title:

    Quilt in the Pineapple pattern

  • Artist:

    Lyman, Mary Ann

  • Artist Bio:

    American, 1813-1907

  • Date:

    about 1865–80

  • Medium:

    Pieced, quilted cotton with calico backing

  • Dimensions:

    80 x 79 inches

  • Credit Line:

    Wichita Art Museum, Museum purchase, Wichita Art Museum Members Foundation

  • Object Number:

    1975.3

  • Display:

    Not Currently on Display


About the Artwork

Mary Ann Lyman was a native of Goshen, Connecticut, and moved with her family to Goddard, Kansas, in 1872. The pineapple pattern on this quilt was a motif of special significance given her New England roots. In Colonial America, the expensive fruit was a symbol of a family’s wealth and status, and pineapples were served to guests as a gesture of hospitality. The depiction of the fruit in decorative arts soon followed as a means of evoking feelings of warmth and friendliness in the home.