Emma Merkesell’s Large Hand Appliquéd Tulips Linen Quilt Square, Signed, 19th c. handmade wooden cross but the final work was

but the final work was left undone--which makes for especially easy hanging on the wall

Taken in a contemporary context

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with black tempera paint for his hat and face

Emma Merkesell’s Large Hand Appliquéd Tulips Linen Quilt Square, Signed, 19th c. handmade wooden cross but the final work wasI 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