Elaine Ryan Hedges Quilting Collection

Elaine Ryan Hedges (1927-1997) was a pioneer in the field of Women's Studies, and founder of the Women's Studies curriculum at Towson State University. A noted expert on women in literature, in the mid-1970s she turned her focus to women's domestic arts as a medium of intellectual expression. Comprising books (many with detailed annotations), papers, manuscripts, graphic images and correspondence, the collection documents her avid attention to the intimate details of women's lives.

The critical focus of the collection was Hedges' long term research interest in women's quilts and quilt-making. The book collection represents a scholar's working library on this topic. Though it covers quilting world-wide, material on American quilts represents the bulk of the collection. It includes a range of historical surveys, state by state overviews, pattern books, exhibition catalogs and documentation on ethnic and political themes in quilting, particularly by African Americans and Native Americans.


Format(s): Books, Serials, Pamphlets, Manuscripts, Graphics, Letters, Documents
Library: John Hay, Collections Annex
NOTE: This collection is housed off-site. Prior notice is needed for retrieval

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Access to the collection:

Online Catalog (BruKnow):
Individual records for most printed materials available on BruKnow

Other Online Access:
Non-brown Web Page: Elaine Ryan Hedges (Maryland Women's Hall of Fame)
RIAMCO: Guide to the Elaine Hedges papers