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  4. History of Conversation Prints

History of Conversation Prints

American Patchwork & Quilting Editors June 14, 2013
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History of Conversation Prints
In the 1800s, manufacturers began printing fabrics with recognizable images, including plants and animals. This practice continued into the 1900s, when a whole new approach to these conversation prints began!
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Conversation Prints Really Speak to us!

History of Conversation Prints

Conversation prints encompass a wide range of themes, products, and events, including sewing tools, holiday symbols, and logos for games, candy, and even farm equipment. Popular around the turn of the 20th century, they continue to be popular and are actively sought after today.

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In the Beginning

In the Beginning

Early conversation prints, from 1900 through1940, were designed to appeal to children and, consequently, those who sewed for them. Nursery rhymes, alphabets, baby animals, children at play, and cartoon characters were recognizable to the juvenile audience.

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Sunbonnet Babies Inspiration

Sunbonnet Babies Inspiration

In 1902, Bertha Corbett's hugely popular illustrations for Eulalie Osgood Grover's Sunbonnet Babies' Primer appeared and were quickly translated into quilt blocks for embroidery. Following her lead, Grace Gebbie Drayton created Dolly Dingle, a charming moppet who bore a strong resemblance to the Campbell's soup kids.

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Intriguing Images

Intriguing Images

While amusing to look at today, many of the fabrics have lost their context and are difficult to identify. The images are intriguing but obscure. Who, for instance, is the hitchhiking youngster on this piece of feed sack?

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Hollywood Comes Onboard!

Hollywood Comes Onboard!

By 1930, Mickey Mouse was appearing in comic strips as well as on film. Mickey and his friends Minnie, Clarabelle, Goofy, and Pluto soon appeared on fabric. Disney seems to have been the first, and most innovative, at marketing and licensing its successes in a variety of formats, including fabric.

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Snow White

Snow White

After Snow White was introduced, Disney Studios fully blended cartoons, children, and commercialism. They had fabric in at least seven different designs and a number of colorways, marketed as yard goods and in finished items.

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Pinocchio

Pinocchio
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Alice, Popeye, and the rest of the Gang!

Alice, Popeye, and the rest of the Gang!
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Blondie and Dagwood

Blondie and Dagwood
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Product-Logo Fabrics

Product-Logo Fabrics
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Singer Sewing Machines

Singer Sewing Machines
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Food Products Escape from the Kitchen

Food Products Escape from the Kitchen
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Patriotic Support

Patriotic Support
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The Wild, Wild West

The Wild, Wild West
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Teenage Buying Power

Teenage Buying Power
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World Events

World Events
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Out of this World

Out of this World
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Ooh La La!

Ooh La La!
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Souvenirs of Vacation

Souvenirs of Vacation
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Elvis has Left the Building

Elvis has Left the Building
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A New 21st Century

A New 21st Century
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By American Patchwork & Quilting Editors

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    1 of 21 Conversation Prints Really Speak to us!
    2 of 21 In the Beginning
    3 of 21 Sunbonnet Babies Inspiration
    4 of 21 Intriguing Images
    5 of 21 Hollywood Comes Onboard!
    6 of 21 Snow White
    7 of 21 Pinocchio
    8 of 21 Alice, Popeye, and the rest of the Gang!
    9 of 21 Blondie and Dagwood
    10 of 21 Product-Logo Fabrics
    11 of 21 Singer Sewing Machines
    12 of 21 Food Products Escape from the Kitchen
    13 of 21 Patriotic Support
    14 of 21 The Wild, Wild West
    15 of 21 Teenage Buying Power
    16 of 21 World Events
    17 of 21 Out of this World
    18 of 21 Ooh La La!
    19 of 21 Souvenirs of Vacation
    20 of 21 Elvis has Left the Building
    21 of 21 A New 21st Century

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