Yes--scholars have examined these narratives thoroughly, and there is 
no evidence of a quilt code in them or in any source earlier than 1929 
(supposedly in an inconsistently reliable work by a white author, Ruth 
Finley's Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them, though I 
haven't looked at the book in years and can't say for sure whether 
Finley clearly makes the claim).   (The ex-slave narratives are later 
than 1929, of course, but they deal with memories of the late 
antebellum era.)

There is zero evidence, as Paul says, contemporary with the 
phenomenon's supposed existence.   That's enough for serious 
historians--but not for those whose interest in history has motivations 
other than the soberest fidelity to the surviving data of the past.

I really do hope someone does a study of the quilt-code phenomenon as a 
contemporary cultural issue.  I'd read it in a heartbeat.

--Jurretta Heckscher


On Jan 23, 2007, at 2:45 PM, Paul Finkelman wrote:

> the whole thing is a fraud; there is zero evidence for a quilt code
>
> Paul Finkelman
> President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
>      and Public Policy
> Albany Law School
> 80 New Scotland Avenue
> Albany, New York   12208-3494
>
> 518-445-3386
> [log in to unmask]
>>>> [log in to unmask] 01/23/07 2:30 PM >>>
> The 2300 American Slave Narratives in the American Memory collection
> (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html) gathered by the
> Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1938 would be a likely
> source to find a mention of something in regard to codes and quilts.
> They are fascinating documents and can be searched by keyword,  but I
> obtained no results for the word quilt.
> They are out of my specialty area but someone on the list may be
> familiar with the content.
>
> Also, at least some are on-line in summary form at:  http://
> xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/wpa/index.html
>
>
> Mary Moyars-Johnson  (MMJ)

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html