WHETHER it is known as k’o-ssu in the Far East, kilim in Central Asia, or weft-faced plain weave in the West, the essential technique of tapestry weaving has existed for centuries, having developed independently in many cultures. Though...

THE great accumulation of personal wealth in the United States between the Civil War and the Great Depression aroused a desire for the fruits of European cultures old and new and provided the means necessary to acquire them. The merchants and industrialists of the Gilded Age—including those of Chicago following the disastrous fire of 1871—purchased European art and artifacts in...

While covers like the Art Institute’s Florence Elizabeth Marvin quilt are often described as “crazy quilts,” both components of this term are very misleading. The word “crazy” is inappropriate unless it is understood to refer to a rather disjointed combination of various sections; it is generally...