Directed by
Unidentified Woman or Women
Owned by
Moton, Jennie B., American, 1879 - 1942
Subject of
Tuskegee Institute, American, founded 1881
Date
1915-1935
Medium
cotton
Dimensions
H x W (a): 111 × 93 in. (281.9 × 236.2 cm)
H x W (b): 7 × 7 1/8 in. (17.8 × 18.1 cm)
Caption
Jennie Dee Booth Moton was the wife of Robert R. Moton, who served as the principal of Tuskegee Institute from 1915 to 1935. As the principal's wife, Moton served several roles at the school. From 1924 to 1935 she was the director of the Department of Women's Industries and the president of the Tuskegee Woman's Club. Moton was involved in the African American women's club movement, serving two terms as president of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) and, from 1929 to 1936, as president of the Alabama Association of Women's Clubs (AAWC). She was a member of Franklin D. Roosevelt's so-called Black Cabinet, which persuaded him to issue Executive Order 8802 prohibiting discrimination in the defense industry in1941. This yo-yo coverlet was made for Moton by unidentified female students at Tuskegee Institute.
Description
Yo-yo coverlet made from plain muslin by female students of Tuskegee Institute for Jennie Dee Booth Moton. The yo-yos are made by gathering the edges into the middle of one side and pulling tight into pleats. Each yoyo has an empty circle in the middle of the pleated side and is plain on the back side. They are hand sewn together to form the coverlet, with open spaces between their round edges. At the vertical center the yo-yos are sewn overlapping, with two (2) columns stacked on top of each other. Ten (10) triangles made from six (6) yo-yos each are sewn along the bottom edge of the coverlet. There were likely originally twelve (12) triangles, with the bottom right corner now empty and the bottom left corner only having two (2) extra yo-yos sewn. There are thirteen (13) extra yo-yos sewn along the upper portion of the left side of the coverlet, forming a partial column.
The fragment (b) consists of ten (10) of the muslin yo-yos sewn in the shape of a triangle.
Place made
Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Textiles and Quilts
Furnishings, Housewares, and Décor
Type
bed coverings
Topic
Associations and institutions
Communities
Craftsmanship
Domestic life
Education
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
Ornamentation
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charlotte Moton Hubbard
Object number
2009.15ab
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd58230f0b4-ca88-48cc-a489-904779857023

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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