Place

Delta, British Columbia

Date

Early 1900s

DIMENSIONS in centimetres

193 x 169

Materials & techniques

Silk, cotton, linen; Quilting, embroidery

Credit

Beverley Holbrook

ID

Delta Museum and Archives Society DE2012.17.1

Traditional crafts often played a role as historical records, complementing written and oral histories of a family and community. Anna Henrietta Marple Mason, a resident of Ladner, British Columbia, was the sole creator of this unique quilt that makes use of an impressive variety of stitches, fabrics, and embroideries to capture and convey her distinct family history. Included in the quilt are dates that likely refer to family events and landmarks, but today the specific significance of each has been sadly lost to time.
 
The Masons were a farming family that obtained land next to Robert’s Bank on the Gulf of Georgia. Although the family left this property in the 1940s, the road to their farm bears the family name to this day. The family became separated across the Pacific Northwest as a result of a family tragedy, as related in the associated video by Beverly Holbrook, great-granddaughter of Anna Mason. This quilt, like many of its era, possessed value beyond that of a simple display of skill or protection from the cold. The names, dates, and quiet depictions of rural life allowed family members to connect with their ancestry.