Quilts & textiles
The quilt collection
Ranging from the eighteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, the American Museum’s collection of over 250 quilts is acclaimed as the finest of its type in Europe and the equal of many premier collections in the United States. Over 50 quilts are always on view in the textile room and throughout the museum. Examples include early whole-cloth quilts, pieced and appliquéd work, Hawaiian and Amish quilts, and the African-American quilts of Gee’s Bend.
More textiles
Also on display in the textile room are a selection of Diné (Navajo) and New Mexican weavings, hooked and braided rugs, woven coverlets, and samplers. Other examples of historic textiles can be found throughout the period rooms.
Textile tours
If you have a fascination for fabrics, then this specialised tour will be just the thing to enhance your visit, when you can find out about a wide variety of pieces in our period rooms, including their construction and social history
Curious about quilts session
This hour session is an incredible opportunity to view up close some of our quilts not on display in the museum, and learn more about the history of quilt making in America
Groups & retreats
Are you in a textile group or run a crafting or textile business? Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on admission or you can hire our spaces for your own day workshop of retreat
UK Aids Memorial Quilt
We hosted part of the largest community arts project in history, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, in a special pop-up exhibition in 2024
Permanent collections
A treasure trove of over 12,000 objects, all with a unique story to tell, featuring historical period rooms, decorative art, furniture design, Renaissance maps and much more