Joseph's Coat, about 1920
Cottons
Southeastern Pennsylvania, probably Lancaster County
80 x 80 in.
Collection of Eleanor Bingham Miller L2010.42.9

In the King James Version of the Bible, Genesis 37:3 reads, "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors." The colorful, strip pattern known as Joseph's Coat references this passage, one of many Biblical allusions associated with American quilts. The version of Joseph's Coat seen here was often used in southeastern Pennsylvania where it was made by both Mennonite and non-Mennonite quilter makers.