Style Imitating Art: Solar System Quilt by Ellen Harding Baker
About Style Imitating Art
Style Imitating Art is hosted by Daenel of Living Outside the Stacks, Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, and Terri of MeadowTree Style. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as curator, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the curator by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the curator will share all of the submissions on her blog.
You don’t have to be a blogger to join! You are invited to share your images on Instagram or other social media platforms! Just be sure to tag Salazar, Terri, and Daenel or use #TeamLOTSStyle and #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!
The Inspiration Artwork
The inspiration artwork was curated by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey. You can read why she has chosen this specific piece as her inspiration artwork here.
Solar System Quilt by Ellen Harding Baker (Cotton, Wool, and Silk Quilt, 1876)
About the Artist: Ellen Harding Baker
Ellen Harding Baker (born Sarah Ellen Harding) was an American astronomer and teacher who is known for her famous Solar System Quilt which she used as a teaching aid in her astronomy lectures. She was born on June 8, 1847, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Stephen and Ann Harding.
In 1867, she married Marion Baker and they settled in Cedar County, Iowa, where Ellen was an astronomy lecturer in rural schools. In 1878, the Bakers moved to Johnson County where Marion ran a general merchandise business and Ellen continued to lecture on astronomy in the rural towns of West Branch, Moscow, and Lone Tree, Iowa. They had seven children together before Ellen passed away from tuberculosis on March 30, 1886, at the age of 38.
There isn’t much more information to be found about the woman herself as all of the articles are hyper focused on her Solar System Quilt and not at all on her life and education.
About the Art: Solar System Quilt
As a lecturer of astronomy in the rural Midwest of America at the end of the 19th century, Ellen Harding Baker needed to find creative teaching tools to better illustrate her lectures. She spent seven years embroidering a quilt that accurately portrayed our solar system as it was known to be at the time. This artistic interpretation of a scientific field was such a groundbreaking concept that it made national news in 1883 after an article was published in a local Iowa newspaper.
In October of 1883, a newspaper in our nation’s capital reported that “an Iowa woman has spent seven years embroidering the solar system on a quilt” under the heading of “Current Gossip”. Eventually the story was also picked up and reprinted by The New York Times and other widely syndicated newspapers throughout the country.
Wanting to ensure the accuracy of her depiction of our solar system, Ellen traveled to the Chicago Conservatory to use the professional telescope there for viewing sunspots and comets. She was 29 years old when she would begin this 7 year project.
The quilt was created before we knew that other galaxies existed outside of our own. It features the sun prominently at the center with the 8 planets orbiting around it, the asteroid belt, and lots of random stars. Also included in the embroidered image is Earth’s moon, Jupiter’s Galilean moons, and several moons of Saturn. Saturn’s iconic rings are displayed with yellow fabric appliqué. She also included a comet in the image which has been speculated to be Halley’s Comet.
The top of the quilt is constructed of wool embellished with wool-fabric applique, wool braid, and wool and silk embroidery. The lining is a red cotton-and-wool fabric with a cotton fiber filling. It measures 89 inches x 106 inches (225 cm x 269 cm), large enough for Mrs. Baker’s lecture students to see the details from their seats.
The quilt is currently housed in the National Museum of American History in New York City, but it is not currently on display. It was donated to the museum in 1983 by Patricia Hill McCloy and Kathryn Hill Meardon.
References/Resources:
- Ellen Harding Baker: Wikipedia
- A Teacher in 1876 Handcrafted This Quilt to Help Teach Astronomy to Her Class
- Cosmic Threads: A Solar System Quilt from 1876
- The Famous Solar System Quilt that was Used to Teach Astronomy
- 1876 Ellen Harding Baker’s “Solar System” Quilt
About My Outfit Inspired by Solar System Quilt
Well, you all know that I am a huge space geek so any space theme makes me giddy with delight. I found the black background of the quilt with the tiny embroidered lines in pale shades of color to be very striking. Darker backgrounds always appeal to me and I knew immediately that I would have to style one of my black star printed dresses for this style challenge. I went for this black tulle dress all covered in gold stars but it is little big on me (as most of my wardrobe is these days), so I layered and belted the best I could to make a cohesive wearable outfit.
The dress is also sleeveless and it is not the season for bare arms so I added a black turtleneck underneath. It is super poofy, too, and definitely needed a belt. I am wearing a lace corset style belt but I flipped it backwards because I preferred the gold snaps to the lace for this look.
My sparkly tights seemed appropriate to reflect the night skies all twinkled up with the glowing stars and, of course, my black and gold velvet star boots were an obvious choice for footwear.
This pale yellow vintage jacket was a given to me by an ex-boyfriend’s mom about a million years ago. The texture of the fabric and the shade of yellow closely resembles the sun appliqué in the center of the quilt so I wanted it to be the focal point of my outfit as well. I kind of pictured the quilt if you picked it up by the sun at the center and let it fall into a conical shape with the sun at the top…that is how I wanted my outfit to look. Does that make sense?
When I added the jacket over the dress the proportions had serious frump factor. To minimize the frump, the dress needed more length so I added a longer black tulle skirt underneath it. I added gold tassel earrings that remind me of comets and then I serendipitously spotted this old necklace hanging in a tangled mess of other necklaces that I haven’t worn in ages. The colors are the exact same shades of pale blue and pink that appear in the asteroid belt on the quilt. And the design of the necklace has a sort of galactic vibe as well. Plus it added a little bit of extra color for some added interest.
After I photographed this outfit, I changed into my favorite comfy tie dye pants. I had the Solar System Quilt image on my phone and when I laid it upon my lap against the tie dye I wondered if I should create a whole different outfit for this Style Imitating Art prompt. Look how perfectly my pants reflect the art! Turns out I was too lazy to take new photos so this is what you get. But it goes to show that you can create endless outfits from one tiny bit of inspiration! Go on and get creative in your closets!
To see more outfits inspired by Ellen Harding Baker’s Solar System Quilt, please visit Salazar’s post for the complete roundup of submissions. You can also read the details of Salazar’s own inspired outfit here, Daenel’s here, and Terri’s here. Have you joined the Style Imitating Art challenges yet? Be sure to check for the next prompt on Monday, November 22, 2021.
Before I go I wanted to share with you all Archie’s Solar System project that he recently completed with one of his friends. They did such a great job on it and I am so proud of them! They planned the whole thing out on their own, gave me a shopping list for the craft store, and basically did everything themselves with some minor parental help with ensuring the base was secure and cutting out Saturn’s ring. Check it out!
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress-Kohl’s / Turtleneck and Tulle Skirt-Charlotte Russe / Jacket-Thrifted and Gifted / Belt-Torrid / Boots-DSW / Necklace, Earrings, and Tights-Old
36 Comments
Amy Christensen
Shelbee, I love your interpretation of this quilt. This was a fascinating piece of history that I had never heard of.It is amazing all that Ellen did before the young age of 38 and then to pass away! She was just getting started. You nailed it with your cute dress and I love the extension with the added tulle skirt. That vintage jacket was the perfect topper and I definitely get the conical shape you were going for. Great look! Thanks for sharing these fun tidbits of art history. – Amy
https://stylingrannymama.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Amy, thank you so much for such a lovely and thorough comment! I was super impressed by her accomplishments as well. I wanted to get more into some stuff about her being a female astronomer at that time, but I really couldn’t find much about her. There were quite a few articles out there, but they all offered the same limited information into her background. If I get inspired to research her further and find any new information, I will be sure to pass it on!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathy Elliott
You are looking amazing! I so look forward to your posts every day!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Kathy, thank you so much for that lovely compliment! Oh my goodness, you just made my day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
This is so pretty!!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Oh, my gosh! Your look is perfect right down to the booties! And, then to find your at home look mimicked the inspiration! This was your challenge from the start! I passed on this one not because I wanted to, but because I just ran out of time! I really like the way these make me think and move past my comfort zone.
http://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thanks so much! I love all of these challenges. I swear they come to me like magic! Haha. It is so much fun, I get giddy like a child with every single one! Bummer you ran out of time but I will look forward to seeing you on the next round!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mike
I’m a huge space geek too, Shelbee! I’ve been watching so many YouTube videos on Astronomy and an just blown away by how vast our universe truly is. I mean, the closest star to us besides the Sun, is nearly 25 trillion miles away (about 4 light years)! And most of the stars we see in the sky aren’t anywhere near that close!
Moving on to Ellen, she sounds so incredible! Her depiction of our Solar System at that time in the form of a quilt is absolutely incredible! Of course Pluto is not present, as it wouldn’t be discovered for another 47 years at the time when she made the quilt. And she was born in my home state!
Finally, your outfit! Absolutely stunning! Everything, from your star printed dress and boots, to your yellow blazer is so perfect for this challenge! It’s all put together so well! Wonderful job!
And I absolutely LOVE Archie’s project! He and his friend did wonderful; better than me when I was their age! They even included the dwarf planets!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mike! I was so proud of the kids and their solar system. Archie is really into space stuff and I love it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Terri Gardner
Hi, Shelbee-What a glorious interpretation! Your solar look soars! I really love that yellow vintage vibe jacket of yours. She passed away at 38? Wow, so early, I didn’t know that. See you next week.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Terri! This was one another really fun one! I am hoping to share a review of the book I just finished about Mary Delaney and her paper mosaiks this week…I hope you’ll stop by and check it out! I wish I could find more information about Ellen Harding Baker, too. She seems like a fascinating woman but there just wasn’t much out there about her. Have a great week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
You nailed it. Love the boots and how it caps off a great look.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, my friend! I really appreciate that!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mica
It is a really creative quilt and I love your resulting outfit – I really like black and gold together and the dress and boots are so perfect for the theme! 🙂
Hope that your week is going well 🙂 It was another rainy spring day here!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Mica! I do like the drama of black and gold as well and all my starry things were perfectly suited for this one!
xoxo
Shelbee
Barbara
You are right…the lazy pants also fitted the theme! I guess you could make a mix of both outfits next time you go gazing!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Barbara! That would be a very interesting star gazing outfit, for sure!
xoxo
Shelbee
Daenel T.
Love Love Love!!!
That dress is perfect and I love that you layered tulle under it {one of my favorite tricks for lengthening things}.
Archie and company did a great job with their solar system. I
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Awww, thanks so much, Daenel! I need to get another black tulle skirt I think. This one is way too big and I had to rig it up under there to keep it from falling down! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michele Morin
Your attention to detail! Amazing!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michele! I am really intentional about every detail of my outfits for these posts! I have so much fun with it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Those shoes and that dress are the perfect recreation of a solar system!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! This was another fun to style!
xoxo
Shelbee
Alexandra
Archie’s solar system is great! I remember doing projects like that when I was younger. They are so fun, and rewarding. Love your outfit! I love anything that sparkles.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Alexandra! Oddly, I do not remember ever doing a solar system project like this when I was in grade school. So it was extra fun for me to watch their vision come to life!
xoxo
Shelbee
Angie
Wow, Shelbee, what synchronicity that Archie’s Solar System project and your Solar System Quilt both happened about the same time!! I guess you and yours are tuned in. Love your ideas – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Angie! Oh, Archie and I are definitely tuned into one another! That kid feels my emotions much too readily! I am not sure about the rest of them though. Ha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Mike
He did great!! I love the creativity that he put into his project!
Hey, Happy Thanksgiving, Shelbee! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful day!
I apologize for my late reply. Today is my first day off in a long time so I haven’t had much down time lately.
Best wishes to you and your family, my friend. It is an honor for me to know you!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mike! I really appreciate that. I am grateful for our blogger friendship! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving as well, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
The quilt is simply amazing! It’s so hard to emotionally grasp how often disease took so many people at such a young age as was frequent during her lifetime. Perfect outfit for the challenge. I love your starred booties. So cool! The tulle skirt was a fantastic addition. I had to smile when your tie-dye sweats even fit the theme.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! Human life expectancy has nearly doubled since 1900 so I actually am fascinated by people from those generations who lived into their 70’s and 80’s. The younger deaths due to illness and disease seem much more common back then and less shocking. This was a fun theme and the quilt is really beautiful!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jessica A Jannenga
Such a perfect combination! I love how the boots and dress represents the artwork. Love the stars in the dress and the black with stars. Really the perfect look!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Jess! This was super fun to style! We kept a low profile on Thanksgiving this year but it was still lovely as ever. I hope you had a wonderful holiday as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Leslie Susan Clingan
JUST WOW. Absolutely spot on interpretation of that lovely art. I love the fanciful quality of the dress. The yellow blazer with it. And those boots. Plus your backdrop is pretty spectacular, too. Gorgeous fall colors. Archie’s project gets an A+ in my book and so does your outfit.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Leslie, thank you so much, my sweet friend! I really appreciate that. Archie was as proud of his project as I am of my SIA interpretations! Haha. I hope all is well with you! Wishing you a happy holiday season.
xoxo
Shelbee