On this day in 1919 Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, the First Lady of Argentina (1946-1952), was born in the village of Los Toldos in rural Argentina. At age 15 Eva, nicknamed Evita, moved to Buenos Aires to pursue a career as an actress and there she met Colonel Juan Peron. Peron was elected President of Argentina in 1946, and Eva’s outspoken advocacy for labor rights and women’s suffrage won her the love and admiration of working class Argentinians. The musical “Evita” popularized her life, which ended sadly at age 33 when she died of cancer.

“Mamaw” Eva Colvin of Louisiana made this cheerful red cotton Square Dance quilt in 1900.  It was documented in 1997 by Eva’s granddaughter, who now owns it, during the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project. She wrote, “The quilt was my grandmother’s and was given to my mother, who gave it to me.”

View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Per%C3%B3n
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Cry_for_Me_Argentina

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org