Domestic Furnishings

Washboards, armchairs, lamps, and pots and pans may not seem to be museum pieces. But they are invaluable evidence of how most people lived day to day, last week or three centuries ago. The Museum's collections of domestic furnishings comprise more than 40,000 artifacts from American households. Large and small, they include four houses, roughly 800 pieces of furniture, fireplace equipment, spinning wheels, ceramics and glass, family portraits, and much more.

The Arthur and Edna Greenwood Collection contains more than 2,000 objects from New England households from colonial times to mid-1800s. From kitchens of the past, the collections hold some 3,300 artifacts, ranging from refrigerators to spatulas. The lighting devices alone number roughly 3,000 lamps, candleholders, and lanterns.

This child’s quilt in the “Log Cabin” style was in the George Wike family, possibly belonging to “Great-Aunt Lettie,” but the donor was not certain.
Description
This child’s quilt in the “Log Cabin” style was in the George Wike family, possibly belonging to “Great-Aunt Lettie,” but the donor was not certain. The Wike family moved from the Cumberland County area of Pennsylvania, to Pike County, Illinois, in the mid-19th century where they established a woolen mill.
Cotton and wool 3/8-inch strips were sewn on cotton foundation blocks. The quilt was lined, but has no filling. It is tied with wool in the center of each block and bound with a 7/8-inch wool twill tape.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860-1870
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T15088
catalog number
T15088
accession number
288744
Elizabeth Coates Wileman made this pieced and appliquéd child's quilt in the mid-nineteenth century while living in Ohio. Sixteen blocks are pieced of red, green, yellow and white printed cottons in a Carpenter's Wheel pattern.
Description
Elizabeth Coates Wileman made this pieced and appliquéd child's quilt in the mid-nineteenth century while living in Ohio. Sixteen blocks are pieced of red, green, yellow and white printed cottons in a Carpenter's Wheel pattern. These blocks are set diagonally with blue and white printed cotton squares and triangles. Two appliquéd sawtooth edges, one red and one green, complete the 5½-inch border.
Esther Coates, a Quaker, was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania in 1817. She married Abram G. Wileman in 1844 in Massillon, Ohio, they divorced in 1858. They had two children Flora born in 1850, who died as a young child and Erasmus Darwin born in 1854. The quilt was probably made for Flora. Abram G. Wileman, a physician and war hero, served in the Civil War and was killed in 1863. Esther studied medicine at Penn Medical University in Philadelphia and received her degree in 1855. She practiced medicine in New Jersey. Esther died in 1873 and is buried in the Drumore Friends Cemetery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The quilt was donated to the Museum in 1964 by Dr. Lorin E. Kerr, Jr. the great grandson of Esther.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1850-1860
quilter
Wileman, Esther Coates
ID Number
TE.T13472
accession number
254704
catalog number
T13472
This white-work child's quilt belonged to Ann Bender Snyder in the 1840s, whether it was intended for her own child is not known. Forty years later Ann Bender Snyder gave the quilt to her god daughter, Nina Knode, as a baptismal gift when she was six months old.
Description
This white-work child's quilt belonged to Ann Bender Snyder in the 1840s, whether it was intended for her own child is not known. Forty years later Ann Bender Snyder gave the quilt to her god daughter, Nina Knode, as a baptismal gift when she was six months old. Nina Knode Heft always felt that it was a "museum piece" and that "after she was gone nobody would be interested in taking care of [it] in the same manner as she had." William Heft, Nina Knode's husband, followed his wife's wishes and donated it in her name to the Museum in 1940.
The all white cotton quilt has a center medallion consisting of a basket of fruit above the quilted initials "A B S" enclosed in a feathered vine. This in turn is surrounded by an undulating vine bearing grapes, flowers, and pineapples. Stems and straight lines are stuffed with cotton roving. The border has a zigzag row of pointed oval leaves. Three sides of the quilt are edged with a 3-inch netted fringe.
Ann Bender was born in about 1830, and married Oliver H. Snyder on 15 September 1847. In 1848 they had a daughter, Alice, who died at age five in 1853. Both Ann and Oliver Snyder lived in Funkstown, Maryland. Both died in 1887 and are buried in the Funkstown Public Cemetery.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1841
quilter
Snyder, Ann Bender
ID Number
TE.T08434
accession number
157749
catalog number
T08434
Joseph Granger’s granddaughter donated both her grandmother’s (Caroline Granger’s) prize-winning child’s quilt and the quilt that her grandfather made.
Description
Joseph Granger’s granddaughter donated both her grandmother’s (Caroline Granger’s) prize-winning child’s quilt and the quilt that her grandfather made. According to a family note with the quilt, “Pa quilted the other all himself by machine.”
Joseph Granger chose to machine-quilt in a triple diagonal grid pattern, similar to the background of his wife’s hand-quilted child’s quilt that won a medal at the New England Agricultural Fair in 1878. It is not known whether Joseph made the quilt as a personal challenge to equal his wife’s accomplishment, or if it was made to prove the point that what could be done by hand could also be done with a machine. After several decades of improvements, sewing machines, by the 1870s, had become popular consumer products to have in the home. Possibly the idea of mechanical sewing was intriguing to Joseph and he wished to try his proficiency with it.
Joseph H. Granger was born on October 21, 1842, in L’Acadie, Quebec, Canada. He married Marie Caroline Lamoureux (1850-1936) in N. Grosvenordale, Connecticut, on January 30, 1873. They had twelve children and lived in Worcester, Masssachusetts. Joseph died on June 16, 1934.
Claire L. Meyer, the Granger’s granddaughter wrote: “Many thanks for your letter of July 7, 1972, regarding a crib quilt made by my grandmother a hundred years ago. I am also enclosing for your consideration a quilt machine stitched by my grandfather! . . . I hope it will be worthy of the national collection.” The two quilts are worthy, and provide an interesting contrast between the precise handwork of Mrs. Caroline Granger and the equally precise machine stitching of Mr. Joseph Granger.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877-1878
maker
Granger, Joseph H.
ID Number
TE.T16318
accession number
302043
catalog number
T16318
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
Late 19th century
date made
1875-1900
ID Number
TE.T15293
catalog number
T15293
accession number
291893
The maker of this child's quilt remains unknown. Well worn, it is pieced in the Tumbling Blocks pattern, also referred to as Cubework or Boxes.
Description
The maker of this child's quilt remains unknown. Well worn, it is pieced in the Tumbling Blocks pattern, also referred to as Cubework or Boxes. The placement of the four inch diamond shaped pieces cut from various roller-printed cottons creates an example of an optical illusion in textiles. The lining is a roller-printed check cotton in red and brown. The quilt was completed with outline quilting, six stitches /inch, and bound with a strip of printed cotton folded over the edge and machine-stitched. The quilt was donated to the Museum in 1968 by Mrs. Dorothy Walkley Faul. She provided the information that the quilt had been in the Walkley family who had settled in Southington, Connecticut, about 1630 and that the quilt was probably made in the 1860s.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1860-1880
quilter
unknown
ID Number
TE.T14533
catalog number
T14533
accession number
277119
This child or crib quilt was made for William Barnard in 1874. He was born in September 1874 and died in December 1890. The quilt was made either by his mother, Ruth Ann Pettibone Barnard (1852-1945), or grandmother, Eliza Hackley Pettibone (1821-1913).
Description
This child or crib quilt was made for William Barnard in 1874. He was born in September 1874 and died in December 1890. The quilt was made either by his mother, Ruth Ann Pettibone Barnard (1852-1945), or grandmother, Eliza Hackley Pettibone (1821-1913). Or it may have been a joint project. Ruth Ann lived in Washington D.C. and her mother, Eliza, in Crown Point, Indiana.
Nine-patch blocks, 3 ½-inch square, are pieced with printed red and white and plain white cottons. These alternate with plain white blocks. The printed red and white fabrics are roller-printed with a variety of designs. The simple Nine-patch quilt shows wear and use, but was kept in the family until it was donated in 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1874
maker
Barnard, Thomas
unknown
ID Number
TE.T12678
accession number
237318
catalog number
T12678
In 1977 Laura M. Trexler donated this child’s quilt made by her great-grandmother in the mid-nineteenth century. According to family history it was made for Polly’s daughter, Lucetta (1851-1934). Lucetta was married to Amos D.
Description
In 1977 Laura M. Trexler donated this child’s quilt made by her great-grandmother in the mid-nineteenth century. According to family history it was made for Polly’s daughter, Lucetta (1851-1934). Lucetta was married to Amos D. Trexler (1845-1915) in the early 1870s and the quilt was used for all their children, the last born in 1890. They lived in Trexler, Pennsylvania, where the family had several businesses.
The “Log Cabin”-patterned quilt is composed of four 6½-inch blocks pieced with beige and fuchsia wool and wool/cotton fabrics. A 5-inch border in beige frames the four “Log Cabin” blocks. It is machine quilted with a chain stitch.
Maria (Polly) Kistler, daughter of John Kistler and Maria Brobst, was born October 20, 1824 in Lynn Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. She married Daniel W. Fetherolf (b. 1821) in 1844. They farmed, and on the 1880 census were still living in Lynn Township. Maria (Polly) died in 1910 and is buried in the St. Jacobs Union Church Cemetery, Jacksonville, Lynn Township, Pennsylvania.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860-1870
maker
Fetherolf, Polly
ID Number
TE.T18384
accession number
1978.0619
catalog number
T18384
Agricultural fairs flourished in the mid-nineteenth century and exhibitions of women's needlework skills drew large audiences as they competed for prizes and recognition. A bronze medal, designed by William Barber, was inscribed, “Awarded to Mrs.
Description
Agricultural fairs flourished in the mid-nineteenth century and exhibitions of women's needlework skills drew large audiences as they competed for prizes and recognition. A bronze medal, designed by William Barber, was inscribed, “Awarded to Mrs. Joseph Granger for the best Crib Quilt – Worcester, Mass. 1878” by the New England Agricultural Society. A certificate from the office of the New England Agricultural Society states that: “Mrs. Joseph Granger Worcester, Mass. received a Bronze medal awarded at the New England and Worcester Agricultural Fairs, held in the City of Worcester, Mass. September, 1878, for the best Crib Quilt.” Mrs. Joseph (Caroline) Granger’s granddaughter, Claire L. Meyer, donated the quilt, medal, and certificate to the Smithsonian in 1972.
A note with the quilt, written by one of Caroline Granger’s children, states: “Mother’s quilt all hand quilted she made her own designs with a pin. She got first prize at the Sturbridge fair and every time she showed it at the New England fair – there was even questioning that it was machine made so every body had to examine it closely.” Another note, in different hand, that was with the quilt states: “Couverture de berceau piquee a la main por Mmes Joseph Granger qui importa le primier prix – (Medaille d’or) ‘New England Fair’ de 1878.”
The all-white child’s quilt, according to the note referred to in French as a “cradle cover,” is made of cotton. The stylized floral center medallion on a diagonal grid background is finely quilted, 12 stitches per inch. The 9-inch border is quilted with an undulating vine and flowers on a background of parallel diagonal lines. Caroline Granger’s design and precise hand quilting are definitely of prize-winning quality.
Marie Caroline Lamoureux was born on March 3, 1850 in St-Ours, Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. She was the daughter of Antoine Lamoureux and Marie Elizabeth Moge. On January 30, 1873, she married Joseph H. Granger in N. Grosvenordale, Connecticut. They lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, and had twelve children. Two children, born in 1873 and 1875, died before their first birthdays. A daughter, Marie Ida, was about two when Caroline’s quilt won a prize in 1878 and another daughter, Alam Victoria, was born in late 1878. Caroline died on June 9, 1936.
Claire L. Meyer, the Granger’s granddaughter, wrote; “Many thanks for your letter of July 7, 1972 regarding a crib quilt made by my grandmother a hundred years ago. I am also enclosing for your consideration a quilt machine stitched by my grandfather! . . . I hope it will be worthy of the national collection.” The two quilts are worthy, and provide an interesting contrast between the precise handwork of Mrs. Caroline Granger and the equally precise machine stitching of Mr. Joseph Granger.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877-1878
maker
Granger, Caroline
ID Number
TE.T16317.00A
accession number
302043
catalog number
T16317A
A quilt pieced in a variation of the “Four-patch” pattern, was cut down to make this crib or child size quilt (41 inches x 40 inches). A hand-sewn seam down the center joins the two sections cut from another quilt.
Description
A quilt pieced in a variation of the “Four-patch” pattern, was cut down to make this crib or child size quilt (41 inches x 40 inches). A hand-sewn seam down the center joins the two sections cut from another quilt. Roller printed cottons, the earliest dating to about 1840, along with woven and printed plaids were used for the 7 ½-inch pieced blocks. These were set diagonally, alternating with 7 ½-inch plain blocks. Filling and lining are cotton. It is quilted (8 stitches per inch) with parallel lines 1 inch apart; vertical lines on the pieced blocks, horizontal lines on the plain blocks. No separate binding, the front is turned to the back (¼-inch) and whip stitched. The small quilt is an example of recycling in the mid-nineteenth century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1860
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T17347.000
catalog number
T17347.000
accession number
321804
This pieced crib or child's quilt in the pattern of "Grandmother's Flower Garden" consists of thirty-two blocks made of hexagons, all with a yellow center. It is hand pieced with a scallop edge and yellow binding.
Description
This pieced crib or child's quilt in the pattern of "Grandmother's Flower Garden" consists of thirty-two blocks made of hexagons, all with a yellow center. It is hand pieced with a scallop edge and yellow binding. The hexagons are outlined in hand quilting, 4-5 stitches per inch.
According to family information, Elizabeth Bourne Robinson made this quilt for her daughter, Mary (1930-2009). Elizabeth Freeland Bourne was born 3 December 1892 on the family farm in Calvert Co., Maryland. She married Franklin A. Robinson (1883-1970) on 20 November 1929. They had three children and lived on a tobacco farm in Prince George's County, Maryland. Elizabeth died 25 July 1976.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
About 1930
1930-1932
maker
Robinson, Elizabeth B.
ID Number
2010.0251.01
accession number
2010.0251
A small quilt, probably for use in a cradle or crib, is pieced in a framed center pattern. The center, 24-inches by 20-inches, is pieced with block-printed fabrics. The border, 2 ½-inches at the side and 4 ½-inches top and bottom, is a well-worn block-printed cotton.
Description
A small quilt, probably for use in a cradle or crib, is pieced in a framed center pattern. The center, 24-inches by 20-inches, is pieced with block-printed fabrics. The border, 2 ½-inches at the side and 4 ½-inches top and bottom, is a well-worn block-printed cotton. It is bound, cotton filled and lined. An overall diagonal grid pattern was used for the quilting. Unfortunately neither maker nor owner is known.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
delete
delete
date made
1790 - 1810
maker
unknown
ID Number
1989.0712.07
accession number
1989.0712
catalog number
1989.0712.07
The popularity of the 1937 Walt Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on a German fairy tale, inspired this quilt pattern. The movie has been re-released many times.
Description
The popularity of the 1937 Walt Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, based on a German fairy tale, inspired this quilt pattern. The movie has been re-released many times. In 1972 Lehman Brothers published a pattern, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” that is very similar to this quilt. It was advertised as “a perfect quilt for your favorite child. White bearded dwarves [sic] dressed in bright suits, and colorful trees and flowers surround Snow White and the cottage.”
From the early 20th century, kit quilts have been available in the market to save time and/or provide the quilter with assistance in design or color choices. This quilt was made from a kit as evidenced by stamped lines that are still visible along some edges.
The quilt is appliquéd with motifs that include a stylized cottage, trees, and dwarfs, and, of course, Snow White. All of the dwarfs have coral-colored caps and boots, blue tights, yellow shirts, green vests, and white beards. Details are embroidered with satin, outline, daisy, and French knot stitches. The figures are outlined in quilting stitches, 4 stitches per inch. The 7 ½-inch border is quilted with flowers and diagonal lines. The “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” pattern, based on a well-known children’s story and animated movie, made a special quilt to brighten a child’s room.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-1995
ID Number
1996.0013.01
accession number
1996.0013
catalog number
1996.0013.01
Charlotte Merritt Roe embroidered her name as well as the place (Virgil) and date (1806) on this pieced child’s quilt. Charlotte Merritt was born in 1774 in Rye, Westchester County, New York. She married John Elting Roe in 1796.
Description
Charlotte Merritt Roe embroidered her name as well as the place (Virgil) and date (1806) on this pieced child’s quilt. Charlotte Merritt was born in 1774 in Rye, Westchester County, New York. She married John Elting Roe in 1796. In 1797 Charlotte and her husband settled in Virgil, New York. They stayed on to rear five children. This quilt, made for one of their children, was passed down through the family before being donated to the Museum in 1984.
An anecdote in Stories of Cortland County by Bertha E. Blodgett, Cortland, New York, published in 1932, relates the arrival of Charlotte and John Roe in Virgil.
“In the spring of 1797 John E. Roe . . . came up the river and prepared a log cabin in Virgil. He . . . peeled bark for a roof and agreed with a man to put it on . . . then went down the Tioughnioga to get his wife, bringing her in a sleigh from Oxford . . . .
When they came to the river at a place called Messengerville, they saw Mr. Chaplin’s house on the opposite bank. It was winter and the river was high, and the canoe that had been used in crossing was carried away. Mr. Chaplin’s hog trough was secured, and Mrs. Roe was safely carried over on it . . . whole day was consumed in negotiating the road over the hill to Virgil . . . when they arrived they were surprised to find their house without a covering and the snow deep on the floor . . . .
In after years, Mrs. Roe enjoyed telling the story of her experience . . . and she always ended by saying, ‘And what do you think! The horses were so hungry that they ate the seats out of my nice rush-bottomed chairs.”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1806
quilter
Roe, Charlotte
ID Number
1984.0092.01
catalog number
1984.0092.01
accession number
1984.0092

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