| National Museum of American History

This quilt, a variation of the “Irish Chain” pattern, was made for Mary T. Barnes’s dower chest in 1850. She married Gen. John Bratton Erwin in 1866. Blocks pieced in red, green, and white cottons were set such that the “chain” runs both horizontally and vertically.

Description: This quilt, a variation of the “Irish Chain” pattern, was made for Mary T. Barnes’s dower chest in 1850. She married Gen. John Bratton Erwin in 1866. Blocks pieced in red, green, and white cottons were set such that the “chain” runs both horizontally and vertically. Both plain and printed fabrics were used for the border which is quilted with parallel diagonal lines. An inked inscription, “Mary T. Barnes 1850” is in the upper left corner block. Mary’s two daughters donated the “Irish Chain” Quilt in 1933.; Mary T. Barnes, the only child of Dixon Barnes (1816-1862) and Charlotte Brown Barnes, was born 16 October 1840 in Lancaster County, S. C.. Her mother died when Mary was six. Her father, Col.l Dixon Barnes, commanded the 12th South Carolina Infantry during the Civil War. Colonel Barnes died as a result of wounds during the Antietam Campaign when Mary was about 22.; After her marriage in 1866, she and John Bratton Erwin (1834-1916) settled on her plantation in Lancaster County, S. C. John, trained as a lawyer, fought in the Civil War. After he married, he managed Mary’s large estates. They had six children of whom three lived into adulthood. In 1876 John Erwin was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives and in 1886 to the Senate. Mary died in 1893 and John in 1916. Both are buried in the Camp Creek Methodist Church Cemetery, Lancaster County, S. C.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T07141
accession number: 122856
catalog number: T07141

Large triangles of printed cotton, two dark and two light, were pieced to make the 11 ¼-inch blocks. The blocks are set to make a “Pinwheel” pattern across the surface of the quilt. Two corners are cut out.

Description: Large triangles of printed cotton, two dark and two light, were pieced to make the 11 ¼-inch blocks. The blocks are set to make a “Pinwheel” pattern across the surface of the quilt. Two corners are cut out. The fabrics are all plain-woven block-printed and roller-printed floral cottons. The lining consists of 5 lengths of plain-woven peach cotton. It is cotton filled, quilted 9 stitches per inch, bound with a 7/8-inch woven striped cotton tape folded over the edge and stitched with running stitch through all layers. The quilt is an example of mid-nineteenth century fabrics and design.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17340.000
catalog number: T17340.000
accession number: 321804

This quilt top has a binding, but no filling or lining. Perhaps it was meant to be lined and quilted; instead the edges were bound, making it a light-weight bedcover.

Description: This quilt top has a binding, but no filling or lining. Perhaps it was meant to be lined and quilted; instead the edges were bound, making it a light-weight bedcover. Pieced and appliquéd techniques provide the frame for a central panel that resembles a small sampler.; Delicate silk embroidery depicts a leafy harp surrounded by hearts, trees topped with red crested birds, potted plants, and the inscription, “Elenor Dolen Roxbury.” Most likely it refers to Roxbury, Massachusetts. The quilt top was donated by a collector of early American domestic furnishings.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1875

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.E388875
accession number: 182022
catalog number: E388875

A variety of fabrics from the mid-19th century were used for the 6 ½-inch pieced blocks in the “Double Cross” or “Mosaic” pattern. The blocks are set diagonally in strips with white triangles.

Description: A variety of fabrics from the mid-19th century were used for the 6 ½-inch pieced blocks in the “Double Cross” or “Mosaic” pattern. The blocks are set diagonally in strips with white triangles. The bedcover (no filling, no quilting) consists of these strips, joined to create a "Rail Fence" of “Zig-Zag” effect. Fabrics consist of roller-printed florals and geometrics; woven stripes, checks, plaids; and two glazed furnishing fabrics. The lining consists of three lengths of floral motif roller-printed plain-woven cotton. Most piecing on the front is done in an overcast stitch. Later fabrics (c. 1860) are pieced with a running stitch. The two layers of the bedcover are bound on the edges with a 5/8-inch (finished) straight strip of roller-printed floral cotton (one of the fabrics used for the lining), seamed to the front, whipped to the lining. The many examples of fabric design and an eye-catching arrangement of the blocks create interest on this mid-century bedcover.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17355.000
catalog number: T17355.000
accession number: 321804

Eliza Jane Todd’s silk quilt top is pieced in the “Honeycomb” or “Mosaic” pattern, also referred to as “Grandmother’s Flower Garden.” One inch hexagons are seamed by overcasting into 6 ½-inch “flowers” each having a dark center hexagon.

Description: Eliza Jane Todd’s silk quilt top is pieced in the “Honeycomb” or “Mosaic” pattern, also referred to as “Grandmother’s Flower Garden.” One inch hexagons are seamed by overcasting into 6 ½-inch “flowers” each having a dark center hexagon. Many have outer rings of red silk hexagons. The “flowers” are separated by black hexagons. A 3 ½-inch border of red silk ribbon is outlined with bands of black silk. Included at the time of donation was a paper hexagon pattern cut from a letter dated Sept. 14, 1835, that had fallen off the quilt.; Eliza Jane Todd was born in Indiana in 1820, the daughter of Robert William Todd (1795?-1885) and Catherine McCully (1800-1860), granddaughter of Owen Todd (1762-1817) and Maria Jane Paxton (1771-1834). The family was related to Mary Todd Lincoln, and Thomas Paxton, who fought at Valley Forge. Eliza never married. She died in 1895 and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.; Eliza Jane lived with her parents in Madison, Indiana, for most of her life. Later (about 1880) she stayed with her sister, Anna Maria Todd Smith, in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Florida. In the 1850s, The Western Horticultural Review (Volume III, 1853) noted “. . . that a female competitor has successfully entered the lists in the department of Pomology, and feel bound to allude in flattering terms to the fruits presented by Miss E.J. Todd, of Madison (Indiana)” Eliza Jane (E.J. Todd) was the recipient of several awards for her fruits (pears, grapes, quinces), preserves and floral arrangements.; Until the donation, the quilt had been in the donor’s family. After Eliza Jane’s death, the quilt was with Anna Maria Todd Smith who was the donor’s grandmother. In 1936, the donor, Anna Perkins Stewart, donated her great aunt's quilt to the Museum.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1835-1850

maker: Todd, Eliza Jane

ID Number: TE.T07742
accession number: 138944
catalog number: T07742

This white counterpane was made for Mary T. Barnes’s dower chest in 1850. She married Gen. John Bratton Erwin in 1866. The 20-inch center of this counterpane is composed of 7-inch squares filled alternately with wineglass and diagonal grid quilting.

Description: This white counterpane was made for Mary T. Barnes’s dower chest in 1850. She married Gen. John Bratton Erwin in 1866. The 20-inch center of this counterpane is composed of 7-inch squares filled alternately with wineglass and diagonal grid quilting. The center is surrounded by an 8 ½-inch band quilted in a pattern of large triangles filled with shell quilting. This band in turn is framed by a band of 7-inch squares quilted in the same pattern as those of the center. Next comes another 8 ½-inch band quilted in a running vine pattern with shell quilting in the background. Finally, a border of 7-inch squares, again filled with wineglass and diagonal grid quilting, completes this counterpane. An inked inscription, “Mary T. Barnes 1850” is near one corner. Mary’s two daughters donated the precisely quilted counterpane in 1932.; Mary T. Barnes, the only child of Dixon Barnes (1816-1862) and Charlotte Brown Barnes, was born 16 October 1840 in Lancaster County, S. C. Her mother died when she was six. Her father, Col. Dixon Barnes, commanded the 12th South Carolina Infantry during the Civil War and died as a result of wounds during the Antietam Campaign when Mary was about 22.; After her marriage in 1866, she and John Bratton Erwin (1834-1916) settled on her plantation in Lancaster County, S. C. John, trained as a lawyer, fought in the Civil War, and after his marriage managed Mary’s large estates. They had six children, of whom three lived into adulthood. In 1876 John Erwin was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives and in 1886 to the Senate. Mary died in 1893 and John in 1916. Both are buried in the Camp Creek Methodist Church Cemetery, Lancaster County, S. C..
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T07045
accession number: 120169
catalog number: T07045

Esther Wheat's quilt is an example of a glazed wool fabric, not only used for bedding but also petticoats in the eighteenth century.

Description: Esther Wheat's quilt is an example of a glazed wool fabric, not only used for bedding but also petticoats in the eighteenth century. The shiny surface of the quilt top was achieved by calendering, a process of applying heat and pressure with metal plates or rollers to a worsted fabric. In Esther's quilt the high sheen of the fabric enhanced the elaborate quilting of the large feathered heart and two pineapples surrounded by a scrolling vine with flowers. According to the donor, Esther Wheat Lee's great-great-granddaughter, the original plain weave yellow wool lining wore thin and was replaced by Esther's daughter, Olive Lee Doolittle. A thin layer of cotton fiber filling was added before the second lining of red twill weave cotton and wool was quilted to the original lining, but not through the quilt top.; Esther Wheat made this quilted indigo-blue wool bed cover for her dower chest in the 1790s. Esther, a twin, was born in 1774 in Conway, Massachusetts. She married Benjamin Lee in 1799 and died at Canastota, New York in 1847. Esther's quilt was passed down through five generations of women before being donated to the Smithsonian in 1973.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1790-1799

quilter: Wheat, Esther

ID Number: TE.T16380
catalog number: T16380.000
accession number: 308057; 1973.308057

Mary Winfield crafted this small quilt for her granddaughter, Julia A. Poole, of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia. Possibly it was intended as a doll quilt. The quilt is composed of 3-inch blocks, some pieced in the “Nine-patch” pattern, some plain.

Description: Mary Winfield crafted this small quilt for her granddaughter, Julia A. Poole, of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia. Possibly it was intended as a doll quilt. The quilt is composed of 3-inch blocks, some pieced in the “Nine-patch” pattern, some plain. Each plain block is quilted with a single flower or bird.; Mary W. Tucker was born about 1764 in Virginia. She married William Winfield III (1762-1837) on January 6th in either 1783 or 1787. She made another small quilt, also in the Collection, for the same granddaughter.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1835-1850

maker: Winfield, Mary

ID Number: TE.T02139.00A
accession number: 57609
catalog number: T02139A

German type flax spinning wheel, made of wood with ivory. Said to have been made in Edinburgh, Scotland, and brought to the US. Said to have been owned by Mrs.Euphemis Hill Johnstone, grand mother of the donor. Not known if she was the first owner.Currently not on view

Description: German type flax spinning wheel, made of wood with ivory. Said to have been made in Edinburgh, Scotland, and brought to the US. Said to have been owned by Mrs.Euphemis Hill Johnstone, grand mother of the donor. Not known if she was the first owner.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 18th century ?

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T03644
accession number: 60786

A town, “Bristol, Tennessee,” and a date, “Jan. 4, 1905,” were prominently embroidered on the parlor throw that Bonnie Blevins made for her family.

Description: A town, “Bristol, Tennessee,” and a date, “Jan. 4, 1905,” were prominently embroidered on the parlor throw that Bonnie Blevins made for her family. Donated by her daughter, Blanche Blevins, in 1956, it is an example of the fancy needlework popular in the late 19th century.; Twelve 19-inch crazy-patch and embroidered blocks were assembled for this parlor throw. It has no lining, just a rayon seam binding added at a later date, basted to the front edges. The embroidery motifs (butterflies, birds, animals, etc.) are typical of crazy patchwork, but would appear to be freely drawn rather than from a pattern. The embellishments were done with silk thread utilizing feather, stem, detached chain, French knot, coral knot, satin and buttonhole stitches. Several embroidered inscriptions are present: “I slept and dreamed / that life was beauty / I awoke and found / that life was duty.” It is from a poem by Ellen Sturgis Hooper (1812-1848), a transcendentalist poet who published in The Dial and whose poems appeared in anthologies. Lines from poetry, probably of special personal significance, were frequently added to needlework.; Four blocks of this parlor throw may have been specifically designed by Bonnie to acknowledge her family. The block containing the date and place also contained an embroidered name “Robt.” and the inscription “Think of me.” Robert was Bonnie’s husband, whom she married in 1892. A second block has the name “Fred” and “In God we trust” embroidered on the crazy-patches. Fred Foster was Bonnie’s eldest son, born in 1892. A third block has the embroidered inscription, “God bless our home,” and the name “Worth.” Omar Worth was Bonnie’s second son born in 1896. The fourth block contains an owl with the inscription “Whoo whoo.” It also has a small embroidered name, “Bonnie.” Another patch in the same block has a swan, a child’s head, heart, and the name “Blanche” embroidered on it. Blanche was Bonnie’s third child, born in 1898. The motifs that were used on each of the blocks may have held meaning for that person. Bonnie’s parlor throw was a personal record of her family.; Geneva Bonville Foster was born June 21, 1865, in North Carolina. Known as Bonnie, she married Robert Houston Blevins June 10, 1892. They had three children as noted above, and for a time lived in Tazewell County, Va., as well as Bristol, Tenn. It was in Bristol, Virginia, (Bristol lies on the border of Tennessee and Virginia) that Bonnie died at age 43 February, 17 1909. She and her family are memorialized on the parlor throw that is now part of the Collection as an example of crazy-patchwork.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1905

maker: Blevins, Geneva Bonville Foster

ID Number: TE.T11456
accession number: 211582
catalog number: T11456

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 example of the “Goose Tracks” pattern was pieced by Mrs. Ellen Parsons of Shelbyville, Tenn. Seven-inch blocks are set diagonally with triple sashing and a miniature “Nine-patch” block at the sashing intersections.

Description: This example of the “Goose Tracks” pattern was pieced by Mrs. Ellen Parsons of Shelbyville, Tenn. Seven-inch blocks are set diagonally with triple sashing and a miniature “Nine-patch” block at the sashing intersections. The blocks are framed by three 7/8-inch bands, one printed and two plain cottons. The filling is cotton and the lining is plain-woven, open-weave white cotton.; According to a hand-written note with the quilt “Mrs. Parsons planted and grew the cotton in her garden. She picked the cotton and spun it into thread. She wove the threads into cloth to make the lining for the quilt. She pieced and quilted it by hand.” Of course information such as this is difficult to verify. The pieced blocks are outlined, the sashing and borders are zigzag quilted, 6 stitches per inch.; The donor, Mrs. M. B. Holleman, wrote about the quilt when it became part of the collection in 1965. “I am 71 years old and I have no one to leave the quilt to that would take care of it. . . . I will tell you the things my mother [about 1857-1938] told me. My Great Grand Mother made this quilt. She was drown in the river. She was on a horse & the saddle broke. It was slave time and one of her slave women was on a horse also and lived to tell how it happened. She had only one child a girl and the quilt went to her. She never used it and when my Grandmother passed away, my mother got the quilt and when my mother passed on I got it. No one ever used it. (?) We would put it out in the sun real often. I wish I could tell you more about it. I am the only one living now.”; Mrs. Parsons's quilt is a testimony to the importance to the family to hand down to future generations treasured objects and the stories that go with them. When there are no longer heirs to take care of an object, such as this quilt, they are often donated to a museum collection so that others can admire and appreciate them.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1875

maker: Parsons, Ellen

ID Number: TE.T13774
accession number: 263336
catalog number: T13774

The fan motif, often found on crazy-patchwork, is the dominant pattern for the twenty-five, 10-inch blocks composed of a variety of silk, satin, velvet, and taffeta fabrics. Both machine and hand-stitched blocks are joined with a chain stitch by machine.

Description: The fan motif, often found on crazy-patchwork, is the dominant pattern for the twenty-five, 10-inch blocks composed of a variety of silk, satin, velvet, and taffeta fabrics. Both machine and hand-stitched blocks are joined with a chain stitch by machine. The original binding or border was removed before it was donated to the Museum in 1963, by the Sewing Group, Emmanuel Episcopal Church.; Martha Ada Mumma was born July 7, 1859. She married Jacob Emmanuel Thomas (1852-1908) in 1879. They were both born and married in Washington County, Md., and later lived in Baltimore, where their two sons were born. Martha died in Maryland in 1943. Her parlor throw is an example of late 19th-century needlework, exhibiting both hand and machine stitching.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1880-1890

maker: Thomas, Martha Ada

ID Number: TE.T12914
accession number: 245859
catalog number: T12914

Twenty-four roller-printed cottons were used to construct this example of an “Irish Chain” pattern. The plain white and pieced blocks are framed by a roller-printed glazed floral chintz.

Description: Twenty-four roller-printed cottons were used to construct this example of an “Irish Chain” pattern. The plain white and pieced blocks are framed by a roller-printed glazed floral chintz. The pieced blocks are quilted with diagonal lines, the white blocks with clamshells, and the border with chevrons.; According to family information, Margaret Willis crafted the “Irish Chain” quilt near Leonardtown, Maryland. Margaret Lowry was born in Virginia in 1794. She married John S. Willis (1790-1878). Margaret died in 1844 and is buried in Mercer County, Missouri.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1850

maker: Willis, Margaret Lowry

ID Number: TE.T08320
accession number: 152645
catalog number: T08320

Susan Ann Camp Coe, great-grandmother of the donor, constructed this mid-19th century white-work quilted counterpane. The center, a six-pointed star is framed by a scalloped circle surrounded by floral motifs and a flowering vine arranged in scallops.

Description: Susan Ann Camp Coe, great-grandmother of the donor, constructed this mid-19th century white-work quilted counterpane. The center, a six-pointed star is framed by a scalloped circle surrounded by floral motifs and a flowering vine arranged in scallops. Another flowering vine is arranged in reverse scallops. Bunches of grapes and leaves adorn the border. All floral motifs and scallops are quilted, with the background quilted in a diagonal grid pattern. The quilting is 6-7 stitches per inch. A straight strip of white cotton is seamed to the front and whipped to the lining for the binding.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860; 1840-1850

maker: Coe, Susan Ann Camp

ID Number: TE.T07451
accession number: 131349
catalog number: T07451

In 1951 the donor informed the museum that she had a quilt made by her husband's great-great grandmother in 1792.

Description: In 1951 the donor informed the museum that she had a quilt made by her husband's great-great grandmother in 1792. A note attached to the quilt stated that it was made by Martha Babson Lane Soule of Freeport, Maine, and that "she spun and dyed the worsted and designed the pattern embroidered on it." The donor continued in her letter, "In going through some old correspondence we find that the mate to this quilt was donated to your Museum many years ago by my husband's great-aunt Mrs. Caroline Gordon." That quilt had been donated to the Museum in 1925, and more than twenty-five years later this quilt from the Soule family was also added to the Collection.; This quilt is both pieced and embroidered. The center panel, a 38-inch square, is embroidered in indigo-dyed wool, surrounded by a border pieced of 8-inch printed cotton squares and triangles, with a crewel embroidered outer border. Embroidery stitches include stem, cross, herringbone, seed, buttonhole, Roumanian, running, and couching. Considering the style of the quilt and the use of cotton 2-ply sewing and quilting threads in the construction indicate a date no earlier than the very-late-eighteenth century or probably early-nineteenth century.; The crewel embroidered pieces might have been from bed furniture of an earlier date. The center panel appears to be cut from a larger piece of embroidery; the top and side borders are also shortened; only the bottom border, with a large heart, is a complete design. The base fabrics for the embroidered sections and the lining are cotton and linen/cotton with a thin layer of carded cotton between them. The pieced inner border is composed of two fabrics; one resist-printed the other English copperplate printed ca 1775-1785. The chevron patterned quilting is done in a running stitch, 7 stitches per inch.; Martha Babson Lane was born December 22, 1772 in Freeport, Cumberland, Maine. The Lane family is listed among the settlers in that area of Maine as early as the 1650s. Martha married Moses Soule on May 25, 1793. Moses farmed in the Freeport, Maine area, and was a deacon in the church and a caulker by trade.; Martha and Moses Soule had eleven children, three of whom died within a few months of each other in 1807 at ages three, five and eight. Three other children, born later, were given their names; John/James Babson, Nancy and Jeannette.; One son, Gideon Lane Soule (1796-1879) was the first of his four brothers to attend Phillips Exeter Academy. He later became a professor at the Academy and for thirty-five years, from 1838 to 1873, served as a Principal. Under his able direction the Academy experienced increasing growth, prosperity and prestige.; The youngest son, John Babson Lane Soule (1815-1891), after attending the Academy, graduated from Bowdoin College. Although he completed law studies, he spent his life as a teacher, journalist and minister in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois. He is noted for possibly being the originator of the popular slogan: "Go West, young man!" used in an editorial he wrote in 1851 for the Terre Haute Express which was later used by Horace Greeley so effectively in an 1865 New York Tribune editorial. Martha Babson Lane Soule died on December 20, 1837 and is buried in the Lane Cemetery near Freeport, Maine.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1790-1795

quilter: Soule, Martha Babson Lane

ID Number: TE.T10932
catalog number: T10932
accession number: 190856

Lizzie Lisle utilized a unique floral design for this quilt. The center panel consists of four 28½-inch square blocks each appliquéd with large red, green and yellow flowers, leaves, and berries. The large red flowers have reverse-appliquéd details made of printed yellow cotton.

Description: Lizzie Lisle utilized a unique floral design for this quilt. The center panel consists of four 28½-inch square blocks each appliquéd with large red, green and yellow flowers, leaves, and berries. The large red flowers have reverse-appliquéd details made of printed yellow cotton. Many of the leaves have cut-out details revealing the white ground beneath them. Green cotton gathered over a solid foundation and attached to the quilt gives a three-dimensional effect to the berries. The center is framed by a red saw-tooth band. The 12½-inch border is appliquéd on three sides with an undulating leaf-and-floral vine. A second saw-tooth band follows the outer edge of the quilt. Fine quilting, 12 to 13 stitches per inch, in a variety of patterns, covers both the background and the appliquéd motifs.; Elizabeth (Lizzie) Lisle, born in Ohio in 1836, was the daughter of John Lisle (1803-1890s) and Elizabeth Johnston (1811-1889). Members of the extended Lisle family were early settlers in Jefferson and Harrison Counties in Ohio, but many also moved westward and settled in Iowa. In Jasper County, Iowa, on February 11, 1886, Elizabeth married Eden Randall. Eden was born in Delaware County, Ohio, about 1840 and served in the Civil War (Co. G, 3rd Iowa Volunteer Infantry).; Mustered in June 8, 1861, Eden was taken prisoner on April 6, 1862, in Shiloh, Tennessee. In January 1863 he was part of a prisoner exchange and rejoined his company, only to be severely wounded in the face and mouth on June 12, 1863, at Vicksburg, Tennessee. He recovered in a hospital in Keokuk, Iowa. Elizabeth and Eden had no children. Elizabeth is buried in Fairview Township, Jasper County, Iowa. Her grandniece generously donated two of her quilts to the Smithsonian in 1949.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1865-1870

maker: Lisle, Lizzie

ID Number: TE.T10102
accession number: 144535
catalog number: T10102

Two different roller-printed cotton fabrics were used to piece this quilt. One fabric for the 8-inch squares set diagonally, and the other for the 3 ½-inch sashing and border (3 ½-inch top, 5-inch side and bottom).

Description: Two different roller-printed cotton fabrics were used to piece this quilt. One fabric for the 8-inch squares set diagonally, and the other for the 3 ½-inch sashing and border (3 ½-inch top, 5-inch side and bottom). The lining is 3 lengths of plain-woven cotton; “MW 6” and “MW 7” are cross-stitched in brown on two of the lengths. Also, “G. W. Singer” is inscribed in blue ink on the lining. The quilt is cotton filled and quilted 6 stitches per inch. No separate binding, the front and lining are turned in and sewn with a running stitch. Unfortunately, little is known about this quilt.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17344.000
catalog number: T17344.000
accession number: 321804

Mary Winfield crafted this small pieced quilt of diamond-shaped blocks for her granddaughter, Julia A. Poole, of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia. Possibly it was intended as a doll quilt.

Description: Mary Winfield crafted this small pieced quilt of diamond-shaped blocks for her granddaughter, Julia A. Poole, of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia. Possibly it was intended as a doll quilt. Some of the diamond-shaped blocks are pieced in the “Nine-patch” pattern, others are plain white cotton.; Mary W. Tucker was born about 1764 in Virginia. She married William Winfield III (1762-1837) on January 6th in either 1783 or 1787. She made another small quilt, also in the Collection, for the same granddaughter.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1850

maker: Winfield, Mary

ID Number: TE.T02139.00B
accession number: 57609
catalog number: T02139B

David Haring (1800-1889) wove this Figured and Fancy, blue and white, double cloth coverlet in 1832 in Harrington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey. The coverlet has self-fringe along the bottom border. The centerfield design is made up of three columns of motifs.

Description: David Haring (1800-1889) wove this Figured and Fancy, blue and white, double cloth coverlet in 1832 in Harrington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey. The coverlet has self-fringe along the bottom border. The centerfield design is made up of three columns of motifs. The outer columns feature doubled pairs of flowers including roses, tulips, and possibly pansies. The central column depicts pairs of tulips and Eagle medallions. The border depicts Federal style churches flanked by tulip trees with birds, dogs, and possibly squirrels and flowering urns. The initials "S*D" and the date “March 3, 1832” appear woven into each corner. This coverlet is constructed of two panels, woven as one length, and joined with a center seam. The coverlet was owned by ancestors of the donor. According to the family, the initials are not one person’s name, but rather a marriage cypher—S standing for Smith and D standing for the wife’s maiden name. The date, March 3, 1832 being the wedding date. More research is needed to confirm this detail. David Haring was born in New Jersey and is one of the few coverlet weavers documented as owning a Jacquard mechanism for his loom. The attachment was likely purchased in nearby Jersey City, a center for loom and weaving equipment. James Lightbody, a Scottish immigrant, is one of the few known makers of these attachments and could very well have produced Haring’s attachment. Haring, like many other coverlet weavers was not just a professional weaver but an emerging businessman. State census records record him as engaging in trades and manufactures throughout much of the first half of the nineteenth century. He inherited sizeable land holdings and money from his wife, Leah Verveelen and was able to use this newfound wealth to expand the family’s economic influence. At the time of his death in 1889, Haring’s estate, not including real estate, was valued at over $42,000.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1832-03-03; 1832

maker: Haring, David D.

ID Number: TE.T12819
catalog number: T12819.000
accession number: 242987

American wool wheel, 19th century. Thread tension screw device above table. Two leather holdings for spindle deteriorated-minor head inserted in spindle post--whide rim on wheel (no grove)Currently not on view

Description: American wool wheel, 19th century. Thread tension screw device above table. Two leather holdings for spindle deteriorated-minor head inserted in spindle post--whide rim on wheel (no grove)
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 19th century

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.E388836.000
accession number: 182022
catalog number: E388836.000

A “First Premium” blue ribbon is attached to Amelia Johnson’s silk parlor throw. It was awarded in 1878 at the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Association Fair in Missouri. Fairs were particularly popular events in the nineteenth century.

Description: A “First Premium” blue ribbon is attached to Amelia Johnson’s silk parlor throw. It was awarded in 1878 at the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Association Fair in Missouri. Fairs were particularly popular events in the nineteenth century. They provided amusements, celebrated achievements, and promoted new ideas. After the Civil War, much money was spent to expand the St. Louis fairgrounds and add buildings. By the late 1870s, its annual agricultural, industrial, and metropolitan displays were worthy of international attention. This parlor throw won a prize at one of the decorative arts exhibitions.; Approximately 500 three-inch “Log Cabin” blocks made of silk were stitched on a muslin foundation to complete the top of this parlor throw. Plain-weave and ribbed solid-colored silks were used to create a mosaic of color. The lining is constructed of red silk fabric quilted 10 stitches per inch to a piece of white cotton fabric. Pink silk thread is used for the quilted trapezoid pattern on the lining. The “Log Cabin” top and quilted lining are joined together and edged with a heavy twisted cord composed of white, pink, green, and black silk cords. This parlor throw is a prize-winning example of the fancy needlework that was so fashionable in the Victorian period. The donor, J. A. Goodall, provided little information about his Aunt Amelia when the parlor throw was added to the Collection in 1940.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1875-1878

maker: Johnson, Amelia

ID Number: TE.T08430
accession number: 157598
catalog number: T08430

Eight-inch square blocks pieced in a “Four-patch” variation are arranged to form diagonal chains. A variety of roller printed cottons (geometrics and florals) and woven stripes, checks, and plaids are represented on the pieced blocks.

Description: Eight-inch square blocks pieced in a “Four-patch” variation are arranged to form diagonal chains. A variety of roller printed cottons (geometrics and florals) and woven stripes, checks, and plaids are represented on the pieced blocks. The pieced blocks alternate with 8-inch squares of the same roller-printed cotton. The quilt is cotton filled, and lined with a plain-woven cotton. It is bound with ½-inch (finished) straight strips of 2 different roller-printed cottons folded over the edge, seamed to the front, and sewn to the lining with a running stitch. The two corner cutouts with 4-inch diagonal slashes to accommodate bedposts, are typical of many nineteenth century quilts.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17349.000
catalog number: T17349.000
accession number: 321804

This variation of the "Feathered Star" pattern is pieced of plain red and roller printed green-on-black cottons. Plain white ground is cut away on underside. Inscribed in ink: "M J. Harper". Part of a series of blocks intended for a quilt.Currently not on view

Description: This variation of the "Feathered Star" pattern is pieced of plain red and roller printed green-on-black cottons. Plain white ground is cut away on underside. Inscribed in ink: "M J. Harper". Part of a series of blocks intended for a quilt.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1860

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.E387833.00H
accession number: 188128
catalog number: E387833H

Domestic Furnishings

1850 Mary T. Barnes's "Irish Chain" Quilt

1840 - 1860 "Pinwheel" Pieced Quilt

1850 - 1875 Elenor Dolen's Quilt Top

1840 - 1860 "Rail Fence" Pieced Bedcover

1835 - 1850 Eliza Jane Todd's "Grandmother's Flower Garden" Quilt Top

1850 Mary T. Barnes's Dower Counterpane

1790 - 1799 Esther Wheat's Wool Quilt

1835 - 1850 Mary Winfield's "Nine-patch" Pieced Quilt

Flax spinning wheel; German style; Scotalnd, 18th C.

1905 Bonnie Blevins's Crazy-patch Parlor Throw

1850 - 1860 Esther Coates Wileman's Child's Quilt

1850 - 1875 Ellen Parsons's Pieced Quilt

1880 - 1890 Martha Thomas's "Fan" Parlor Throw

1840 - 1850 Margaret Willis's "Irish Chain" Pieced Quilt

quilt

1790 - 1795 Martha Soule's Crewel Embroidered and Pieced Quilt

1865 - 1870 Lizzie Lisle's Floral Appliqued Quilt

1825 - 1850 Pieced Quilt

1840 - 1850 Mary Winfield's Pieced Quilt

David Haring; coverlet, Jacquard double-cloth; 1832; New Jersey

American Wool Wheel; 19th C.

1875 - 1878 Amelia Johnson's Prize Parlor Throw

1850 - 1860 "Four-patch" Pieced Quilt

1840 - 1860 "Feathered Star" Quilt Block