Textiles

The 50,000 objects in the textile collections fall into two main categories: raw fibers, yarns, and fabrics, and machines, tools, and other textile technology. Shawls, coverlets, samplers, laces, linens, synthetics, and other fabrics are part of the first group, along with the 400 quilts in the National Quilt Collection. Some of the Museum's most popular artifacts, such as the Star-Spangled Banner and the gowns of the first ladies, have an obvious textile connection.

The machinery and tools include spinning wheels, sewing machines, thimbles, needlework tools, looms, and an invention that changed the course of American agriculture and society. A model of Eli Whitney's cotton gin, made by the inventor in the early 1800s, shows the workings of a machine that helped make cotton plantations profitable in the South and encouraged the spread of slavery.

This red, white, and blue overshot coverlet was woven in the “Tennessee Trouble” pattern. The ground warp is a white single Z-spun cotton. The ground weft is single Z-spun cotton. The supplementary pattern weft is single Z-spun wool in blue and red.
Description
This red, white, and blue overshot coverlet was woven in the “Tennessee Trouble” pattern. The ground warp is a white single Z-spun cotton. The ground weft is single Z-spun cotton. The supplementary pattern weft is single Z-spun wool in blue and red. The coverlet is hemmed along the top and bottom. The coverlet was constructed of two panels woven as one length, cut, and seamed together to create the finished width. The seam sewn together with white cotton thread using a back stitch. The hems have been redone as is common with use. This coverlet descended through the donor’s family from Tennessee to California. The donor’s father received the coverlet from his mother, Margaret Ellen Maddux Hogins at her death in 1911. Margaret and her husband, Bailey Peyton Hogin had moved to California in 1871 and brought the coverlet with them from Tennessee. Margaret’s parents were Thomas Maddux and Elizabeth Garrett who moved to Smith County, Tennessee from Virginia in 1833. Family legend holds that this coverlet was woven by Elizabeth Carlin (b. 1797), the mother of Thomas Maddux.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1833-1870
1820-1830
ID Number
1980.0631.01
accession number
1980.0631
catalog number
1980.0631.01
Valenciennes square mesh continuous bobbin lace border with large floral design. The pattern repeat is two inches long. Probably made between 1850 and 1875.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Valenciennes square mesh continuous bobbin lace border with large floral design. The pattern repeat is two inches long. Probably made between 1850 and 1875.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1875
Associated Name
Pinchot, Mary Eno
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.L6491
catalog number
L6491.000
accession number
48717
William T. Smith, of West Zanesville, Ohio, received Patent 99,743 in 1870 for an improvement on a sewing machine for stitching parallel seams. In the 19th century this miniature model was exhibited in the Patent Office's Museum of Models.
Description
William T. Smith, of West Zanesville, Ohio, received Patent 99,743 in 1870 for an improvement on a sewing machine for stitching parallel seams. In the 19th century this miniature model was exhibited in the Patent Office's Museum of Models. The model maker beautifully decorated this model far beyond the Patent Office requirements. It is complete with a table mount, and the name of the Patent holder is included in the gilt and multicolor decoration.
date made
1870
ID Number
TE.T6355
accession number
89797
patent number
99743
catalog number
T6355
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1871-04-25
inventor
Hingher, Constantine
ID Number
TE.T11416.052
catalog number
T11416.052
patent number
114,008
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1875
ID Number
TE.T11870.000
catalog number
T11870.000
accession number
198210
This coverlet features a “Double Eagle-Headed Cornucopia” centerfield motif with curvilinear arabesque borders along three sides.
Description
This coverlet features a “Double Eagle-Headed Cornucopia” centerfield motif with curvilinear arabesque borders along three sides. The cornerblock features a stylized floral design that is similar to cornerblocks associated with weavers, James Irwin, Daniel Conger, James Van Ness, and the Auburn State Prison loom house. Although it is unsigned or dated the style, structure, and cornerblock pattern would suggest that this coverlet was woven between the years 1850-1870 in central New York. This coverlet was woven using a Jacquard loom and is double-cloth in structure. Two sets of cotton and indigo-dyed wool were used for both sets of warp and weft. Because it is unsigned, undated, and the donor purchased the coverlet rather than inheriting it, it is hard to attribute a definite maker or date to the coverlet.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
1850-1870
ID Number
TE.T12185
catalog number
T12185.000
accession number
233702
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850-1875
ca 1850-1875
ID Number
TE.E334988.000
catalog number
E334988.000
accession number
96010
This Jacquard, red, white, blue, and green double-cloth lap coverlet features a scalloped centerfield. “L. S. R. R. SLEEPING CAR” is woven into the innermost border.
Description
This Jacquard, red, white, blue, and green double-cloth lap coverlet features a scalloped centerfield. “L. S. R. R. SLEEPING CAR” is woven into the innermost border. There is a large middle border made up of what appears to be a representation of the Michigan State Capitol building flanked by pairs of turkeys. The corners each feature a pair of deer—a buck and doe. The shorter ends of the middle border feature acorns and oak leaves and interconnected birds. The interconnected birds suggest an altered Jacquard punch-card set. There is fringe along the bottom edge. "L.S.R.R." stands for the Lakeshore and Southern Railway. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, founded in 1833, developed into a conglomeration of other railroads in the Northern Ohio, Michigan region. The Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad (CP&ARR) would eventually be incorporated into that system. In 1868, the railroad leased the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad and renamed itself Lakeshore and Southern Railway. It is this time period in which this coverlet was woven for use in the sleeping cars of the railway’s passenger cars.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1860s-1870s
date made
after 1868
ID Number
TE.T12744
catalog number
T12744.000
accession number
240289
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas.
Description
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas. The patterns were painted by hand on “point paper,” which today would be called graph paper. Some of the patterns were copies of famous paintings.
This large canvas work picture came in an elaborate glazed gold frame with a mat of black paint and gold leaf on the inside of the glass. The inscription across the bottom is “Eliza Gleason, Joseph Interpreting the Dream of King Pharaoh January 1st, 1870.” The original frame was removed since it needed repair, and the work was reframed for exhibit from 1976 to 1981. The ground is cotton canvas and the threads are wool and silk.
According to the biblical story, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret for him. His chief cupbearer then remembered that Joseph had interpreted a dream for him when he was in prison two years earlier. So, Joseph was “brought from the dungeon” and shaved and changed his clothes. He then came before Pharaoh and told him that his dream meant there would be seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt followed by seven years of famine. Joseph recommended that “a discerning and wise man” be put in charge and that food should be collected in the good years and stored for use during the famine. This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh and Joseph ended up with the job (Genesis 41).
Eliza Gleason was born in February 1839, in Connecticut. She married Robert Gleason ca. 1864 in Brooklyn, New York. She stitched this after she was married. In the 1870 Kings County, New York, census, she has an eight year old and a baby.
date made
1870
maker
Gleason, Eliza
ID Number
TE.T17202.01
accession number
316362
catalog number
T17202
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1871
ID Number
TE.T11521.001
catalog number
T11521.001
patent number
118412
accession number
89797
A canvaswork piece of a King Charles spaniel, c. 1870 probably using a Berlin woolwork pattern. Queen Victoria’s passion for her King Charles spaniel “Dash”, led to many pictures of pets curled up on a tasseled cushion.
Description
A canvaswork piece of a King Charles spaniel, c. 1870 probably using a Berlin woolwork pattern. Queen Victoria’s passion for her King Charles spaniel “Dash”, led to many pictures of pets curled up on a tasseled cushion. The dog is done in plush stitch and the cushion in cross stitch. On the front edge of the cushion is beadwork in a swastika-like design as well as the tassels. Plush stitch was done by making loops that were later cut, combed, and then sculpted with a scissors to produce contours that gave it a natural appearance. Molly Proctor in her book Victorian Canvas Work mentions that the magazines of the day advised taking the work to a shop for the sculpting part as that was the most difficult part. The identity of the worker is not known but the sculpting is very well done with many subtle contours.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1870
ID Number
TE.T7912
catalog number
T07912.000
accession number
143412
"The Battle of the Sewing Machines" was composed and arranged by F. Hyde for the piano, and was published in 1874 by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of 547 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. The lithograph by R. Teller of 120 Wooster St., N.Y., N.Y., illustrates a "battle" of sewing machines.
Description
"The Battle of the Sewing Machines" was composed and arranged by F. Hyde for the piano, and was published in 1874 by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of 547 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. The lithograph by R. Teller of 120 Wooster St., N.Y., N.Y., illustrates a "battle" of sewing machines. The Remington "army" is marching towards the fleeing Singer, Howe, Succor, Weed, and Willcox & Gibbs sewing machines. The soldiers are riding the Remington treadle machines like horses and are carrying Remington rifles. The Remington No. 2 sewing machine had just come out to market in June 1874. The family treadle machine with a drop-leaf table and two drawers would have cost $75.00.
On the top left of the sheet music, a woman is pictured sewing on a Remington machine in the Remington office at Madison Square, New York. In the right box is featured the Remington Works of Ilion, N.Y. The music consists of 11 pages, with such subtitles as: "Howe the battle began"; "Advent of all the best machines"; "Song of the Sewing Machine Man: 'How Can I Leave Thee'"; "Triumph of the Remington Sewing Machine," and "Home Sweet Home."
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1874
referenced
Remington Sewing Machine Company
composer
Hyde, F.
publisher
William A. Pond & Co.
lithographer
Teller, R.
ID Number
1991.0130.01
catalog number
1991.0130.01
accession number
1991.0130
Patent date Feb. 24, 1874 - by J. Sargent. Patent model for a sewing machine table with casters. Cast iron treadle base with wooden table top, four white casters or wheels at bottom of base. Pat. # 147,981
Description
Patent date Feb. 24, 1874 - by J. Sargent. Patent model for a sewing machine table with casters. Cast iron treadle base with wooden table top, four white casters or wheels at bottom of base. Pat. # 147,981
date made
1874
maker
Sargent, Joseph B.
ID Number
TE.T11521.043
catalog number
T11521.043
patent number
147981
accession number
89797
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1873-12-30
inventor
Kellogg, Eugene P.
ID Number
TE.T11416.053
catalog number
T11416.053
patent number
146,077
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas.
Description
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas. The patterns were painted by hand on “point paper,” which today would be called graph paper. Some of the patterns were copies of famous paintings.
This large Berlin wool work picture of George Washington is based on an original painting by Gilbert Stuart. The stitches used are half cross stitch and tent stitch with the face and hands worked in petit point. It is framed in a gold-leafed wooden frame with applied gold leaf corner decorations and an American eagle at the center of the top. The glass has a reverse-painted black mat with the embroiderer's name, school, and date and the subject of the picture in gold leaf across the bottom: "ELIZA J McCLENAHAN WASHINGTON St. JOHN'S ACADEMY." 1871.
The painting contains many symbols. The dress sword instead of a battle sword indicates a democratic form of government, and the pen and paper on the table signify the rule of law. The leg of the table is shaped like a fasces which is an ancient Roman symbol of power and authority.
Eliza was born November 1854, in Washington, District of Columbia, to James and Margaret Mc Clenahan. Her parents came to the United States from County Galway, Ireland, in a sailboat that took three weeks. Eliza was the oldest of five daughters and one son. She attended St. John’s Academy on Valley St. in Baltimore and studied canvas work and painting. Eliza taught school in Baltimore until her marriage to Michael J. Hook in 1882. They had five children: James, Robert, Margaret and Mary (twins), and Regina. Eliza died in July 1936.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1871
maker
McClenahan, Eliza J.
ID Number
TE.T15672
catalog number
T15672
accession number
297199
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870
ID Number
TE.T11523.023
catalog number
T11523.023
patent number
104660
accession number
89797
Sewing bird or clamp; Metal, Perhaps silver-plated; velvet-covered cushions atop the bird and on the clamp. Bird measures 3.5433" from beak to tail. Catalog #T15758.
Description
Sewing bird or clamp; Metal, Perhaps silver-plated; velvet-covered cushions atop the bird and on the clamp. Bird measures 3.5433" from beak to tail. Catalog #T15758. Color Transparency #78-1548 shows 24 of the over 500 sewing clamps in the Textile Collection; this clamp is second from the left in the third row down. A sewing bird is a table clamp that supports a bird on its top. The lower body of the bird is stationary while the upper body is hinged, and there is a spring in the tail. When the upper and lower tail ends are pinched together, the beak opens, allowing the edge of a fabric to be placed in it. When the tail is released, the beak closes on the fabric, holding it securely while a sewer pulls it taut for stitching a hem or seam. This bird is marked "Patented Feb. 15, 1853," the date of the first American sewing-bird Letters Patent, which was granted to Charles Waterman of Meridan, Connecticut, for a "feathered bird upon the wing, bearing a burden upon its back." The burden is an emery ball. Before the patent, Waterman was already selling the clamps successfully when an advertisement appeared in the Hartford Times of June 5, 1852, showing two women on opposite sides of a table. The one without a sewing bird is bent over her work in an unhealthy posture, while the woman using a sewing bird is upright, showing the clamp's "health preserving property." According to Waterman's daughter, "he wanted to make sewing a little easier for the ladies." The Waterman bird was produced for well into the 20th century and variations in the design, as well as painted and plated versions, came and went. Catalog #2004.0116.1 is a mid-19th century daguerreotype of a mother and her daughter, the latter holding a sewing bird like this one, with an emery on top of the bird and a pincushion on the front of the clamp below the bird.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
3rd quarter, 19th century
patent date
1853-02-15
ID Number
TE.T15758.000
catalog number
T15758.000
accession number
299577
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
In 1940 Eugene Teter donated to the Museum this patriotic quilt made by his great-grandmother in 1861 for his grandfather, a Union soldier from Indiana.
Description
In 1940 Eugene Teter donated to the Museum this patriotic quilt made by his great-grandmother in 1861 for his grandfather, a Union soldier from Indiana. Mary Rockhold Teter based her pieced and appliquéd quilt on a design published in the July 1861 issue of Peterson's Magazine , a popular women's periodical published in Philadelphia. She personalized it by quilting the name of her son, George Teter, and the names of Generals Scott and Taylor under whom he served. Also found in the quilting are "Abe "and "Ab Lyncoln," "Genral Lyon," the word "Cat" and the year "1861." There are thirty-four stars appliquéd in the center diamond and the same number appliquéd in the border. They represent the number of states in the Union from July 4, 1861 until July 4, 1863, the Civil War years.
Mary Rockhold was born in Ohio in 1817 and married Thomas E. Teter in 1838. They moved to Indiana in 1846 and had seven children; four daughters died in infancy, three sons attained adulthood. Mary and Thomas were fortunate enough to celebrate their Golden Anniversary in 1888. Mary died in 1897 in Noblesville, Indiana. This "Stars and Stripes" patriotic quilt is a reminder of her devotion to family and country.
"She was of a family of strong, patriotic Revolutionary stock, and inherited a willingness to do and to labor that the country might grow. Her grand-father was Capt. John Rockhold a native of Pennsylvania, who served in the War for Independence. Her father, Joseph Rockhold, moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1800. He was a captain in the War of 1812. This trait of patriotism was one of the strongest in the character of Mrs. Teter. During the late war she showed her great love for the soldier boys in many ways, aiding in every way she could to encourage and help in the country's peril."
(From the obituary of Mary Rockhold-Teter, 1897)
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1861
Associated Name
Lyon, Nathaniel
Lincoln, Abraham
Butler, Benjamin Franklin
Scott, Winfield
made for
Teter, George
quilter
Teter, Mary Rockhold
ID Number
TE.T08420
accession number
157340
catalog number
T08420
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
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
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
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
Mrs. Gilbert (Susannah G.) Pullen and her Sunday school class made this pieced quilt in Augusta, Maine in 1863. She followed the guidelines set by the U.S. Sanitary Commission for bedding to be used in the Civil War.
Description
Mrs. Gilbert (Susannah G.) Pullen and her Sunday school class made this pieced quilt in Augusta, Maine in 1863. She followed the guidelines set by the U.S. Sanitary Commission for bedding to be used in the Civil War. The fourteen young ladies in the Sunday school class contributed over 150 inscriptions that were penned on the quilt's fifteen separate star-patterned blocks. They chose Bible passages, stories to uplift and guide, and riddles to which the answer was only to be found in the Bible. They also provided numerous inscriptions on practical health advice, patriotic messages, and light-hearted riddles. Even personal messages such as: "If you are good looking send me your photograph. Direct to the name in the large square. E.G.D." appeared on the quilt. It was hoped that the quilt would not only provide a diversion for the wounded soldiers during their long days recovering in hospital but also "alleviate or prevent disease and lead to happiness and Heaven." The numerous inscriptions on this quilt provide an insight into the feelings and concerns of the period and perhaps all war eras.
Susannah Pullen expressed hope for correspondence when she penned these words on the quilt: "We have many dear friends connected with the army & any proper letters from any persons embraced in the defense of our country, received by any whose names are on this quilt shall have a reply. Tell us if nothing more its destination. We meet with many others to sew for you every Wednesday and your letters would prompt us to more exertions for our patriots." Two letters remain with the quilt and attest to its use at the Carver and Armory Square Hospitals in Washington D.C. A letter from Sergt. Nelson S. Fales of Nov. 22, 1863 eloquently expresses his gratitude: "Dear Madam I have had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful 'Quilt' sent by you to cheer and comfort the Maine Soldiers. I have read the mottoes, sentiments, etc., inscribed thereon with much pleasure and profit."
On the back of the quilt Susannah Pullen penned these words: “The commencement of this war took place Apr. 12th 1861. The first gun was fired from Fort Sumter. God speed the time when we can tell when, and where, the last gun was fired; & ‘we shall learn war no more.’ If this quilt survives the war we would like to have it returned to Mrs. Gilbert Pullen, Augusta, Me . . . This quilt completed Sept. 1st 1863.” It did survive use during the Civil War, and it was returned to Mrs. Pullen as she requested.
Susannah G. Corey was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1816. She married Gilbert Pullen (1810-1890) April 26, 1840. Gilbert was listed as a marble cutter on the 1850 census. They lived in Augusta, Maine with their two daughters, Susan E. and Charlotte. Susannah and Gilbert were members of the First Baptist Church. Susannah died November 26, 1871, and is buried in the Forest Grove Cemetery in Augusta, Maine.
Susannah Pullen's Civil War Quilt was exhibited at a library in Augusta, Maine, for many years. Over time the inscriptions faded, but fortunately a transcription of them was made in the early-twentieth century. In 1936 Susannah’s granddaughter, Gertrude B. Davis, donated the quilt in her mother’s name, Charlotte Pullen Scruton. It is a reminder of the efforts of the many women who used their needlework and organizational skills to provide comfort for the armies of both the North and South.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1863
quilter
Pullen, Mrs. Gilbert
quilters
unknown
ID Number
TE.T07726
accession number
138338
catalog number
T07726

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