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 sampler features two script alphabets to “X,” and there are also two block alphabets: one with 26 letters and one to “W” with “NOPQ” not worked but a space left for them.
Description
This sampler features two script alphabets to “X,” and there are also two block alphabets: one with 26 letters and one to “W” with “NOPQ” not worked but a space left for them. At the bottom of the sampler, is a two-story house (in perspective) with a tall pointed tree and a spreading tree behind an ornamental fence, which has reverse-curved sections between fence-posts topped by urns. The house on Diana Austin’s sampler could be her home or the home of her teacher. She showed advanced technique by using surface stitches for her trees and not cross stitch. Diana included the inscription:

“Diana Austins Sampler
Marked AD 1827 Aged 8
PENFIELD NY”
The sampler is stitched with silk embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 39, weft 46/ in. The stitches used are cross, detached chain, four-sided, Algerian eye, buttonhole, outline, and satin.
Jotham Austin from Vermont, married Hannah Case. At some point they moved to Penfield, New York, where Jotham died in March 1830 and Hannah died on May 11, 1830. They had eight children. Two of them made samplers, Diana (b. May 9, 1819) and Sabrina P. (b. March 13, 1824). Libbeus Ross, who was married to Hannah’s daughter Honoria Austin, was appointed guardian of the family according to Hannah’s will, dated March 15, 1830.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1827
maker
Austin, Diana
ID Number
TE.T14276
catalog number
T14276
accession number
276184
When this corset was made in the decade between 1810 and 1820 for an unidentified Indiana woman, it represented the latest evolution of a garment that had been essential women’s wear for centuries.
Description
When this corset was made in the decade between 1810 and 1820 for an unidentified Indiana woman, it represented the latest evolution of a garment that had been essential women’s wear for centuries. Today, the word corset conjures an image of painful tight-lacing that was endured to produce an unnaturally small waist. However, the woman who wore this garment used it simply to support her chest (the brassiere would not be invented for another century) and to confine her shift, a voluminous knee-length undergarment, so that her high-waisted dress would sit smoothly over her torso and hips. If laced correctly, the wearer would have left a gap of several inches between the back edges of the corset, preventing it from being “tight-laced.”
Even so, this early 19th-century corset was distinctly different from the variations that came before and after it. During the 1700s, women had worn heavily boned, cone-shaped corsets called stays that had flattened their chests and made their torsos triangular. By the middle of the 1800s, the corset was once again heavily reinforced with narrow bones or steels to produce a curvy, hour-glass shape that was round and full both above and below the waist. By contrast, the corset shown here was intended to produce a natural-shaped figure. Hence, it relied mainly on cotton cording rather than bone or steel to coax the wearer’s body into the desired form. The only inflexible part of this corset was a long wooden or bone insert called a busk that slipped into a pocket at the center front and could be removed for washing.
Because of its lack of boning, this type of corset could be sewn at home without great difficulty. However, making a garment that fit was more complicated. The English author of The Workwoman’s Guide, Containing Instructions to the Inexperienced in Cutting Out and Completing those Articles of Wearing Apparel, &c., Which are Usually Made at Home (1840) suggested that “with respect to the cutting out, it is recommended to those who make their own stays, to purchase a pair from an experienced stay-maker that fit perfectly well, and also a pair cut out, but not made up, so as to be a good pattern for the home-made stays.” Sturdy cotton jean or satin were the most commonly used fabrics for corsets in the early 19th century. White was the preferred color, but gray and brown were both thought to be practical for “inferior” corsets.
This tan cotton sateen corset is made to be laced up the back through nine pairs of irregularly placed bone eyelets. The shoulder straps are meant to tie in place at the front of the corset through one bone eyelet at the end of each strap and a corresponding one over each shoulder blade. The original lacing and ties are missing. Two triangular inserts of fabric called gussets provide shape and support for each side of the bust. A decorative three-leafed motif is backstitched at the lower end of each bust gusset. Another matching, inverted trefoil is centered below the bust gussets, rising from the midriff. The upper and lower edges, and the edges of the shoulder straps, are bound with dark tan twill tape.
The only rigid part of this corset would have been a separate smooth strip of wood or bone, just over a foot long and 1.5" wide, called a busk. This would have been inserted through a slotted pocket that is sewn through all layers of fabric onto the white twilled cotton lining, down almost the full length of the center front. The lowest 1.125" of the busk pocket is closed with thirteen closely spaced, vertical rows of quilting. All other shaping is achieved through rows of cording that are run through channels quilted in brown thread through all layers of fabric. Double or triple parallel lines of cording define the high waist, stomach, and hips of the corset. The center front length of the corset body is 14.75"; the center back length of the corset body is 13.875"; the strap length is 7.875"; the edge-to-edge measure at the waist is 20.75".
To see a cartoon showing a lady slipping a busk into her corset, link to Progress of the Toilet.—THE STAYS.—Plate 1., 1810, by J. Gillray at The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University. To find out how to make a corset, link to The workwoman's guide, containing instructions in cutting out and completing articles of wearing apparel, by a lady (Second edition: 1840), pages 80 to 83 and Plate 11.
Date made
1825 - 1849
1810-1820
ID Number
CS.256746.006
catalog number
256746.006
accession number
256746
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1822
maker
Hotchkiss, Elizabeth Daggett
ID Number
1982.0579.07
catalog number
1982.0579.07
accession number
1982.0579
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1820
ID Number
TE.E317269
catalog number
E317269.000
accession number
67438
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1823
ID Number
CS.228001.0271
catalog number
228001.0271
This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven in a simplified version of the “Orange Peel” pattern. The two-paneled coverlet measures ninety-four inches in length by seventy-two inches wide.
Description
This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven in a simplified version of the “Orange Peel” pattern. The two-paneled coverlet measures ninety-four inches in length by seventy-two inches wide. The plain weave ground cloth is made up of natural or unbleached linen or cotton warp and weft yarn and the supplementary pattern weft is a 2-ply wool yarn. There is some staining and slight discoloration, but overall this coverlet is in fairly good condition. Because the donor collected this coverlet from and unknown sources, the date and maker of this blue and white, cotton and wool, overshot coverlet is unknown. The coverlet was probably made between 1790 and 1825 and could possibly be from New York. The weaver of this early coverlet would also likely have been a woman or group of women who would pool equipment and skill sets to produce domestic goods for themselves and their neighbors. Since this coverlet dates from the early 19th century, it is quite likely that some or even all of the yarns used were homespun. Professional weavers switched to machine-spun cotton as soon as it was available, but hand-spun wool continued in use in coverlets in the early 19th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1850
1800-1900
1790-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T6887
catalog number
T06887.000
accession number
011503
According to family legend, Elizabeth Harman wove this overshot coverlet in Highland County, Virginia in 1827.
Description
According to family legend, Elizabeth Harman wove this overshot coverlet in Highland County, Virginia in 1827. The accession file and original 1914 object label listed the coverlet creation date as 1827, but if Elizabeth Harman (1836-1881) were the weaver, it would likely have been woven between the years 1850-1881. The coverlet could also have been woven in either Highland or Augusta Co., VA. Elizabeth and her husband, Egbert and children moved to the Staunton, VA area between the years 1870-1880. As often happens, family histories tend to blur with subsequent generations. It is possible that Elizabeth Harman wove this coverlet in her youth or was given the coverlet as a wedding or trousseau gift. There is also always the possibility that the 1827 date is accurate, but that the attribution to Elizabeth was confused with an older ancestor. Without interwoven signatures or dates, it becomes impossible to absolutely date and attribute this coverlet.
This overshot coverlet is woven in the "Catalpa Flower" pattern. This pattern’s name, as with most overshot patterns, varied from region to region and state to state throughout time. In North Carolina this pattern could also be called, “Work Complete,” in Alabama, “Lady’s Fancy,” and “Gentleman’s Fancy” in Kentucky. Although the name varied, the structure remained the same. This coverlet features a plain weave ground composed of single Z-spun cotton warp and weft yarns with single Z-spun supplementary weft pattern floats. It is these floats that create the pattern and give the overshot structure its name.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1827
maker
Harmon, Elizabeth
ID Number
TE.T1444
catalog number
T01444.000
accession number
057006
Hannah Chandler (1761-1836) wove this "American Beauty" pattern, overshot coverlet using a light and medium blue 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun indigo-dyed cotton and linen warp, a Z-spun cotton single weft, and a 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun gold wool supplementary pattern weft.
Description
Hannah Chandler (1761-1836) wove this "American Beauty" pattern, overshot coverlet using a light and medium blue 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun indigo-dyed cotton and linen warp, a Z-spun cotton single weft, and a 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun gold wool supplementary pattern weft. The coverlet was woven as one length, cut in half, folded back on itself, and seamed up the middle, creating the full coverlet width. Although undated in the weave and lacking an embroidered date on the hemline, this coverlet was most likely woven c. 1790-1825 near Wilmington, Vermont. This coverlet is said to be made by Hannah Chandler. The donor is the great-granddaughter of Hannah, wife of Medad Smith. Hannah Chandler was born October 28, 1761 and died April 26, 1836. Medad Smith was born February 22, 1755, and married Hannah October 23, 1781. The coverlet was originally dated at 1780, but this is too early for plied cotton yarns to be found in the warp. Technology improved toward the end of the 18th century allowing for stronger cotton yarns that could withstand the tension of the loom. This coverlet is interesting because of the blue-dyed cotton and linen threads. When contrasted with the gold wool, this coverlet would have really stood out in a room.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1780
ca.1780
date made
c. 1790-1825
maker
Chandler, Hannah
Chandler, Hannah
ID Number
TE.T7728
catalog number
T7728
T. 7728
accession number
139053
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1821
ID Number
CS.228001.0235
catalog number
228001.0235
This red, blue, and white, overshot coverlet was woven in the "Granite State" pattern. There is a decorative self-fringe at the lower edge with a woven heading.
Description
This red, blue, and white, overshot coverlet was woven in the "Granite State" pattern. There is a decorative self-fringe at the lower edge with a woven heading. The coverlet measures 87 inches by 70.88 inches, and it was constructed from two panels, woven as one length, cut, and seamed in the middle. The warp is a 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton. The ground weft is a Z-spun cotton single, and the pattern weft is red and indigo, 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
first half 19th century?
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T18642
catalog number
T18642.000
accession number
1978.2528
This red, white, and blue, overshot panel was woven on a multishaft loom, likely in Pennsylvania, sometime in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. There is fringe along the side and bottom borders.
Description
This red, white, and blue, overshot panel was woven on a multishaft loom, likely in Pennsylvania, sometime in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. There is fringe along the side and bottom borders. The border found on two sides of the coverlet panel was created from a fractional reduction of the main block pattern. The coverlet panel was woven using wool and cotton yarns.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1800-1825
ID Number
1998.0360.175
accession number
1998.0360
This blue and white, "Chariot Wheel" patterned, overshot coverlet was a bequest to the National Museum in 1934 from the Misses Long, and had been on loan to the Smithsonian’s collection since 1910.
Description
This blue and white, "Chariot Wheel" patterned, overshot coverlet was a bequest to the National Museum in 1934 from the Misses Long, and had been on loan to the Smithsonian’s collection since 1910. One of the earliest coverlets in the collection, it was initially termed a counterpane. The coverlet was part of "The Arts of the Thread" exhibit in the Textile Room at the National Museum (A&I). The Misses Long were sisters living in the Washington, D.C. area and important benefactors of the Smithsonian at the end of the 19th and early decades of the 20th century. This coverlet is just one of many objects left by the sisters after their deaths. The coverlet is made of cotton and wool with two-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton warp yarns and Z-spun cotton singles making up the weft. The ground cloth is a plain or tabby weave, and the supplementary float patterning uses a high-twist, Z-spun woolen yarn that has been dyed blue almost certainly with indigo. The coverlet, like all coverlets not woven on a broad loom, has a center seam. The coverlet would have been woven as one 32-inch-wide length, cut in half, then folded back on itself and seamed up the middle, making the whole coverlet 64 inches wide. The use of cotton in the warp dates the coverlet to 1790 at the earliest. The 1825 end date was chosen, because the introduction of the Jacquard patterning mechanism all but replaced traditional overshot patterning in many regions of the United States.
date made
1800-1816
c. 1790-1825
ID Number
TE.L6951
accession number
113420
The donor’s great-great-grandmother wove this blue and white, overshot coverlet featuring the pattern known as "Queen's Delight "or "Mary Simmons" c. 1800-1825 in Cortland County, New York. The donor’s grandmother was Mrs.
Description
The donor’s great-great-grandmother wove this blue and white, overshot coverlet featuring the pattern known as "Queen's Delight "or "Mary Simmons" c. 1800-1825 in Cortland County, New York. The donor’s grandmother was Mrs. Evalina Bean Hammund, but the name of her great-great-grandmother is unknown and there were no further details about through which line of her family it may have descended. The coverlet was constructed from two panels woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle. The ground cloth was woven from a white 2 ply, s-twist, z-spun cotton warp, a z-twist, s-spun cotton single ground weft, and a 2-ply, s-twist, z-spun wool supplementary pattern weft. The coverlet measures 77 inches by 70 inches.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
19th century
early 19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T16385
catalog number
T16385.000
accession number
303434
"Housewife" or sewing case. Pouch style case with a drawstring closure and long foldover flap. Pieced of five different printed cotton fabrics (drab or brown predominant) and used for holding miscellaneous sewing equipment.
Description
"Housewife" or sewing case. Pouch style case with a drawstring closure and long foldover flap. Pieced of five different printed cotton fabrics (drab or brown predominant) and used for holding miscellaneous sewing equipment. Donor comment: "Belonged to Great Aunt Bordman of New England. First quarter 19th C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T07734.000
catalog number
T07734.000
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
mismarked on object
1818
Date made
1821
ID Number
CS.228001.0195
catalog number
228001.0195
This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven using linen and wool in an “Orange Peel” pattern. The warp is a white, linen, 2-ply, s-twist, z-spun yarn. Both the ground weft and supplementary pattern weft are z-spun singles. The pattern weft is dyed blue.
Description
This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven using linen and wool in an “Orange Peel” pattern. The warp is a white, linen, 2-ply, s-twist, z-spun yarn. Both the ground weft and supplementary pattern weft are z-spun singles. The pattern weft is dyed blue. The coverlet measures 95.5 inches by 68 inches, and coverlet was constructed from two panels woven as one length, cut, and seamed together to create the finished width. Based on the use of linen in the warp it is possible to date this coverlet from 1770-1820.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 18th early 19th century
1770-1820
ID Number
TE.T18519
catalog number
T18519.000
accession number
1978.0780
This "Catalpa Flower" pattern, overshot coverlet was made from brown 2-ply, S-Twist, Z-spun wool and cotton between the years 1790-1820 in Darlington County, SC.
Description
This "Catalpa Flower" pattern, overshot coverlet was made from brown 2-ply, S-Twist, Z-spun wool and cotton between the years 1790-1820 in Darlington County, SC. This overshot coverlet was a gift of the Field family and came with detailed genealogies linking the coverlet to the family of Col. Lemuel Benton (1754-1818). The Benton family home, Stony Hill, now demolished, was just outside of Mechanicsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. It was likely made on the family's farm, possibly by enslaved spinners and weavers.
Colonel Lemuel Benton (1754-1818) was born in Granville County, North Carolina. As a young man he moved to Darlington County, South Carolina. He became an eminent landowner and planter in what was then known as the Cheraw District. Benton was elected major of the Cheraw Regiment in 1777. . He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1781 and resigned his commission in 1794. After the Revolutionary War, Col. Benton severed in the South Carolina State House of Representatives from 1782-1788. Benton also served as a county court justice, county treasurer, sheriff, and as a delegate to the state’s convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1788 and 1790. Colonel Benton also served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Benton retired to his estate, Stony Hill in Darlington County where he died in 1818.
Colonel Benton appears to have been married twice. He and his first wife, who has yet to be identified, had a daughter, Charlotte Benton Prince (1783-1870). Col. Benton marries Elizabeth “Betsy” Kimbrough (b. 1776) sometime before the birth of their child, Gilly Hinton Benton Dubose (1789-1852). It is possible that his wives or daughters wove this coverlet. It is also just as likely that some of the ninety-five enslaved people recorded in the 1810 Federal Census were working in a loom house weaving coverlets, blankets, and cloth for the other enslaved people working on Benton’s land.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
first half of the 19th century
c. 1800-1850
c. 1790-1820
maker
unknown
ID Number
1997.0226.01
accession number
1997.0226
The weaver of this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet is unknown. The coverlet is unsigned, but dated in the cornerblocks which read, “U*S*A/A*D/1829.” The coverlet was woven in New York and the pattern design is reminiscent of James Alexander designs.
Description
The weaver of this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet is unknown. The coverlet is unsigned, but dated in the cornerblocks which read, “U*S*A/A*D/1829.” The coverlet was woven in New York and the pattern design is reminiscent of James Alexander designs. The centerfield features a “Double Rose” medallion with mirrored repeats of the spire of Federal Hall. There is no fringe on this coverlet. There are three borders. The lower border features double-headed shielded Great Seal eagles flanked by pine trees. The side borders depict that same double-headed eagles along with depictions of Federal Hall.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1829
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T12674
catalog number
T12674.000
accession number
237317
A member of the Copp family of Stonington, Connecticut wove this green, red, and white, overshot coverlet in a “Single Chariot Wheel” pattern. The coverlet was constructed of two panels woven as one length and features an applied wool fringe on three sides.Currently not on view
Description
A member of the Copp family of Stonington, Connecticut wove this green, red, and white, overshot coverlet in a “Single Chariot Wheel” pattern. The coverlet was constructed of two panels woven as one length and features an applied wool fringe on three sides.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
1790-1820
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.H6674
catalog number
H006674.000
accession number
028810
This blue and white double-woven geometric coverlet was made in the very late 18th or early 19th century. The center design of the coverlet features alternating rows of “X”’s and squares.
Description
This blue and white double-woven geometric coverlet was made in the very late 18th or early 19th century. The center design of the coverlet features alternating rows of “X”’s and squares. The coverlet has three deep borders of elongated “Pine Trees.” Three of the four edges are turned under, and stitched in place with an overcast stitch. The fourth edge is finished with a self fringe. The coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and may have been woven in Maryland. The name of the weaver is unknown. Since this coverlet is double-woven, it is reversible, and has two sets of warp and filling yarns. Textiles such as this were frequently listed in household inventories, and passed down through several generations of the same family.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1790-1820
late 18th century
early 19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T16960
catalog number
T16960.000
accession number
308475
Counterpane made of two strips of 44-inch, stout, handwoven, cotton muslin seamed up center and embroidered in an ornate design-center vase and floral forms (Tree of Life), corner motifs, and vine border, suggestive of Indian and Chinese patterning--executed in a variety of stitc
Description
Counterpane made of two strips of 44-inch, stout, handwoven, cotton muslin seamed up center and embroidered in an ornate design-center vase and floral forms (Tree of Life), corner motifs, and vine border, suggestive of Indian and Chinese patterning--executed in a variety of stitches (blanket, button hole background, close buttonhole, Cretan, feather, figure, herringbone, Japanese, knotted, satin, star filling, and stem) with coarse, 3-ply cotton thread. Finish, applied 4 1/2" woven, cut fringe with fancy, openwork, self heading. .Dated May 8, 1822, and made by Hetty Bradley, daughter of Major John Bradley of Revolutionary fame, and a sister of the donor's great-grandmother. plantation near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1822
ID Number
TE.T08874.000
catalog number
T08874.000
A member of the Copp family of Stonington, Connecticut wove this pink, red, medium red, gold, and brown diamond twill weave coverlet in the late 18th century using 2-ply and single-ply linen yarns for the warp and 2-ply cotton yarns for the ground weft.
Description
A member of the Copp family of Stonington, Connecticut wove this pink, red, medium red, gold, and brown diamond twill weave coverlet in the late 18th century using 2-ply and single-ply linen yarns for the warp and 2-ply cotton yarns for the ground weft. The pattern is similar the pattern known as "Granite State.” The lower fringe is five inches long, and was created by knotting the linen warp yarns used in the coverlet.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
very late 18th century or early 19th century
date made
c. 1770-1820
c. 1790-1820
ID Number
TE.H6676
catalog number
H006676.000
accession number
28810
This single-woven cotton and wool overshot coverlet was made in the early 19th century. It is part of the Copp Collection of costume and household textiles given to the Museum in the late 19th century. The coverlet was woven in two sections, which were sewn together.
Description
This single-woven cotton and wool overshot coverlet was made in the early 19th century. It is part of the Copp Collection of costume and household textiles given to the Museum in the late 19th century. The coverlet was woven in two sections, which were sewn together. The patterns used are known as “Four Roses” and “Table,” and the coverlet is finished with a hand-woven wool fringe two and one-half inches deep. The center seam, fringe, and hems are all sewn with cotton thread. The weaver and the owner remain unknown. The Copps first arrived in America in 1635. By the 18th century, the descendents of the first Copps were living in Stonington, Connecticut, working as merchants and businessmen. They imported textiles for sale, and like other colonists, they engaged in some home production as well.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1780-1810
early 19th century
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.H6678
catalog number
H006678.000
accession number
028810
This white and blue, geometric, double-cloth coverlet features a “Nine Snowball” pattern centerfield and “Pine Tree” border.
Description
This white and blue, geometric, double-cloth coverlet features a “Nine Snowball” pattern centerfield and “Pine Tree” border. These patterns were developed in the German States of the Holy Roman Empire at the end of the seventeenth century and were initially used in damask linen weaving on a much smaller scale. Several German weavers published books during the Early Modern period, and they were translated into numerous languages and this style of block weaving, as it is known, spread across Europe. Immigrant weavers brought these structures and patterns to the United States, increased the scale of the patterns, and wove them as double cloth both for coverlets and ingrain carpet. This coverlet panel was initially woven as one length, cut, folded back on itself, and seamed up the middle to create the finished coverlet. The coverlet panel measures 78 inches by 69.75 inches. The “Pine Tree” borders found along three sides were created from fractional reduction of the main block patterning. While women were fully capable of weaving overshot and summer and winter coverlets on their own simple looms, many of the geometric double loom patterns required looms with multiple shafts and are traditionally associated with male, professional weavers. There is no information about who may have woven this coverlet or where it may have come from. Double cloth requires the use of two sets of warp and weft that exchange places, binding what would otherwise be two separate pieces of plain weave fabric and creating the color contrasting design. The white cotton yarns are all 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun and the indigo-dyed wool yarns are all 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun as well. According to the accession file, this coverlet was woven between 1800 and 1825. The donor believes that Priscilla and Sarah Furbee, grandmother and aunt of her husband John Kinder, carded, dyed the yarn used in this coverlet, and wove it as well. See the hand written note on an envelope in the accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T14207
catalog number
T14207.000
accession number
274327

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