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.

Samuel Hippert wove this Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet which features a carpet medallion center field in a stylized “Double Iris” pattern.
Description
Samuel Hippert wove this Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet which features a carpet medallion center field in a stylized “Double Iris” pattern. The bottom and side borders feature pairs of addorsed roosters and garland inner border, inscribed mid-border featuring the weaver’s initials and the word patent, and double flower outer border. The inscribed cornerblocks contain the initials S.H., the location, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and the date, 1837. The use of the term patent in the border indicates that Hippert was weaving on an improved loom with a registered patent. It is possible that Hippert was weaving with the improved carpet and coverlet loom patented by fellow coverlet weavers and industrial machinists, Jonathan Conger and George Deterich. Conger and Deterich registered their patent in 1831. Structurally, the coverlet is 2:1 tied-Beiderwand, an integrated weave structure where evenly spaced warp yarns are dedicated to binding or tying two separate weave structures together on alternating sides of the fabric. This alternation creates a ribbed effect on the surface of the textile that makes this structure easy to identify. The weaver used rose, dark blue, white and green 2-ply , S-twist, Z-spun wool, and Z-spun white cotton singles for the weft or filling and light blue Z-spun singles for the tying warp and 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton for the remainder of the warp yarns. The coverlet was woven in two lengthwise panels and may have been originally been longer. There is significant damage and loss across the top half of the coverlet likely due to insects and storage issues. It is possible it was re-hemmed sometime in its past and that some of the length on the top half was removed. At one time there was a self-fringe on each side and an applied fringe on the lower edge. There is still traces of these fringes remaining.
Samuel Hippert (Hippard) (1808-1886) was the weaver. According to Clarita Anderson and John Heisey, Hippert was active in Mt. Joy and Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania into the 1840s. Samuel and his wife, Mary’s youngest child, George was born in Pennsylvania in 1847. The family must have already been planning a move, because the 1850 Federal Census lists Samuel and his family living in Somers, Preble County, Ohio. He is recorded as working as a wool manufacturer. History of Preble County, Ohio (1881) by H.Z. Williams and Brothers further explained that Hippert opened a woolen mill and carding factory 1848 and eventually bought and operated another nearby woolen factory producing roving, yarn, finished cloth, and blankets from 1854-1860. These blankets presumably being coverlets although Hippert’s signed coverlets all come from his time in Lancaster County. The 1860 Federal Census recorded Samuel and his family living in Cass County, Indiana where he is identified as a wool carder. After that census, Samuel disappears from the record. His wife, Mary, age fifty-six and his son, George, age twenty-three are listed as living in Ward Three, Indianapolis, Indiana in the 1870 Federal Census. George was a clerk at a bookstore, and Mary kept house. What became of Samuel during that decade has thus far remained a mystery. In 1880, George is living in New York City. Samuel apparently returned to Pennsylvania where he died in Harrisburg in 1886. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1837
weaver
Hippert, Samuel
ID Number
TE.E259592
catalog number
E259592.000
accession number
051534
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
This blue and white, Summer-and-Winter coverlet features a block woven, geometric design throughout based on variations of “Snowball” and “Rose and Star” patterns. The coverlet has a “Pine Tree” variation border on three sides.
Description
This blue and white, Summer-and-Winter coverlet features a block woven, geometric design throughout based on variations of “Snowball” and “Rose and Star” patterns. The coverlet has a “Pine Tree” variation border on three sides. The border designs on geometric, block-woven coverlets are created from fractional reductions of the block pattern motifs. This coverlet uses two different block pattern designs. The block pattern repeat measures 5 inches by 5 inches. There is a relatively long, knotted applied fringe on two sides of coverlet. It is believed this fringe was added much later. One edge is unfinished, the other is hand hemmed. The coverlet was woven in two pieces and seamed up the middle with whip stitch. There is no information about who may have made this coverlet or where is originally was used. These patterns and style of coverlet could be found all along the East Coast and were woven by English, German, and Scots-Irish settlers. This coverlet was likely woven anytime between the years, 1790-1830 because of the use of mill-spun cotton yarn in the warp and weft.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
19th century
date made
c. 1790-1830
ID Number
1980.0376.01
accession number
1980.0376
catalog number
1980.0376.01
The weaver of these Scipio, New York coverlets has yet to be identified.
Description
The weaver of these Scipio, New York coverlets has yet to be identified. This blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet has a “Double Rose,” carpet medallion centerfield, double-headed “Eagle and Federal Hall” side borders, double-headed “Eagle and Tree” bottom border, and no fringe. The pattern repeat unit is 18.5 inches by 14.25 inches. The border is 7.5 Inches wide on all sides. The coverlet has a center seam which is hand stitched but does not appear to be original because the thread is so white in contrast to the yellowed white yarns in the coverlet It has been hemmed on all four sides. It was a common practice to undo the center seam when washing coverlets. Because of their overall size and the weight of them wet, they were more easily managed in panels. The coverlet has woven inscription in the two bottom corner blocks which read, "Matilda Gray Scipio NY 1830." Being double-cloth, the coverlet was woven from two sets of warps and wefts made up of 3-ply, S-Twist, Z-Spun cotton and wool yarns. Although this coverlet was woven in New York, it was purchased by the donor in the twentieth century in Napa, California, attesting the importance of coverlets as family heirlooms and their association with westward expansion in America. There were many people named Matilda Gray living in New York State in 1830; however, the best candidate for the owner of this coverlet seems to be the Matilda Gray born circa 1809-1812.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1830
ID Number
1982.0459.01
accession number
1982.0459
catalog number
1982.0459.01
An as-of-yet unidentified weaver from the Bergen County, New Jersey area wove this medium blue and dark blue, Figured and Fancy, double cloth, coverlet.
Description
An as-of-yet unidentified weaver from the Bergen County, New Jersey area wove this medium blue and dark blue, Figured and Fancy, double cloth, coverlet. There is no center seam, indicating that this coverlet was woven on a broad loom, which would have required at least two weavers to throw the shuttle back and forth or a spring-loaded fly shuttle. The centerfield design is made up of an ovular central medallion composed of various flowers including what appears to be hyacinths. There is a ring of silhouetted floral designs and fylfots circling that. There is a double border of grape vines and single grape leafs with grapes on three sides. The outer border is cut off and the inner border is cut almost in half along the top. The name Mary Van Emburgh and the date 1838, are woven into the two lower corners. The thread count of this coverlet is 16 warp and 18 weft per inch. The fringe is three inches deep. There is a possibility that this coverlet was woven by David Haring (1880-1889) or a weaver in his shop. Harring is known to have owned a broad loom and the designs, layout, and double border all fall into his design aesthetic.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1838
ID Number
1981.0274.06
accession number
1981.0274
catalog number
1981.0274.06
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1832
ID Number
TE.T13489
catalog number
T13489.000
accession number
254382
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1830
ID Number
TE.T13490B
accession number
254382
This sampler features a monument, rendered in perspective, flanked by two small trees and a flowering plant.
Description
This sampler features a monument, rendered in perspective, flanked by two small trees and a flowering plant. On the top of the sampler is the inscription:
“So fadef[s] the
lovely blooming
flower

Cut of in lifef[s]
erlief[s]t hour.”
On the monument is the inscription:
“In Memory
of
Sarah Pervier
who died 16th
of April 1826
aged 8 monthf[s]”
The monument represents death and Lydia’s inscription on the top comes from two different sources. The first line is by Anne Steele (1716-1778) from a poem entitled “On the Death of a Child” and the second line is from a hymn that is part of the Catholic liturgy for the feast of Holy Innocents (December 28). The sampler is stitched with silk and cotton embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 44, weft 44/ in. The stitches used are cross, satin, chain, and detached chain.
Nothing is known about the life of Lydia Marden.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1826-1836
maker
Marden, Lydia
ID Number
TE.E388181
catalog number
E388181
accession number
182022
Below family record, pyramidal monument (memorial to deceased sister) flanked by rosebushes and butterflies, under weeping willow tree, on ground-line worked in "crinkled" silk. To left of monument, verse in square outline, all lettering black.
Description
Below family record, pyramidal monument (memorial to deceased sister) flanked by rosebushes and butterflies, under weeping willow tree, on ground-line worked in "crinkled" silk. To left of monument, verse in square outline, all lettering black. Border of geometric flowering vine on all four sides. Silk embroidery thread on linen ground. STITCHES: cross, crosslet, satin, stem. THREAD COUNT: warp 28, weft 31/in.
Inscriptions:
"A Family Reccord
Nathaniel and Margaret Pof[s]ey
The Parent's of thof[s]e Children
SoPhia Maria Pof[s]ey born Oct 8th 1813
Fredrick Jerome Pof[s]ey born Feb 28 1815
Margaret Pof[s]ey born Dec 19th 1816
John Pittf[s] Pof[s]ey born Oct 12 1818
Mary Jane Pof[s]ey born Dec 3d 1820
Hester Ann Pof[s]ey born Dec 28 1822
Nathaniel Boliver Pof[s]ey born April 11 1827
Henry Clay Pof[s]ey born Aug 14 1829"
To left of monument in square:
"Weep not my frien
df[s]. af[s] you paff[ss] by.
af[s] you are now. f[s]o
once Waf[s] I. af[s] i
am now. So you
muf[s]t be. prepare
to meet me in
Eternity."
Embroidered on the monument are the following words:
"sacred
to The -
Memory of
Margaret Posey
Who died Feb 2
A.D. 1824 aged 8 YS
1 Month and 14 days
Below monument:
"Hester. Ann. Poseyf[s] Sampler Finished in the 15.th
year of her age. A.D. 1837."
Background:
Hester was born on December 28, 1822, to Nathaniel and Margaret Posey in Baltimore, MD. Nathaniel and Margaret Kemp were married on October 9, 1812, in Frederick, Maryland. Hester was a teacher and did not marry. She died November 7, 1916 in Frederick, MD.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1837
maker
Posey, Hester Ann
ID Number
TE.E365238
catalog number
E365238.000
accession number
124238
Abram Allen wove this Jacquard, double-cloth coverlet in Ohio in 1838. Measuring eighty-two inches by seventy-four inches, the coverlet features a stylized tulip, bell-flower, or pear centerfield with bird and tree borders.
Description
Abram Allen wove this Jacquard, double-cloth coverlet in Ohio in 1838. Measuring eighty-two inches by seventy-four inches, the coverlet features a stylized tulip, bell-flower, or pear centerfield with bird and tree borders. The side borders also feature a quadrupled sine curve border and the bottom border is made up of a six-fold sine curve. The word Ohio and the date 1838 are woven into two lower corners of the coverlet. Although unsigned, this coverlet can be attributed to Abram Allen and is similar to another coverlet in the NMAH collection (1980.0089.01). This double-cloth coverlet was woven from a combination of two sets of wool and cotton warps that exchange places revealing the pattern and lock the two separate plain weave structures together in a complementary weave structure. Abram Allen was born May 3, 1796, in Ireland. He married Kate Cata Howlan (1800-1866) June 25, 1818, and died June 7, 1867, in Clinton, OH. Coverlet scholar, John Heisey described him as the only man in the county with a flying shuttle, suggesting he owned a broad loom. This makes more sense when considering that the coverlet is one piece rather that center-seamed. Clarita Anderson noted that later in his life, Allen was listed in various census as both a wagon-maker and farmer, suggesting that weaving was only ever a part of his economic activity in Clinton County. Henry Ford Museum in Michigan and the Art Institute of Chicago both possess coverlets in the style of the one held by NMAH.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1838
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T10093
catalog number
T10093.000
accession number
134186
Archibald Davidson (b. 1771), proprietor of the Ithaca Carpet Factory, wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double- cloth coverlet in 1838. This centerfield design features a stylized “Double Tulip” carpet medallion motif offset by floral diamond motifs.
Description
Archibald Davidson (b. 1771), proprietor of the Ithaca Carpet Factory, wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double- cloth coverlet in 1838. This centerfield design features a stylized “Double Tulip” carpet medallion motif offset by floral diamond motifs. The coverlet features borders along three side. The two side borders are composed of an adorsed “Stag and Tree,” and the bottom border is composed of a more developed Independence Hall and Great Seal Eagle border found on earlier Davidson coverlets. In the lower two corners, the words "Woven at the Ithaca Carpet Factory by Arch'd Davidson 1838" appear. This coverlet belonged to James Madison Wheeler, grandfather of the donor. Archibald Davidson was born in Scotland in 1771, where he was trained as a weaver. He married Jane McPhail on December 10, 1795 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and they had five sons, one born in Pennsylvania and the other four in New Jersey. They later lived in both Tompkins and Warsaw Counties, New York. Davidson died January 5, 1854. This coverlet is composed of two panels woven as one length, cut, and sewn together to create the finished width.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1838
weaver
Davidson, Archibald
manufacturer
Ithaca Carpet Factory
ID Number
TE.T11470
catalog number
T11470.000
accession number
212398
This blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet features the “Double Tulip” carpet medallion centerfield associated with New York coverlet weaver, James Alexander and the “Agriculture and Manufactures” group of coverlets.
Description
This blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet features the “Double Tulip” carpet medallion centerfield associated with New York coverlet weaver, James Alexander and the “Agriculture and Manufactures” group of coverlets. The expected eagle and Masonic column borders appear on both sides. The lack of a bottom border or cornerblocks suggests that this coverlet has been cut down during its life. Without the bottom border or cornerblocks, attribution to a maker or group is impossible. The coverlet measures 75 inches by 67 inches. The length is considerably shorter than other complete coverlets of this pattern. The white cotton warp and weft is 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun yarn and the indigo blue warp and weft is 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun yarns. This coverlet was acquired from the donor's father's estate after his death. He was a collector of "Early American things."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1820s-1830s
ID Number
TE.T18040
catalog number
T18040.00S
accession number
321783
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1830
ID Number
TE.E151391B
catalog number
E151391.00B
accession number
23319
Michael Eichman (1814-1883) wove this Figured and Fancy, red, white, blue, and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Juniata County, Pennsylvania in 1850. The name of the weaver, Michael Eichman, and the location Juniata, Co.
Description
Michael Eichman (1814-1883) wove this Figured and Fancy, red, white, blue, and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Juniata County, Pennsylvania in 1850. The name of the weaver, Michael Eichman, and the location Juniata, Co. Penn., are woven into the two lower corners along with the date, 1850. The center field pattern is made up of “Double Lily and Starburst” carpet medallions, and the three borders feature “Rose Tree” motifs. The colors appear in stripes across the coverlet, a common design feature of Pennsylvania woven coverlets. There is no center seam indicating that Eichman was using a broadloom and possibly involved in small factory production. The coverlet measures 88 inches by 72 inches. There were several small woolen mills in Juniata County that could have employed Eichman as a fancy weaver. The coverlet was made for a member of the Phillip Crater family. It descended in the family of his son Joel, who was born in Pennsylvania, but by 1850 and according to the Federal Census, the family had moved to Illinois. In 1884 the family went to Missouri by covered wagon and the coverlet went with them. Michael Eichman was born in Hamburg in the German States, immigrating to Philadelphia in 1836, possibly working at one of the many textile factories in and around the city. He soon relocated to Freeburg, Snyder County. Family legend recorded that Eichman would carry his coverlets on his back and sell them on his way from Snyder County to Philadelphia. This was evidently a successful venture because he was able to purchase land in Cocolamus, Juniata County where he continued to weave and farm.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1830
maker
Michael Eichman
ID Number
2002.0306.01
accession number
2002.0306
Archibald Davidson wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet for Sarepta C. White in Ithaca, New York in 1835. The centerfield design is made up of a “Double Rose” carpet medallion pattern. The coverlet has two borders along three sides.
Description
Archibald Davidson wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet for Sarepta C. White in Ithaca, New York in 1835. The centerfield design is made up of a “Double Rose” carpet medallion pattern. The coverlet has two borders along three sides. The one at the bottom of the coverlet features American eagles, with shields, and stars, and horses. The borders that run along the other two edges, feature meandering floral vines and stars. The two lower corners have the following inscription woven into them: Sarepta C. White, Liberty & Independence, Ithaca 1835 A Davidson Fancy Weaver." The blue yarns are wool and the white yarns are cotton. The coverlet has two hemmed edges, and two edges that appear to have been cut, and are now unraveling. Archibald Davidson was born in Scotland in 1771, where he was trained as a weaver. He married Jane McPhail December 10, 1795 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and they had five sons one born in Pennsylvania and the other four in New Jersey. They lived in both Tompkins and Warsaw Counties, New York. He died January 5, 1854. In 1832 Archibald Davidson advertised himself in the Ithaca Journal and Daily Advertiser as a “fancy weaver” and went on to inform the public that he had purchased a “patent loom.” In 1849, he advertised for an apprentice, stating that: “None need apply unless well recommended.”Blue and white medallion with roses, eagles nd flowers
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1846
date made
1835
maker
Davidson, Archibald
ID Number
TE.E388874
catalog number
E388874
accession number
182022
This double-woven geometric coverlet features a diamond centerfield and border with elaborate fringe. Woven in Andalusia, Spain in the early decades of the 19th century with pink and red yarns, this coverlet is composed of two sections with center seam.
Description
This double-woven geometric coverlet features a diamond centerfield and border with elaborate fringe. Woven in Andalusia, Spain in the early decades of the 19th century with pink and red yarns, this coverlet is composed of two sections with center seam. The long, elaborate fringe is attached to the coverlet body via a woven tape which gives the bottom corners a rounded appearance. The centerfield and deep border patterns are geometric and diamond in nature and evocative of Moorish-influenced, Southern Spanish tastes.
The yarns are all either S-spun wool singles in pink and red or three-ply, S-twist, Z-spun unbleached cotton. Curator emerita, Rita Androsko acquired this piece from French textile curator, Jean Pilisi in the 1960s when the National Museum of American History was the Museum of Art and Industry. This Spanish, Jacquard-woven coverlet was collected as a rare example of international coverlet weaving and as a piece for comparative study with the growing American coverlet collection.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1804-1840
1810-1830
ID Number
TE.T13986
catalog number
T13986.000
accession number
269348
This Jacquard, red, white, blue & green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet came from the workshop of Andrew Kump (1811-1868). Kump worked in Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania, but advertised in Northern Maryland as well as Pennsylvania. Kump employed another weaver named Valentine Cook.
Description
This Jacquard, red, white, blue & green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet came from the workshop of Andrew Kump (1811-1868). Kump worked in Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania, but advertised in Northern Maryland as well as Pennsylvania. Kump employed another weaver named Valentine Cook. Kump evidently retired from coverlet weaving, because in 1855, William Gernand advertised that he had recently purchased Kump’s equipment and inventory.
This coverlet measures 76x90 inches with fringe on 3 sides. It was woven in two sections from wool and cotton yarns and seamed up the middle with a whip stitch. The side and bottom double borders feature doubled eight-pointed stars and laurel branches. The centerfield design is the common “Double Lily and Starburst” carpet medallion pattern. The words "Andrew Kump Hanover" are woven into two corners, along with the date 1836, and the letters "G.E." There is an interesting error where the side borders and corner blocks meet. Kump’s extant coverlets date from 1834-1853, and this would have been just a few years into his use of the Jacquard attachment.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1836
weaver
Kump, Andrew
ID Number
TE.T8955
catalog number
T08955.000
accession number
164228
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1824-1830
ID Number
TE.T08118
catalog number
T08118
accession number
145752
Emanuel Meily wove this coverlet in 1838. The coverlet is red, white, blue, and green, and is made of cotton and wool. It features a center design of sunburst medallions with lily wreaths.
Description
Emanuel Meily wove this coverlet in 1838. The coverlet is red, white, blue, and green, and is made of cotton and wool. It features a center design of sunburst medallions with lily wreaths. This design is sometimes called “Stars and Lilies.” The lower two corners contain the name of the weaver, Emanuel Meily, his county, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and the date 1838. Emanuel Meily (about 1805—1869) was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and had his weaving business there. According to Clarita S. Anderson in her book, American Coverlets and Their Weavers, there are two Emanuel Meileys listed in the 1840 census of Lebanon Co. One was a 60 to 70- year-old head of household, (no occupation given) and the other was a 30-to-40-year-old head of household engaged in “manufactures and trades.” The 1850 census lists an Emanuel “Meiley “ as a blue dyer, and the 1860 census lists an Emanuel “Meiley” as a 45 year-old laborer with real estate and personal property.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1838
weaver
Meily, Emanuel
ID Number
TE.T16417
catalog number
T16417
accession number
304266
Embroidered sampler worked in 1830 by 11-year old Mary Harrison of Alexandria, Virginia. In upper half of sampler, flanking verses, flowering plant with birds flying overhead, and lady and gentleman under tree.
Description
Embroidered sampler worked in 1830 by 11-year old Mary Harrison of Alexandria, Virginia. In upper half of sampler, flanking verses, flowering plant with birds flying overhead, and lady and gentleman under tree. Man wears short flared coat and carries cane; lady wears elaborate hat, long-sleeved dress, and pantalettes, and carries small bag with long ribbon straps and what appears to be furled parasol. In lower half, large flat-roofed building with tall windows and columns. On flat roof recessed second story also flat-roofed but with large semicircular window. Building stands on lawn (or hill) flanked by trees, urns of flowers, and spotted dog. Border of geometric strawberry vine on all four sides. Silk embroidery thread on linen ground. STITCHES: cross, crosslet, queen, satin, double cross, four-sided, chain, stem. THREAD COUNT: warp 29, weft 31/in.
Inscriptions:
"What iS the blooming fair
And tincture of the Skin
to Peace of mind from care
And harmony within
Sickness and age will blaSt
All outward charmeS away
Virtue will Sooth at last
in deathS tremendiouS day
See the Kind Shepherd JeSuS StandS
with all engaging charmeS
Hark how he calls his tender lambs
And folds them in his arms
Mary Harrison Aged Eleven Years
Alexandria July 1830"
Background:
Mary Harrison was born September 18, 1818, to John and Elizabeth Carlin Harrison of Alexandria, Virginia She married December 28, 1842, Isaac Kell (1814-1864). She died June 30, 1906.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1830
maker
Harrison, Mary
ID Number
TE.T14710
catalog number
T14710
accession number
280469
This coverlet with floral sprig and dotted centerfield, grapevine borders, and 8-pointed starburst cornerblocks features a woven inscription, "Andrew and Mary Corsa 1836.” It is double-woven with two sets of cotton and indigo wool warps wefts.
Description
This coverlet with floral sprig and dotted centerfield, grapevine borders, and 8-pointed starburst cornerblocks features a woven inscription, "Andrew and Mary Corsa 1836.” It is double-woven with two sets of cotton and indigo wool warps wefts. The coverlet was woven in 1836 most likely in Suffolk, Nassau, or Westchester Counties, New York. Susan Rabbit Goody wrote the book on Long Island, NY coverlets and the same grapevine border with names inscribed in the vine, and starburst cornerblocks are all common features of a yet-to-be-identified weaver.
Andrew Corsa (1762-1852), the customer, lived in Fordham Manor in the Bronx. His grandfather established a family farm on what is today the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University. Andrew's father, Isaac (1733-1822) held a commission in the British military. During the Revolution, Isaac remained loyal to the British, fleeing to Nova Scotia where he would spend the rest of his life. Andrew, however, was a patriot. He was the youngest and longest lived of the "Westchester Guides" who served as navigators, scouts, and spies for Gens. Washington and Rochambeau during the 1780-82 campaign of the American and French armies. The family farm was lost due to lawsuits and debt settlement. Andrew bought land adjacent to the family farm and started over, eventually developing his own pear cultivar, the "Corsian Vergaloo." Mary Poole was Andrew's second wife. They were married in the Fordham Dutch Reform Church in 1792. Corsa Ave. in the Bronx is named in Andrew's honor for his service during the Revolutionary War. The weaver of this coverlet is still unidentified. Goody listed a table of known grapevine border coverlets in her book. Further genealogical research on the inscription names on those coverlets shows that most of the names that are possible to accurately identify are associated with either Suffolk or Nassau Counties on Long Island, particularly the town of Southold, NY. Goody also pointed out that there is an as of yet unidentified connection between the communities of Westchester and Bronx Counties and the counties of Long Island.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1836
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T16366
catalog number
T16366.000
accession number
301344
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1810-1830
ID Number
TE.E317254
catalog number
E317254.000
accession number
67438
This sampler features a footed bowl on a square base, holding a large bouquet of flowers. One flower has been shaded with dark red and orange-red paint over the stitches.
Description
This sampler features a footed bowl on a square base, holding a large bouquet of flowers. One flower has been shaded with dark red and orange-red paint over the stitches. Jane included the inscription:

“These violets scent the distant gale;
They grew in lowly bed,
So real worth new merit gains,
By diffidence o’erspread:
Jane Winter Price
But as the fragrant myrtle wreath,
Will all the rest survive:
So shall the mental graces still,
Through endless ages live.”
To accompany her large bouquet of flowers, Jane Price used stanzas 2 and 9 from a verse accompanying a nosegay found in an English reader published in 1816. A small bouquet of flowers often given as a gift was known as a nosegay. The sampler is stitched with silk embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 25, weft 28/ in. The stitches used are chain, stem, surface satin, cross, outline, herringbone, crosslet, and French knot.
Jane Winter was born on March 17, 1818, to Richard and Catherine Winter Dunnington Price in Charles County, Maryland. She married Josiah Woods McHenry (b. May 14, 1815 in Christianburg, Virginia) on February 27, 1849, in Shelby, Alabama. They moved to Union Springs, Arkansas and had four children - Catherine Price (1850-), Barnabas Middleton (1852-), George Richard (1854-), and Jane Cornelia (1856-). By the 1870 census they were living in Homer, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, and she died there on January 11, 1899.
date made
1828-1835
maker
Price, Jane Winter
ID Number
TE.T12732
catalog number
T12732
accession number
241104
A weaver in Bethany, Genesee County, New York wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet for B. Vaneps in 1838.
Description
A weaver in Bethany, Genesee County, New York wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet for B. Vaneps in 1838. The coverlet measures 86 inches by 81 inches and was woven in one long length, cut into two 40 1/2 inch wide stripes, and sewn together with a center seam. The coverlet is made of the white cotton and indidgo-dyed wool. The centerfield pattern used features a “Double Lily and Stars” motif with a "Tree and Eagle" border. The design appears in white on one side, and blue on the other—the nature of double cloth. The lower cornerblocks bear the weaver's mark and "B.Vaneps 1838 Bethany Genesee County, N. Y." There is an applied fringe finish along two sides and the bottom edge. This coverlet was woven for the donor’s paternal grandmother, Betsey Wilson Vaneps (b. 1812). According to the donor, Betsey spun the wool used in this coverlet. Although the name of this particular weaver is unknown, there is a duplicate of this pattern with the name, B. McNaughten woven in the cornerblock, presumably another client.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1838
ID Number
TE.T9105
catalog number
T09105.000
accession number
168536

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