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 Jacquard double-cloth coverlet was donated as "a pair of drapes." Colonial Revival décor favored antique coverlet portieres. It is thought to have been woven in Ohio in the 1830s and is inscribed with the initials "J.W." in each corner.
Description
This Jacquard double-cloth coverlet was donated as "a pair of drapes." Colonial Revival décor favored antique coverlet portieres. It is thought to have been woven in Ohio in the 1830s and is inscribed with the initials "J.W." in each corner. Each of the two sections of the coverlet is 88 inches long, and 36 inches wide. The structure is composed of two sets of warps and wefts made up of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun white cotton and 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun madder red and indigo-dyed wool. The centerfield pattern consists of meandering floral straight repeat, creating columns of flowers that change direction at the center due to the coverlet’s two-panel construction. The weaver’s masterful understanding of color led him to change colors both the warp and weft allowing flowers to change color and utilizing half-tones when necessary. A running flower and leaf border frames the entire coverlet with the initials interwoven at the corners in lieu of a traditional corner block.
Jane Caughey (1795-1874), the donor's great grandmother, passed the coverlet down through the generations. Jane and her husband, William (b. 1781) were both born and married in Pennsylvania but lived most of their lives in New Concord, Muskingum County, Ohio. Jane and William’s first child, Rebecca Caughey Martin, was born in Pennsylvania in 1821. The first child born in Ohio, William, was born in 1832.
This coverlet was woven using a Jacquard head, which wasn't readily available in the US until after 1820. These looms and the Figured and Fancy coverlets woven on them were almost always operated by male, professional weavers. The donor's claim that her great-grandmother wove this coverlet is almost certainly false, but the claim that she raised the sheep and prepared the wool used to make it are likely accurate. Coverlet weavers often advertised that they were taking orders and would provide the cotton yarns needed and any dying, if the customer supplied the spun wool yarns.
This coverlet was probably woven by an Irish-born weaver named William Lunn (c. 1787-c. 1855). William and his wife Hannah immigrated to Pennsylvania sometime before 1820, as their son George was born in Pennsylvania in 1825-26. He first appears in Muskingum County, Ohio in the 1840 census, and both he and his son are listed as weavers in the 1850 census. William dies sometime in the 1850s, and his wife Hannah appears living with her son George who is recorded as a farmer in the 1860 Federal Census. The choice of both centerfield and border floral designs match those that appear on signed Lunn coverlets and the time frame and geography also lineup, suggesting that William Lunn wove this coverlet in the 1830s-1840s.
The appearance of the "JW" initials found in the corners of the coverlet are a mystery. There is no one in that belongs to or marries into the Caughey family with initials that match. It is possible that Jane and William Caughey purchased this coverlet at a public vendue or bought a readymade coverlet for which another client had failed to pay. The association with Lunn makes this the only the eighth attributed William Lunn coverlet.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
1820-1840
1830-1840
ID Number
TE.T13519
catalog number
T13519.000
accession number
254763
This Muir Family Figured and Fancy double-cloth coverlet has a geometric, stylized-floral carpet medallion centerfield with floral borders and a dated Muir Family cornerblock trademark in the lower two corners.
Description
This Muir Family Figured and Fancy double-cloth coverlet has a geometric, stylized-floral carpet medallion centerfield with floral borders and a dated Muir Family cornerblock trademark in the lower two corners. Two sets of blue and white wool and cotton warp and weft were used to create this coverlet, and there is a self-fringe along the lower edge. The upper edge of the coverlet is worn as is often the case with use. The dark blue yarns are wool singles, and the white yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun natural cotton.
This coverlet was made by one of the four Muir brothers who emigrated from Kilmarnock, Scotland between the years 1835-41. They were the sons of Scottish weaver, Thomas Muir and were active weavers from 1840-1864, settling first in Germantown, Wayne County, Indiana then dispersing across the state and later into Missouri as was the case with Robert Muir (b. 1808). Robert sold the farm in Germantown and moved to Liberty Twp., Delaware Co., IN. and was active 1840-1864. While in Liberty Township, Robert had invested in the Cincinnati, New Castle, Michigan Railroad. In 1853, he was able to sell his stocks in the railroad along with the farm and relocate to Missouri to live near the family of his brother-in-law, another Kilmarnock-born Indiana weaver, Joseph Gilmour.
Thomas Muir (1810-1888) lived in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana and was also active from 1840-1864. Thomas’ life is a bit of a mystery. There is little documentary evidence of his life in this country, but he and his brother William fought for the Union during the Civil War. John Muir (1815-1892) is the best documented of the weaving brothers. After making it to Indiana with his first wife and four children, the family lived with his brother, Robert. John moved to Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana in 1843. His weaving shop was located on the North side of the town square. In 1855, he and his brother William invested in land speculation in the town of Fillmore, Indiana, convinced it was going to become the next railroad boomtown. John’s last move was to Jackson Township, Parke County, Indiana where he passed away in 1888.
William Muir (1818-1888), the youngest of the brothers was trained as a drawboy and silk and paisley shawl weaver in Scotland, immigrating to the US in 1840 where he first lived in Germantown, Wayne Co., Indiana and was active from 1840-1864. In 1842, William left the partnership with his brother, John and moved to Indianapolis where he operated a three-loom workshop and employed two Irish weavers, Jonathan Wilson and Robert Shaw as journeymen. William’s business grew with the new city and by 1858, he sold railroad stock and his holdings in Indianapolis, purchased a 340-acre farm Clay County, Indiana, and essentially retired from full-time weaving.
The fact that the brothers were all active at the same time and likely shared or had copies of the same patterns and used the same signature trademark cornerblock, makes it hard if not impossible to associate this coverlet with any single brother. The Henry Ford Museum has another coverlet by the Muir Family in the exact same pattern suggesting that rather than a bespoke piece commissioned by an individual, this pattern was produced on spec and either marketed by the brothers themselves or sold through a dealer. If like the Craig family of Indiana, the Muirs were also using a modified drawloom rather than a Jacquard pattern mechanism to produce their coverlets, the tie-ups, treadling, and weaving would have been repeated from memory. The fact that William was trained as a drawboy would suggest that the family was engaged in drawloom weaving.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
ID Number
TE.T12680
catalog number
T12680.000
accession number
237217
Henry Oberly (1805-1874) likely wove this blue and red, Figured and Fancy, tied-Beiderwand coverlet for Anna Nancy King Zook (1784-1840) in Berks County, Pennsylvania sometime between 1835 and 1840.
Description
Henry Oberly (1805-1874) likely wove this blue and red, Figured and Fancy, tied-Beiderwand coverlet for Anna Nancy King Zook (1784-1840) in Berks County, Pennsylvania sometime between 1835 and 1840. The coverlet features a “Double Rose” carpet medallion centerfield where the motif is contained in large sunburst designs. There are borders along three sides. The side borders depict large adorsed peacocks on branches, and the bottom border depicts a town scene. Rather than traditional cornerblocks, the weaver has turned the bottom border pattern and included the client’s name, “Anna Zook” along the top. The coverlet was constructed from two panels that were woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle. The coverlet measures 94 inches by 80.5 inches. There is fringe on 3 sides of the coverlet. Motifs from this coverlet can also be found on coverlets woven by Henry Oberly (1805-1874), and Jacob Witmer (c.1797 - c.1887) of Lancaster Co. PA. Anna Zook’s location in Berks County as well as Oberly’s use of the same peacock and centerfield motifs, suggest that Oberly is the weaver of the this coverlet.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840s-1850s
1835-1840
maker
unknown
ID Number
1984.0170.06
accession number
1984.0170
catalog number
1984.0170.06
Andrew Corick signed this Jacquard, tied-Biederwand coverlet.
Description
Andrew Corick signed this Jacquard, tied-Biederwand coverlet. The centerfield pattern is the “Double Lillies” or “Lillies of France” pattern and the borders are the “Bird and Rosebush” pattern which features traditional Germanic folk motif of the confronted distelfinken (thistle finches). Corrick used horizontal color banding in blue, white, coral and green with self-fringe on three sides. . The woven inscription in the cornerblocks reads, "MIDDLETOWN FREDERICK COUNTY MARYLAND ANDREW CORICK'". The coverlet was woven in two panels each 38 inches wide. This exact coverlet design can be found replicated in Pennsylvania, Maryland (by other weavers), Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia (Western Virginia at the time), and New York. The earliest known coverlet with this pattern was woven in 1830 in New York. The accession file referred to these patterns as "Lillies and Stars" and the border as "Eagle and Rose Tree." The coverlet was handwoven in a 2-end warp rib of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun bleached cotton and alternatively with a single end of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun indigo-dyed cotton. The coverlet was purchased from Andrew Corrick directly by the donor's ancestors, Jonathan Recher Sottlemyer (1820-1896) and Susan Blickenstaff Stottlemyer (1823-1893). The couple was married in 1842. This is likely the time period when the couple would have acquired the coverlet.
Andrew Corick (Corrick, Coriock) (1791-1863) was a German immigrant who settled in Middletown, Frederick Co., Maryland and began weaving and farming. His coverlets are never dated, but we can speculate that he was active during the 1830s-1840s. The 1850 Maryland Census recorded Andrew Corrick as a 59-year-old farmer with land valued at $4000. The 1860 Federal Census listed Corrick’s occupation as farmer and valued his land holdings at $2000 and his personal property at $900, suggesting his son had taken over the family weaving business and perhaps part of the farm. His son, Joshua Corrick (b. 1820) was also a weaver in Middletown, weaving in a similar style, who signed his work in the cornerblocks.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1840
date made
1840s
1830-1850
1830-1845
weaver
Corick, Andrew
ID Number
TE.T8952
catalog number
T08952.000
accession number
167647
Philip H. Anshutz (b. 1802) wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet in Carrollton, Carroll County, Ohio sometime after 1845.
Description
Philip H. Anshutz (b. 1802) wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet in Carrollton, Carroll County, Ohio sometime after 1845. This coverlet measures 81 inches by 75 inches and was woven as one length, cut into two pieces, and hand sewn together to create the width. There is a self-fringe along three sides of the coverlet. The pattern consists of eight whole, large floral wreaths, with eight half wreaths along the sides. Filling in the spaces between wreaths are two floral groups. The elaborate centerfield pattern suggests that Anshutz was very skilled at pattern design and likely producing coverlets in a semi-industrial fashion. The corners of the lower edge have woven inscriptions which read, "xPxH ANHUTZ YN Carrol-ton.” The white yarns are 2-ply s-twist z-spun cotton, and the blue yarns are 2-ply s-twist z-spun wool. The binding is white 2-ply s-twist z-spun wool. The sewing thread 6-ply s-twist z-spun cotton. The yarn count is 22 warp x 20 weft per inch. The top edge is bound in a bias binding and stitched by hand. Philip Anshutz was born in 1802 in Germany and emigrated to Baltimore about 1833. In the 1840 census he was listed as the head of a household in Baltimore engaged in manufactures and trades—likely in one of Baltimore’s large industrial textile mills. He left Baltimore in 1842 with his wife, whose name we only know as the initial W., and moved to Carrollton, Carroll, Co, Ohio. In the 1850 Federal Census, Anshutz was listed as a weaver. It is likely that Anshutz came to American as a trained, industrial weaver or machinist in a factory, worked in Baltimore long enough to raise the capital needed to move west and attempt to establish his own regional mill in Carroll County. This was a common practice for coverlet weavers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid-19th century
mid-19th century ?
c. 1845
weaver
Anshutz, Philip
ID Number
1989.0270.001
accession number
1989.0270
catalog number
1989.0270.01
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
This Figured and Fancy coverlet features a centerfield design based on the “Double Lily” pattern but accentuated with double lotus and “Liberty,” shielded eagle motifs. There are borders along all four sides.
Description
This Figured and Fancy coverlet features a centerfield design based on the “Double Lily” pattern but accentuated with double lotus and “Liberty,” shielded eagle motifs. There are borders along all four sides. The top and bottom borders feature the “Bellflower and Bluebells” pattern associated with the Craig Family of Indiana. The side borders feature “Peacocks feeding their young” and what has been referred to as the Capitol. This coverlet, as with all Craig coverlets, is double-cloth woven in dark and medium red, white & blue wool and cotton with a fringe along bottom edge. All four corner block are dated 1848 and depict a building with a cupola. This motif is associated with the Craig family of Indiana. Donor information found in the accession file states that the maker was William Craig, Original incoming cataloging records that this coverlet came in as two separate pieces. It is now seamed together, but there is no information in the file to say when that was done. Coverlet seams were released during washing and as Colonial Revival became popular, many families repurposed their heirloom coverlets as curtains and portieres.
The Craig Family weavers consist of Scottish-born, William Craig, Sr. (1800-1880), Scottish-born cousin, James Craig (1819-1896), William Craig, Jr. (1824-1880), and James Craig (1823-1889) make up the two generations of weavers who intermarried with other Scottish immigrant weaving families, dominating the coverlet market in Floyd, Decatur, and Washington counties in Indiana. It is almost certain that their regional influence extended into Western Kentucky as well. The Craigs were prodigious weavers and entrepreneurs and the number of extant coverlets attest to this fact. Also of interest is a published interview with William Sr.'s granddaughter, Rena Craig Gilchrist found in Indiana Coverlets and Coverlet Weavers (1928) by Kate Milner Rabb. Rena Craig Gilchrist recounted how her grandfather was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1800, moving to South Carolina in 1820 to assume the role of foreman at a Southern cotton goods factory. In 1832 the Craigs and other immigrant weaving families, the Gilchrists and Youngs moved to Mt. Caramel, Indiana. In 1838, the family moved again, further distributing weavers, to Decatur County, Indiana. The Craigs at first wove on their farm just outside of Greensburg, Indiana, but soon sons William Jr. and James ventured out on their own, marrying other weaver’s daughters, and establishing workshops in Greensburg and Anderson. Their coverlet weaving became regionally famous and people were reported as having come from fifty to sixty miles by wagon with woolen yarn for enough coverlets for each child at marriage.
The Craigs continued to weave until 1860 when William Sr. retired. Cousin James opened a shop in Canton, Indiana. A local resident described his loom as," “different from any other loom I have ever seen in that the threads of the warp were each run through a loop of cords to which were attached leaden weights about the size of an ordinary lead pencil, and I should think from twelve to fifteen inches in length. I do not remember accurately about that. The other end of each cord was attached to a pedal, of which there was a considerable number. A number of cords may have been attached to a pedal, according to the colors and figures being used. This enabled him to depress any of the threads of the warp that he pleased by operating the pedals with his feet, thus opening a space for the passing of the shuttle, of which he used as many as he wished colors in the pattern.” This description suggests that members of the Craig family were using modified drawlooms, possibly what is sometimes referred to a Scotch loom, which was used to weave figured double-cloth ingrain carpet. This is interesting because the introduction of the Jacquard head attachment, which used chains of punch cards, made figured weaving much faster and cheaper in the decades before the Craig family’s foray into coverlet weaving.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1848
maker
Craig Family
ID Number
TE.T12849
catalog number
T12849.000
accession number
243362
Daniel King (1827-1888) wove this blue and white, tied-Beiderwand, Jacquard coverlet in Wayne Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio in 1848.
Description
Daniel King (1827-1888) wove this blue and white, tied-Beiderwand, Jacquard coverlet in Wayne Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio in 1848. The centerfield pattern appears to be made up of alternating half-drop rows of stylized “Double Irises” and “Double Potted Plants” that almost extend into one another, unifying the centerfield design. The side borders depict meandering grape vines, while the bottom border shows a meandering hops plant vine. Hops and grapes both being respectively used in the production of beer and wine. The cornerblocks in the lower corners contain the woven inscription, “DANIEL/KING/TUSCAR/AWAS/CO.OHIO/1848.” The warp is composed of 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton yarns and a binding warp of Z-spun cotton singles. The weft yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton and wool yarns. The coverlet measures 82.5 inches by 66 inches and is constructed of two panels stitched together with a center seam. There is self-fringe on the sides of the coverlet and likely along the bottom edge as well. The bottom fringe has been worm away over time.
King was born in Pennsylvania, moving to Tuscarawas County, Ohio by at least 1848, making this coverlet one of his earliest known pieces. He and his wife, Catherine Kenegy lived and worked in Wayne Township until relocating in 1854 to Stark County, Ohio. In 1864, King served in the Union Army during the Civil War, fighting with Company K of the 163rd Regiment of the Ohio Voluntary Infantry.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1848
maker
King, Daniel
ID Number
TE.T17654
catalog number
T17654.00S
accession number
321743
This sampler features two block alphabets of 26 letters, with numbers to 8.
Description
This sampler features two block alphabets of 26 letters, with numbers to 8. Below the alphabets is the inscription:

“Sally Precinda Chaffee 1849
11 years of Age”
This sampler was not done on fabric but on perforated paper, a light weight card that first became available in the 1820s and was commonly used for bookmarks and mottos. The sampler is stitched with cotton and wool embroidery thread on perforated paper with a count of 15/in. The stitches used are cross and tent.
Sally Precinda Chaffee was born on September 6, 1838, to Samuel and Ursula Selenda James Chaffee in Berkshire, Franklin county, Vermont. She died unmarried on August 30, 1857, in Berkshire, Vermont.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1849
maker
Chaffee, Sally Precinda
ID Number
TE.T09688
catalog number
T9688
accession number
173352
This blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet features a carpet medallion centerfield composed of "Double Cornucopia" medallions flanked by lilies and scalloped diamonds.
Description
This blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet features a carpet medallion centerfield composed of "Double Cornucopia" medallions flanked by lilies and scalloped diamonds. The coverlet’s side borders are composed of a Greek key design decorated with stylized carnations, irises, and thistles. The top and bottom borders feature the signature Craig family, “Bellflower and Bluebell” pattern. The 1842 dated courthouse with cupola cornerblock trademarks identify this coverlet with the Craig family. The coverlet was originally owned by great-grandmother of the donor, Mrs. Tenant of Shelbyville, Indiana. Being double-cloth, this coverlet has two sets of warps and wefts—one set composed of a wool weft and cotton weft, and the other a cotton weft and wool warp.
The Craig Family weavers consist of Scottish-born, William Craig, Sr. (1800-1880), Scottish-born cousin, James Craig (1819-1896), William Craig, Jr. (1824-1880), and James Craig (1823-1889) make up the two generations of weavers who intermarried with other Scottish immigrant weaving families, dominating the coverlet market in Floyd, Decatur, and Washington counties in Indiana. It is almost certain that their regional influence extended into Western Kentucky as well. The Craigs were prodigious weavers and entrepreneurs and the number of extant coverlets attest to this fact. Also of interest is a published interview with William Sr.'s granddaughter, Rena Craig Gilchrist found in Indiana Coverlets and Coverlet Weavers (1928) by Kate Milner Rabb. Rena Craig Gilchrist recounted how her grandfather was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1800, moving to South Carolina in 1820 to assume the role of foreman at a Southern cotton goods factory. In 1832 the Craigs and other immigrant weaving families, the Gilchrists and Youngs moved to Mt. Caramel, Indiana. In 1838, the family moved again, further distributing weavers, to Decatur County, Indiana. The Craigs at first wove on their farm just outside of Greensburg, Indiana, but soon sons William Jr. and James ventured out on their own, marrying other weaver’s daughters, and establishing workshops in Greensburg and Anderson. Their coverlet weaving became regionally famous and people were reported as having come from fifty to sixty miles by wagon with woolen yarn for enough coverlets for each child at marriage.
The Craigs continued to weave until 1860 when William Sr. retired. Cousin James opened a shop in Canton, Indiana. A local resident described his loom as," “different from any other loom I have ever seen in that the threads of the warp were each run through a loop of cords to which were attached leaden weights about the size of an ordinary lead pencil, and I should think from twelve to fifteen inches in length. I do not remember accurately about that. The other end of each cord was attached to a pedal, of which there was a considerable number. A number of cords may have been attached to a pedal, according to the colors and figures being used. This enabled him to depress any of the threads of the warp that he pleased by operating the pedals with his feet, thus opening a space for the passing of the shuttle, of which he used as many as he wished colors in the pattern.” This description suggests that members of the Craig family were using modified drawlooms, possibly what is sometimes referred to a Scotch loom, which was used to weave figured double-cloth ingrain carpet. This is interesting because the introduction of the Jacquard head attachment, which used chains of punch cards, made figured weaving much faster and cheaper in the decades before the Craig family’s foray into coverlet weaving.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1842
maker
Craig Family
ID Number
TE.T13498
catalog number
T13498.000
accession number
256599
John B. Welty (1792-1841) wove this coverlet in 1841 in Boonsboro, Washington County, Maryland. Welty and his brother, George (b. 1800-1810) both wove in the town. There are 3 borders present, all featuring a double rose and branches and addorsed thistle finches (Distelfinken).
Description
John B. Welty (1792-1841) wove this coverlet in 1841 in Boonsboro, Washington County, Maryland. Welty and his brother, George (b. 1800-1810) both wove in the town. There are 3 borders present, all featuring a double rose and branches and addorsed thistle finches (Distelfinken). The centerfield features double flower medallions and sunbursts, most closely related to the “Lillies of France” or “Double Lily” patterns. The name of the weaver (John Welty), the town (Boonsboro, Washington County, Maryland), and the date (1841) can be seen in the two lower cornerblocks. The coverlet structure is called 2/1 tied-Biederwand and features a 2-end warp rib of natural cotton which alternates and it “tied” together with a single end of blue dyed cotton; the filling yarns of red, light blue, and dark blue, dyed wool form the pattern and horizontal banding; and the tabby is of fine natural cotton yarn. This weave structure is known as Biederwand and was particularly popular among Germans immigrating into Pennsylvania and the surrounding regions. The coverlet was a gift of the Russell sisters. Family legend claims that the sheep for the wool were raised by the Russell's great grandparents, Jacob and Catherine Mullendore of Rohrsville, PA. The coverlet is in excellent condition and a fine example of Western Maryland coverlet weaving traditions and the influence of Pennsylvania German weaving traditions found along the Great Wagon Road. Of interesting note is that fact that coverlets signed with John B. Welty’s name continued to be made until 1853. Clarita Anderson posited two different hypotheses for why this may be—one, that John’s wife, Catharine Blessing Welty (1802-1854) continued the weaving business after her husband’s death, or two, that a former employee of Welty’s and possible lover of the widow Welty, George Ortell continued weaving in John’s name for Catharine. George and Catharine never married, Catherine is buried next to her husband, John, and Catharine and John’s children were entangled in a series of lawsuits involving Ortell to settle their mother’s estate.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1841
weaver
Welty, John B.
ID Number
TE.T8486
catalog number
T08486.000
accession number
158408
This Jacquard tied-Beiderwand coverlet features a “Double Rose and Starbust” centerfield pattern with small borders on all four sides composed of addorsed birds and floral motifs. The blue warp yarns are cotton, the filing yarns are green, olive, red and dark blue wool.
Description
This Jacquard tied-Beiderwand coverlet features a “Double Rose and Starbust” centerfield pattern with small borders on all four sides composed of addorsed birds and floral motifs. The blue warp yarns are cotton, the filing yarns are green, olive, red and dark blue wool. The color scheme of this coverlet is atypical, as it does not include white. The coverlet measures 92x80 inches. The pattern repeat unit is 15 1/4x14 inches. The horizontal color banding was woven in three-inch-wide wide. There is a self-fringe on three sides. On two sides it is 2 ½ inches deep on the lower edge it is 4 inches deep. This coverlet is unsigned, undated, and came to the NMAH collections as the gift of a coverlet collector with no other information pertaining to the provenance. Based on the style and colors, it is likely from Pennsylvania or Ohio. The lack of signing or dating may indicate factory production. The style of the coverlet would date it to approximately 1835-1850.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1840's
date made
1835-1850
ID Number
TE.T18212
catalog number
T18212.000
accession number
1977.0101
Vertical rows of symmetrical grape vines, addorsed doves, and carpet medallion starbursts are accented by horizontal bands of blue, gold, and red in this coverlet. The two side borders feature a double border of repeating geometric motifs and scrollwork.
Description
Vertical rows of symmetrical grape vines, addorsed doves, and carpet medallion starbursts are accented by horizontal bands of blue, gold, and red in this coverlet. The two side borders feature a double border of repeating geometric motifs and scrollwork. The bottom border depicts a variety of floral motifs, a house with two chimneys, and, rather unusually, confronted giraffes. The two cornerblocks show a trademark of four, eight-petaled flowers within a box over two more empty boxes. Those other boxes would have contained the date, maker’s name, and customer’s name, if requested. The lower edge of the coverlet has been lost completely. This coverlet is tied-Beiderwand, an integrated weave structure similar to lampas that uses a complementary binding warp to unify two separate fabrics. The warp is composed of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton and a blue Z-spun cotton single binding warp, and the weft is made up of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton yarn and high twist, Z-spun wool singles. This coverlet was first owned by the donor’s grandparents, Peter and Eliza Hannon Hunter (married in 1832), and family legend states that Peter bought this coverlet for his wife, Eliza at a local fair around 1840 from an “itinerant weaver.” The myth of the itinerant weaver has stuck with the American cultural memory for generations. While it is true that some weavers did travel to people’s home to weave, they did not carry their looms with them as they were cumbersome and America’s over-land transportation system was not in good working order until the middle of the twentieth century. Traveling weavers would have woven things that couldn’t be produced by the family on the family’s own loom them move on to the next farm. This is not the case with this coverlet; however, it was possibly purchased at a fair rather than custom ordered because of the lack of date and the apparent lack of names in the corner blocks. This is likely a ready-made piece of stock that was sold at the fair Peter and Eliza attended back in 1840. Although there is no signature, the patterns used, particularly that vertical centerfield arrangement and confronted giraffe border, allow us to attribute this coverlet to the work of the Hesse brothers in Somerset, Hocking, and Perry Counties, Ohio. Frederick A. (b. 1801), Frederick E. (b. 1827), and L. Hesse (b. 1809) were Saxon immigrants from what was then the Kingdom of Prussia. They settled in Ohio, each opening their own weaving business. The brothers have extant coverlets dating from the years, 1838-1862 collectively.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1840
ID Number
TE.T10095
catalog number
T10095.000
accession number
181280
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840's
1840s
ID Number
TE.T14080
accession number
272350
This sampler features two block alphabets of 26 letters, with numbers to 4. The letters and numbers are all stitched at random in different colors, and all the rows are separated by simple geometric crossbands.
Description
This sampler features two block alphabets of 26 letters, with numbers to 4. The letters and numbers are all stitched at random in different colors, and all the rows are separated by simple geometric crossbands. Julia was only learning the basics needed for plain sewing by making a sampler with just alphabets and numbers. On the bottom she included the inscription:

“Julia Lacey St Vince Sch”>br>
Julia worked her sampler while attending St. Vincent’s school for orphans in Washington, D.C. The sampler is stitched with wool embroidery thread on a cotton canvas ground with a thread count of warp 23, weft 26/in. The stitches used are cross, and crosslet.
Julia Winona Lacey was born in Washington, D.C., in 1840 and married Almanza Layton, who was born on June 1837. They had four children - Esther (c.1860-), Fanny (1862-), Florence (1864-), and Catherine (c.1865-). Julia died in 1874.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848
maker
Lacey, Julia Winona
ID Number
TE.T08869
catalog number
T8869
accession number
164049
This coverlet is a red, white, and blue, geometric double cloth coverlet. The main pattern is commonly known as “Lover’s Knot”. There are borders at the top and bottom which are created from a fractional reduction of the main pattern.
Description
This coverlet is a red, white, and blue, geometric double cloth coverlet. The main pattern is commonly known as “Lover’s Knot”. There are borders at the top and bottom which are created from a fractional reduction of the main pattern. There is evidence of self-fringe on the sides, and the bottom edge has a seven inch long decorative woven fringe applied with decorative stitchwork. It may have been a latter addition or reattached at a later date. The coverlet is constructed from two panels which were woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle. Not much is known about the provenance of the coverlet, but based on the design and structure, it was likely woven between 1820 and 1840 in Pennsylvania. The donor and her family lived in the Dearborn, Michigan area, but more research is needed to determine if there are earlier connections to Pennsylvania.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1820-1840
ID Number
TE.T10086
catalog number
T10086.000
accession number
179762
A pink leather huswif (housewife) made by Mary Frederick Brown, age 12, of Hillsborough, Virginia, dated Jan 20, 1842. A huswif was a case containing sewing supplies; some rolled up and some folded.
Description
A pink leather huswif (housewife) made by Mary Frederick Brown, age 12, of Hillsborough, Virginia, dated Jan 20, 1842. A huswif was a case containing sewing supplies; some rolled up and some folded. During the Civil War women often made them for loved ones serving in the armed forces so they could sew on buttons and mend their uniforms. Mary was born about 1830 and is probably the daughter of Asa and Jane Reaner Brown. Her huswif descended in the family of her brother Charles J. Brown.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1842
maker
Brown, Mary Frederick
ID Number
TE.T11165
catalog number
T11165.000
accession number
205091
William Bush (1799-1875) wove this yellow, red, and white, Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1842. The centerfield design is made up of a grid-work of 12 inch squares separated by lattice design.
Description
William Bush (1799-1875) wove this yellow, red, and white, Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1842. The centerfield design is made up of a grid-work of 12 inch squares separated by lattice design. The tile squares are filled with an eight-pointed star motif surrounded by the traditional “Double Rose” design, which is accented by oak leaf and acorn motifs. The border design on three sides depicts houses with two chimneys and tiled roofs, seven windows and a door, separated by alternating, oversized and stylized carnations and tulips. The fringe was woven separately and applied to coverlet on three sides. The date 1842 is woven into the corners of the coverlet along with the name of the weaver, (W.Bush) and the word "Bethlehem." William Bush was born in 1799, in Reading, Pennsylvania. In the 1850 Pennsylvania Census he is listed as a weaver, by the 1870 census he was listed as a carpet weaver. He died in 1875 and is buried in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Bush was married twice. First to E. Hall and later to M. Breder. Bush was member of the Moravian Church. The coverlet measures 92 inches by 70 inches and was constructed from two panels that were initially woven as one length.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1842
maker
Bush, W.
ID Number
1997.0053.01
accession number
1997.0053
According to the donor, Richard Waters (1807-1858) wove this Figured and Fancy, Jacquard, red, white and blue, double-cloth coverlet circa 1840 for his eldest child, George Miner Waters (b. 1836). The donor was George Waters’ daughter, Dr. Lulu I. Waters Hare.
Description
According to the donor, Richard Waters (1807-1858) wove this Figured and Fancy, Jacquard, red, white and blue, double-cloth coverlet circa 1840 for his eldest child, George Miner Waters (b. 1836). The donor was George Waters’ daughter, Dr. Lulu I. Waters Hare. The centerfield design is a combination of "Peacocks Feeding Their Young," and “Urns with Flowers.” There is a double border along three sides of the coverlet which combines Asian, Chinoiserie motifs with Federal style buildings. This pattern is most commonly referred to by early 20th century coverlet scholars as “Christians and Heathens.” Richard Waters is believed to have carded and dyed the wool as well. Many coverlet weavers also owned or worked at carding and fulling mills where raw wool would be brought by customers and prepared for spinning or dying. Waters was born on September 14, 1807, in Suffolk County, New York and died May 28, 1858, at Williamsville, Illinois. Waters married Ann Miner (1817-1889) on October 23, 1834 in Ross County, Ohio. The coverlet measures 78 inches by 76 inches and is composed of two panels joined with a center seam.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
about 1840
date made
c. 1840
maker
Waters, Richard
ID Number
TE.T12679
catalog number
T12679.000
accession number
237232
Black lace veil, handrun on machine made net from the early 19th centuryCurrently not on view
Description
Black lace veil, handrun on machine made net from the early 19th century
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1820-1840
ID Number
TE.L7672
catalog number
L7672.000
This cotton and wool double-woven coverlet was woven in two pieces that were sewn together. The overall pattern used in this coverlet is sometimes called “Snowball,” and a tree-like pattern can be seen in the borders. There is a self-fringe along the bottom edge.
Description
This cotton and wool double-woven coverlet was woven in two pieces that were sewn together. The overall pattern used in this coverlet is sometimes called “Snowball,” and a tree-like pattern can be seen in the borders. There is a self-fringe along the bottom edge. This coverlet is believed to have been made in the early 19th century. The weaver and owner remain unknown. In the early 19th century, women were still spinning wool for their coverlets, but machine-spun cotton replaced hand-spun linen relatively quickly.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1820-1840
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T18478
catalog number
T18478.000
accession number
1978.0676
John (Johann) Hartman wove this Figured and Fancy, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Milton Township, Richland County, Ohio in 1845.
Description
John (Johann) Hartman wove this Figured and Fancy, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Milton Township, Richland County, Ohio in 1845. The centerfield design is composed of “Double Tulip and Carnation” medallions with offset “Starbursts” arranged in a traditional carpet medallion configuration. The three borders contain addorsed Distelfinken (thistle finches) flanked by rose bushes and Hom, the Germanic tree of life motif. There is self-fringe along three sides. The two corner blocks, which on this coverlet are at the top edge without warp fringe read, “MADE*BY/J.HARTMAN/MILTON/TOWNSHIP/RICHLAND/COUNTY/OHIO/1845.” The coverlet measures 88 inches by 72 inches and is constructed of two panels that were woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle, suggesting hand loom production.
John Hartman (c.1807-1888) was born in the German States of the Holy Roman Empire. He and his brother, Peter (1797-1876) immigrated to the United States, moved to Ohio, and opened their own weaving businesses. John wove coverlets in Richland, Ashland, and Wayne Counties, Ohio. His extant coverlets date from 1839-1857. His older brother presumably immigrated first, settling in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before moving west to Ohio. The weavers were Mennonites who fled their German homeland to escape religious persecution and economic pressures. Peter was a Mennonite preacher as well as weaver.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1845
maker
Hartman, John
weaver
Hartman, John
ID Number
TE.T11621
catalog number
T11621.000
accession number
221201
This sampler features one Hebrew alphabet of 21 consonants.
Description
This sampler features one Hebrew alphabet of 21 consonants. (Vowels were not included in the Hebrew alphabet.) The inscription on the bottom includes a first initial, the last name, and date: “B Holländer 1845.” The sampler was stitched with silk embroidery thread on a cotton ground with a thread count of warp 35, weft 35/in. It is very similar to the sampler stitched by B Lazarus 1843. These may have been done at the same school. There are very few known Jewish samplers and these are a welcome addition to the collection.
B Holländer has not yet been identified.
date made
1845
maker
Hollander, B.
ID Number
2011.0040.01
catalog number
2011.0040.01
accession number
2011.0040
date made
1820-1840
ID Number
1997.0159.02
accession number
1997.0159

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