Textiles - Overview
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.
"Textiles - Overview" showing 85 items.
Page 1 of 9
B Holländer's Sampler
- 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.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1845
- maker
- Hollander, B.
- ID Number
- 2011.0040.01
- catalog number
- 2011.0040.01
- accession number
- 2011.0040
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Caroline Quick's Sampler
- Description
- This sampler features two block alphabets with a lower case backward “j,” She included the following inscription:
- “Bestow dear Lord upon our youth
The gift of saving grace
And let the seed of sacred truth
Fall in a fruitful place
Caroline Quick 1841”
- Caroline Quick’s inscription is from a hymn, Prayer for a Blessing by English poet William Cowper (1731-1800). Stitching such a verse on her sampler was a way for Caroline to receive religious instruction. The sampler is stitched with silk embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 22, weft 25/ in. The stitches used are cross, four-sided, double cross, queen, Algerian eye, and crosslet.
- Caroline Quick (c.1831) was the daughter of Reuben and Elizabeth Quick and was born in Ulster County, Marlborough, New York. In the 1880 New York census she was living with George and Timna Quick Woolsey. Timna was a sister to Caroline, and George and Timna were the parents of donor Harriet Woolsey Gardner, Mrs. Daniel Gardner.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1841
- maker
- Quick, Caroline
- ID Number
- TE*H37549
- catalog number
- H37549
- accession number
- 115031
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Mary Louisa McCully's sampler
- Description
- This sampler features a picture of two children, a dog, a parrot, and a butterfly in a garden with a floral border. A dog symbolizes fidelity and watchfulness, a parrot suggests talkativeness, and a butterfly symbolizes immortality. These are appropriate motifs to go with young children. Mary worked her sampler in Patterson, New Jersey. Patterson was home to many textiles mills in 1840 and that may have been the reason her family came to live there. Her pattern was probably a Berlin wool work pattern. In 1820 with the introduction of Berlin wools comes the name Berlin wool work patterns. These patterns were hand painted on graph paper. The sampler is stitched with wool and silk embroidery thread on a cotton canvas ground with a thread count of warp 24, weft 24/in. The stitches used are cross, crosslet.
- Mary Louisa McCully was a cousin of Frank H. McCully, in whose memory the sampler was donated to the Smithsonian.
- date made
- 1840
- maker
- McCully, Mary Louisa
- ID Number
- TE*T08229
- catalog number
- T8229
- accession number
- 147229
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Julia Winona Lacey's Sampler
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Sally Precinda Chaffee's Sampler
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Bassler Coverlet
- Description
- The name "J Bassler", the date 1842, and the letters " W B " are woven into the lower edge of this coverlet. It is not known if "J Bassler " or "W B" was the weaver of the coverlet. The coverlet is Jacquard woven, with red, blue and green stripes. The design features rows of birds and flowers.This coverlet could be considered part of the "Fancy" period in American decorative arts, as the overall design is bright and full of movement.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1842
- maker or owner
- Bassler, J.
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1998.0081.03
- accession number
- 1998.0081
- catalog number
- 1998.0081.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
M. A. Hofman's Sampler
- Description
- Flowers, people, building with fence, crossbands, inscriptions. Top and sides have floral border with eight-pointed star at center top. German alphabet of capitals, no "J." Script alphabet of capitals, no "J." Lower-case alphabet has both "I" and "J" with "w, x, y, and z" smaller than rest of alphabet to make them fit. Silk embroidery thread on cotton ground. STITCHES: cross, satin. THREAD COUNT: warp 25, weft 26/in
- Inscriptions:
- "School No 7"
"M. A. Hofman
Carlisle
1848"
- Background:
- Public schools were established in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1836, and needlework and sampler making were part of the curriculum. After grade three, the girls and boys where separated and went to different schools. For the girls, one afternoon each week was devoted to needlework. There are samplers in existence from School No. 7 and School No. 8. It is thought this work was done under the tutelage of Miss Fanny Webber, who taught from 1836 to 1863. M. A. Hofman has not yet been identified.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1848
- maker
- Hofman, M. A.
- ID Number
- 1998.0130.01
- catalog number
- 1998.0130.01
- accession number
- 1998.0130
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hausman Coverlet
- Description
- Benjamin Hausman, (1795—1885) of Allentown, Pennsylvania, wove this cotton and wool Jacquard double-woven coverlet for Jane Paul in 1841. His name and hers appear in the lower corners along with the date. The coverlet is Jacquard double-woven with floral medallions and stars, as the overall pattern, and with a border of trees and flowers. It has no center seam. Several members of the Hausman family were coverlet weavers in Pennsylvania in the 19th century. Benjamin worked in Allentown, Lehigh County, from 1836 to 1845, and in York, York County, from 1847 to 1848. He appears to have moved to Philadelphia in 1852, but is listed as a coverlet weaver in the 1850 census of York, York County, Pennsylvania.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1841
- owner of coverlet in 19th century
- Paul, Jane
- maker
- Hausman, Benjamin
- ID Number
- TE*E.393749
- accession number
- 211601
- catalog number
- E.393749
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Double-woven Star and Rose Coverlet
- Description
- A treadling error was made in one section of this double-woven coverlet (by accident, we assume) and intentionally repeated in the other section so they would match. This coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and is woven in a geometric design of squares and circles. There is a cut self fringe on the lower edge, and an uncut fringe on each side. The coverlet was woven in two pieces that were sewn together. The name of the weaver is unknown.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1846
- ca 1846
- 1825-1850
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*T010098
- catalog number
- T10098.000
- accession number
- 060464
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Birds of Paradise Coverlet 1845
- Description
- This cotton and wool,- double-woven Jacquard coverlet, made in 1845, features the “Birds of Paradise” pattern, and rows of stylized flowers in medallions. The border found on two sides of the coverlet features birds and flowers, while the one on the lower edge features geometric forms and flowers. The words, “Birds of Paradise,” are woven into the border of the two lower corner blocks. This coverlet was woven in two sections, which were later sewn together. The weaver and owner of this coverlet remain unknown. By the time this coverlet was made, the use of machine-spun cotton and wool, and power woven fabric, was well established. By the 1850s coverlets were going out of fashion, and independent weavers began taking jobs in carpet factories, or changing their occupation all together.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1845
- owner
- Hammond, Emeline Rice
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE*T011789
- catalog number
- T11789.000
- accession number
- 225701
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center