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.

Josie Mast (1861-1936) teacher and weaver from Valle Crucis, North Carolina wove these blue and white, overshot curtain panels in 1913 for Southern Industrial Education Association retail store at the Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C.
Description
Josie Mast (1861-1936) teacher and weaver from Valle Crucis, North Carolina wove these blue and white, overshot curtain panels in 1913 for Southern Industrial Education Association retail store at the Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. They were collection in 1913 by the Smithsonian’s first textile curator, Frederick Lewton. Each panel measures 78 inches by 36 inches. The pattern is a “Single Chariot Wheel” design with large upper and lower borders created from a fractional reduction of the pattern. These curtain panels are an excellent example of how Appalachian overshot weaving influenced the Handicraft Revival and Colonial Revival movements of the early twentieth century. Coverlets had moved off the bed and into the living room as home décor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913
maker
Mast, Josie
ID Number
TE.T1376A
catalog number
T01376.00A
accession number
056970
catalog number
T01376A&B
A weaver or craftsperson associated with Allanstand Cottage Industries wove or assembled this "Double Chariot Wheels," overshot table mat by at least 1913 in Madison County, North Carolina. Allanstand was founded in 1897 by Frances Louisa Goodrich (1856-1944).
Description
A weaver or craftsperson associated with Allanstand Cottage Industries wove or assembled this "Double Chariot Wheels," overshot table mat by at least 1913 in Madison County, North Carolina. Allanstand was founded in 1897 by Frances Louisa Goodrich (1856-1944). Goodrich was one of many educated women from the North inspired by Christian progressivism, mission work, the settlement school movement, craft revival, and colonial revival that moved to Appalachia at the end of the nineteenth century to form craft schools and develop cottage craft-based industries that would benefit the local people and save dying handicrafts in the process. This table mat/coverlet fragment was purchased by the Smithsonian from the showroom of the Southern Educational Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C. at the Department of Agriculture Building in 1913 along with an assortment of other textiles and baskets. The Southern Educational Association held craft exchanges from 1913-1926. The SEA was directed by Martha Gielow with the encouragement of President Woodrow Wilson and his first wife, Ellen. First Lady, Ellen Wilson famously called upon craftspeople from the Southern Appalachian Mountains to decorate the Blue Mountain Room in the White House. This table mat is part of a very important early museum accession showcasing early-20th century craft revival in the Southern Appalachians. It is unclear is this mat was a reproduction weaving or a repurposed larger coverlet fragment. The decorative knotted fringe is similar to those found on other whole coverlets. This pattern is called “Double Chariot Wheels.” The plain weave ground cloth is made of a cotton warp and weft and the supplementary pattern weft is indigo-dyed wool.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913
maker
Allanstand School
ID Number
TE.T01375.000
catalog number
T01375.000
accession number
56970
The embroidered inscription “Frances M Jolly 1839” graces the center medallion of this quilt top. This signed and dated silk-and-wool-embroidered quilt top came from an African American family, and the maker, Frances M.
Description
The embroidered inscription “Frances M Jolly 1839” graces the center medallion of this quilt top. This signed and dated silk-and-wool-embroidered quilt top came from an African American family, and the maker, Frances M. Jolly, was said to be an ancestor of one of the donor’s grandparents. The family, of whom little else is known, is said to have lived in Massachusetts and moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina.
A 37½-inch black square set diagonally in the center with red corner triangles is the focal point of this quilt top. It is surrounded by three borders: a 9-inch black, a 10-inch orange, and an 11-inch black. Appliquéd flowers, leaves, and vines embellished with braid and embroidery decorate the surface.
The edges of the appliquéd motifs are not turned under, but are held in place by buttonhole stitching in matching or near-matching thread colors. Silk or cotton threads are used for securing the appliqué motifs, stitching, and the embroidery, except for the inscription, which is chain-stitched in red wool. The quilt has both hand and machine stitching. The outer two borders are machine-stitched, indicating that they were joined after 1860 when sewing machines became common in households. Wool fabrics are used for both the pieced sections and the appliquéd motifs. Wool and silk braid and silk ribbon contribute to the overall design.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1839
quilter
Jolly, Frances M.
ID Number
1983.0241.01
catalog number
1983.0241.01
accession number
1983.0241
The “Double Wedding Ring” pattern became popular in the late 1920s. This example was made for the donor by the wife of a rural storekeeper near Raleigh, North Carolina. She used pieces cut from yard goods sold in the store, fabrics typical of the 1930s.Currently not on view
Description
The “Double Wedding Ring” pattern became popular in the late 1920s. This example was made for the donor by the wife of a rural storekeeper near Raleigh, North Carolina. She used pieces cut from yard goods sold in the store, fabrics typical of the 1930s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930
maker
unknown
ID Number
1986.1029.01
catalog number
1986.1029.01
accession number
1986.1029
“I am the owner of an antique quilt made back when American settlers first landed which was almost 200 years ago . . .” wrote Eva A. Warren, when this quilt was donated to the Collection in 1970.
Description
“I am the owner of an antique quilt made back when American settlers first landed which was almost 200 years ago . . .” wrote Eva A. Warren, when this quilt was donated to the Collection in 1970. Eva’s grandmother, Flora Garner, was born about 1800 as a slave on the Gardner plantation. At a later date one of the Gardeners (Elizabeth) left all her property to her ex-slaves and their families.
The arrangement of “Princess Feather” plumes emanating from a star, made from one printed fabric, is appliqued on the 40-inch center panel. The same printed fabric was used to frame the center; a 6-inch inner border separated by an 8 ½-inch white border appliqued with fruit and flowers cut from the printed fabric, and, an outer 3 ½” border. It is quilted, 7 stitches per inch, and bound with a straight strip of white cotton. The quilt exemplifies an ingenious use of one printed fabric appliqued to a white ground to create an overall cohesive design.
Further information was provided by the donor in regard to the family history. “They planted cotton, but they had no cotton gins to make cloth, so they had to make the cloth they needed by hand. The cotton was picked from the seed by fingers and they had a flax wheel and a spinning wheel, so they made cloth and put into the cloth lovely colors. The household linen was very pretty and in abundance.”
Olive Martin Gardner was born in 1780 and died on July 29, 1856. Her daughter was Elizabeth Gardener. When Elizabeth died she left her estate to her ex-slaves and their families. One of them, Flora Garner, was the donor’s grandmother. Possibly it was she who made the quilt. Flora’s daughter, Emma Lilly, married Bill Schenck and it was their daughter, Eva Alice born in 1898, who donated the quilt. Eva Alice Warren wrote a book ( Watch What is Lacking in Negro Progress Carlton Press, 1973) that contains information about the Schenck and Gardner/Garner families as well as about her own life growing up in North Carolina.
The quilt was made on the Gardner/Garner family plantation in Shelby, North Carolina. The family’s history in the area goes back to the late 18th century. This early 19th century quilt too, has a long history.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1825-1850
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T15144
catalog number
T15144
accession number
288868
A quilted inscription at the base of the flowering tree on this quilt reads “Violet E. L. Alexander / June 10 / 1830.” The central focus of this quilt, a flowering “Tree of Life” motif, is appliquéd on a 40-inch square of white cotton.
Description
A quilted inscription at the base of the flowering tree on this quilt reads “Violet E. L. Alexander / June 10 / 1830.” The central focus of this quilt, a flowering “Tree of Life” motif, is appliquéd on a 40-inch square of white cotton. Other motifs of palm trees, flowers, and long-tailed birds are appliquéd on white cotton triangles to fill out the center section. This is framed by 3-inch and 7-inch borders that are made of roller-printed floral and geometric stripes. The two borders are separated by a 3¾-inch plain white border. The corner motifs and some parts of the central tree are cut from block-printed cotton produced at the Bannister Hall print works near Preston, England.
The quilting pattern, 8 stitches per inch, consists of diagonal lines, ¼-inch apart, over the entire center and on the printed borders. Clamshell quilting is found on the plain white border. The fine quilting and use of costly chintz fabrics printed in England make it a typical example of a medallion quilt, popular in the early nineteenth century, and often found in the American South.
Violet Elizabeth was the daughter of William Bain Alexander and Violet Davidson. Violet was born January 9, 1812. She was one of fourteen children (seven girls and seven boys) who grew up on a prosperous estate in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. On December, 27, 1831 she married Dr. Isaac Wilson, who both farmed and maintained an extensive medical practice. The couple had six children, five sons and one daughter. Two sons lost their lives in the Civil War, two others farmed in the county, and another practiced medicine. Violet died at age 33 of erysipelas, a bacterial infection, during an epidemic in 1845. This quilt was made just prior to her marriage. According to information from the donor, Dr. John E. S. Davidson, the quilt may have been made by his mother, Jane Henderson (Mrs. Edward Constantine Davidson), a friend or relative of Violet.
Note: The name Violet appears and reappears in the family. She may have gone by the name “Elizabeth,” as some sources cite.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830
maker
Alexander, Violet Elizabeth Lee
ID Number
TE.T14673
catalog number
T14673
accession number
279890
This quilt is pieced, appliqued and embroidered. It is named “October Fury” by the maker, Dorothy Bangert. A very detailed notebook containing information from the maker about making the quilt and the event that inspired it was provided with the quilt.
Description
This quilt is pieced, appliqued and embroidered. It is named “October Fury” by the maker, Dorothy Bangert. A very detailed notebook containing information from the maker about making the quilt and the event that inspired it was provided with the quilt. It was designed and made as a tribute to the people who served on the Blandy and Foxtrot submarines during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The center (42” x 33”) lower half has images of a map of Cuba, a Soviet submarine and the U.S.S. Blandy, that are machine embroidered and appliqued, and outlined with hand quilting. A panel on the lower right (15” x 4”) is machine embroidered in red “Cuban Missil [sic] Crisis, Oct. 1962.” A mix of machine and hand quilting was utilized. The border (4 ½”) consists of three strips. Three “patches” are machine appliqued on the top; Soviet Flag (machine embroidered), U.S. Flag, and Blanding Flag (commercially made).
The backing is a white cotton fabric. It has seven printed panels (9 ½” x 7”), five of which contain names of persons who served on both U.S.S. Blandy and Soviet (Foxtrot) submarines. Another, “The Blandy,” gives details of the ship, and another tells of “Life in a Foxtrot Submarine”. A smaller printed segment contains the maker’s dedication. The U.S.S. Blandy’s emblem is also printed.
date made
2001 - 2003
maker
Bangert, Dorothy L. Barco
ID Number
2016.0373.01
accession number
2016.0373
catalog number
2016.0373.01
Josie Mast (1861-1936) wove this “American Beauty,” overshot coverlet in Valle Crucis, Watauga County, North Carolina.
Description
Josie Mast (1861-1936) wove this “American Beauty,” overshot coverlet in Valle Crucis, Watauga County, North Carolina. The overshot structure is made of an indigo-dyed wool supplementary pattern weft which floats at controlled intervals across a plain weave ground cloth of unbleached cotton warp and weft. The coverlet also features a with a cotton warp fringe with leno or gauze weave detailing. Josie was the wife of Finley Mast, proprietor of Mast General Store. A well-known weaver of the North Carolina highlands, Josie was one of four teachers who taught weaving at the newly established industrial school in Valle Crucis, NC. Using weaving techniques and patterns typical of the late-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Josie carded, spun, and wove rugs, coverlets, and many household items on a family loom over 100 years old when she used it. In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of Appalachian children and the need for education, Wilson's first wife, Ellen, ordered rugs and coverlets from Josie Mast to furnish what became known as the Blue Mountain Room. This coverlet was purchased by the museum from the showroom of the Southern Education Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C. From 1913-1926, the association hosted a craft exchange with the proceeds from sales going back to Appalachia to fund future work by the various artists. This coverlet is part of a very important accession linked to the SEA, Appalachian settlement schools, and craft revival in the Southern Appalachians.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913
weaver
Mast, Josie
ID Number
TE.T1374
catalog number
T01374.000
accession number
056970
The pieces that are used to make the 71 “LeMoyne Star” blocks on this quilt create a useful record. They represent an assortment of fabrics used for ordinary mid-19th century clothes.
Description
The pieces that are used to make the 71 “LeMoyne Star” blocks on this quilt create a useful record. They represent an assortment of fabrics used for ordinary mid-19th century clothes. Brown, tan, grey, and rust-colored fabrics, most twill-woven cotton/wool, were used to piece the blocks. These alternate with 6 ½-inch squares of brown and grey striped cotton/wool fabric. The quilt is lined with a plain-weave, cotton warp/wool weft fabric. Brown carded wool serves as the filling. The quilting pattern consists of parallel diagonal lines 1 ½-inch apart, quilted at 3-4 stitches per inch.
The machine- and hand-woven textile examples might not otherwise have been preserved if not used to craft this quilt.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840-1860
maker
unknown
ID Number
1979.0167.01
catalog number
1979.0167.01
accession number
1979.0167

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