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
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
This coverlet features horizontal color banding in stripes of red, green, muted aqua, and muted purple. A large scalloped floral medallion dominates the centerfield design. The four corners have faces of Washington flanked by confronted horses.
Description
This coverlet features horizontal color banding in stripes of red, green, muted aqua, and muted purple. A large scalloped floral medallion dominates the centerfield design. The four corners have faces of Washington flanked by confronted horses. Below Washington’s portrait bust is a banderole with his name. Under this is an eagle in flight with a banderole in its beak proclaiming, “Hail 1869,” and beneath that, tucked into each corner is a steamboat flying the American flag. In the middle of the border designs is an onion-domed rendition of the Capitol Building. Factory produced coverlet. Floral scrollwork and birds unite the border design. Although this coverlet is unsigned, it is identical to one signed by Philip Schum’s Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory. This coverlet measures 88 inches by 73 inches and has no center seam. It was likely produced on a power loom with a Jacquard attachment.
Philip Schum (1814-1880) was born In Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire. He immigrated to New York, moving to Lancaster County, PA in approximately 1844. He was not trained as a weaver and there is no evidence that he ever was. What we do know is that Philip Schum was a savvy businessman. He worked first as a "Malt Tramper" in New York, a position presumably linked to brewing and malting of grains. After six months, Philip was able to afford to bring his first wife Ana Margartha Bond (1820-1875) to join him in Pennsylvania. Once reunited, Philip worked as a day laborer, shoemaker, and basket-maker. He purchased a small general store in Lancaster City in 1852. By 1856, he has built his business enough to sell at a profit and purchase the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory. Philip's first wife, Anna, passed away sometime before 1879, because in this year, Philip married his second wife, Anna Margaret Koch (1834-1880). The two were tragically killed in a train accident in 1880, when a locomotive stuck their horse and buggy. The New Era, a local Lancaster newspaper titled the article about the incident with the headline, "Death's Harvest." Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory began with just one or two looms and four men. It grew to four looms and eight men quickly. By 1875, the factory had twenty looms and employed forty men. Philip Schum was no weaver. He was an entrepreneur and businessman who invested in the growing market for household textiles. Philip's estate inventory included a carpet shop, weaving shop, dye house, two stores, and a coal yard. At the time of his death were also listed 390 "Half-wool coverlets." These were valued at $920. In 1878, Philip partnered with his son, John E. Schum to form, Philip Schum, Son, and Co. Another Schum coverlet is in the collections of the MFA-Houston.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
19th century
date made
second half 19th century
1869
maker
Schum, Philip
ID Number
1997.0375.01
accession number
1997.0375
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
Jacob Biesecker Jr. (1810-1865) of Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania wove this Figured and Fancy, red, white, and blue, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in 1852. The coverlet has self-fringe along three sides.
Description
Jacob Biesecker Jr. (1810-1865) of Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania wove this Figured and Fancy, red, white, and blue, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in 1852. The coverlet has self-fringe along three sides. The centerfield design is a carpet medallion design featuring “Double Thistle,” “Double Leaf,” and eight-point star floral medallions. There is a double border along three sides made up of an “Eagle and Tree” inner border and a diamond and eight-pointed star outer border. The corner block inscription reads, “J. Biesecker Jr. New Invention Franklin T. Ad. Co. 1852.” This coverlet measures 90 inches by 76 inches and was constructed from two panels initially woven as one length on the loom. In the 1850 Federal Census, Jacob is recorded as a weaver living in the household of his father, Jacob, a farmer with real estate valued at $3000. Jacob’s advertisement of “New Invention” on his coverlets also tells that he had purchased a licensing agreement for a patented loom or patterning mechanism. By the 1850s, it was almost certainly a Jacquard head. Jacob Jr.’s pattern book survives in the family and his probate inventory recorded three looms and their fixtures plus two varieties of carpet valued at different rates. It is presumable that Biesecker was employing and training other fancy weavers and operating a small manufactory from his family farm in Adams County. Many of these farm/manufactories also operated mills. More research is needed to fully understand the economic activities of the Biesecker family.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1852
weaver
Biesecker, Jacob
ID Number
TE.T16961
catalog number
T16962.000
accession number
308475.3
This coverlet features a large central rose medallion with starburst at the center surrounded by an ivy garland. A triangle-motif section rings this followed by a wide border of roses and foliate designs. There are bouquets of flowers in each corner.
Description
This coverlet features a large central rose medallion with starburst at the center surrounded by an ivy garland. A triangle-motif section rings this followed by a wide border of roses and foliate designs. There are bouquets of flowers in each corner. This coverlet is double cloth, but the weave is unbalanced. The colored wool weft yards are loosely twisted 2-ply, s-twist, z-spun in red, green, blue, and purple, and the white cotton singles are z-spun. There is also a cotton drab warp of z-spun singles and white cotton z-spun singles. The weaver tripled these singles in the warp and wove them as one. There is a self-fringe on 2 sides, and an applied woven fringe in wool weft colors stitched to lower edge. The coverlet was purchased by the donor’s mother sometime in the late nineteenth century. She lived in Newport, Maine and kept the coverlet sealed in a trunk until 1913 when it was gifted to her daughters. It is likely that Mrs. Grindell purchased the coverlet while visiting Philadelphia for the Centennial Exposition. Coverlets in this style and color combination were sold at the Expo, and coverlets with horizontal color banding have been associated with Pennsylvania or Pennsylvania-trained weavers throughout the nineteenth century. The colors used to dye the wool are synthetic dyes that became popular during the 1860s onward, lending more credence to the dating of these coverlet c. 1870-1880. There is no center seam and the design, although bold, lacks the refinement of earlier, hand-woven coverlets, suggesting fully-industrialized, power-loom, factory production.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875-1900
late 19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T13987
catalog number
T13987.000
accession number
268777
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
This is an example of a warp-faced twill weave, geometric coverlet woven in a “Whig Rose” pattern with compound “Pine Tree” borders. The borders on these geometric coverlets is created through a fractional reduction of the main motif.
Description
This is an example of a warp-faced twill weave, geometric coverlet woven in a “Whig Rose” pattern with compound “Pine Tree” borders. The borders on these geometric coverlets is created through a fractional reduction of the main motif. The coverlet is composed of two sections, each 38 inches wide. The coverlet was woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle to create a coverlet that measures 85 inches by 76 inches. There is self-fringe along three sides.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1850
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T8954
catalog number
T08954.000
accession number
164228
This red, white, and blue, overshot panel was woven on a multishaft loom, likely in Pennsylvania, sometime in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. There is fringe along the side and bottom borders.
Description
This red, white, and blue, overshot panel was woven on a multishaft loom, likely in Pennsylvania, sometime in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. There is fringe along the side and bottom borders. The border found on two sides of the coverlet panel was created from a fractional reduction of the main block pattern. The coverlet panel was woven using wool and cotton yarns.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1800-1825
ID Number
1998.0360.175
accession number
1998.0360
After a young lady learned to embroider a sampler, she might attend a female academy to make a silk embroidered picture. This was a more challenging technique that became popular in the early 1800s.
Description
After a young lady learned to embroider a sampler, she might attend a female academy to make a silk embroidered picture. This was a more challenging technique that became popular in the early 1800s. Subjects included classical, biblical, and historical scenes, as well as mourning pictures.
This expertly stitched large chenille work picture represents Lady Elizabeth Grey petitioning King Edward IV for the return of her husband’s land, following Edward’s victory over the Lancasterians in 1461, in which Lord Grey died. Lady Elizabeth is in a kneeling position, one knee on the ground, and her left arm around a small boy standing beside her. Her right hand is held by King Edward. On the left are two young men attendants, one holding a staff and dressed in the period of the event (1460s) as is King Edward. On the right are three women attendants dressed, as is Lady Elizabeth, in costumes of the period in which the embroidery was done, 1815. It is assumed the children’s mother is Lady Elizabeth Grey. Edward IV and Lady Elizabeth were later married and their sons were the "princes of the tower." Their daughter Elizabeth married Henry VII, unifying the Yorks and Lancasters and establishing the Tudor line. The ground is pale gold silk satin, and the threads are silk chenille, silk floss, and metal. The stitches are encroaching satin, laid chenille work, satin, and French knots.
The design of this embroidery is based on an engraving made by William Wynn Ryland, after a painting of this event by Angelica Kauffmann.
Elizabeth Cassel was born September 12, 1800, in Marietta, Pennsylvania, to Henry and Catherine Neff Cassel. She died unmarried in 1891. This piece of embroidery was considered very important to the family and Daniel Cassel in his book A Genealogical History of the Cassel Family in American (Norristown, Pennsylvania: Morgan R. Wills, 1896) mentions it along with the family genealogy. It was given to the National Museum of American History by a descendant. For more information about this embroidery see Piecework, March/April 2007, “Three American Schoolgirl Silk Embroideries from the Smithsonian” by Sheryl De Jong.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Cassel, Elizabeth T.
ID Number
1991.0841.01
catalog number
1991.0841.01
accession number
1991.0841
A nineteenth-century, Pennsylvania weaver wove this red, blue, and green, all-wool, turned twill woven coverlet. The turned twill pattern forms a squared off design with diamond twill sections. There is self-fringe along three sides.
Description
A nineteenth-century, Pennsylvania weaver wove this red, blue, and green, all-wool, turned twill woven coverlet. The turned twill pattern forms a squared off design with diamond twill sections. There is self-fringe along three sides. The coverlet was constructed of two panels, woven as one length, cut, and seamed together to create the finished width. The coverlet measures 92 inches by 74 inches.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
TE.T11624
catalog number
T11624.000
accession number
221533
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
This red, white, and blue, multi-harness coverlet features what has come to be known as the "star and diamond" pattern. This particular pattern was woven on a 14-shaft loom. Some of the variations of this star-work required eighteen shafts.
Description
This red, white, and blue, multi-harness coverlet features what has come to be known as the "star and diamond" pattern. This particular pattern was woven on a 14-shaft loom. Some of the variations of this star-work required eighteen shafts. The coverlet was loaned to the museum in the 1930s and later donated in the 1970s. Mrs. John H. Murray purchased the coverlet in Frederick, MD with green stamps, and there may be a Maryland connection with production of this coverlet; however, known weaver’s pattern books tend to all be focused on Southeastern Pennsylvania. Famous pattern books created by weavers like Jacob Angstadt, John Landes, and NMAH’s own pattern book by Peter Stauffer all contain variations of these multi-harness patterns. The coverlet was woven in two pieces and the pattern does not quite match up at the center seam. Whether this is due to shrinkage from improper washing or from uneven beating on the loom remains to be determined. There are remnants of a self-fringe along the sides that has worn away and both the top and bottom edge of the coverlet are hemmed with a simple rolled hem. The coverlet is composed of what appears to be a 3-ply cotton warp and a 2-ply or single of natural cotton for the weft.
Location
Currently not on view
delete
19th century
date made
1790-1840
ID Number
TE.T18666
catalog number
T18666.000
accession number
144093
Daniel Goodman (b. 1800) wove this red, blue, and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet for J. and M. Keen in Nescopeck, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in 1842. The centerfield features a typical carpet medallion pattern composed of eight-point stars and stylized starburst motifs.
Description
Daniel Goodman (b. 1800) wove this red, blue, and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet for J. and M. Keen in Nescopeck, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in 1842. The centerfield features a typical carpet medallion pattern composed of eight-point stars and stylized starburst motifs. The three borders depict the addorsed, German Distelfinken (thistle finches) flanked by rose bushes and Hom (Germanic tree of life). The cornerblocks read, “MADE.BY./DANIEL/GOODMAN/NESCOPECK/LUZERNECO/FOR/J.ANDM./KEEN/PENN.1842.” The donor's mother's maiden name was Keen. It is possible that the coverlet was made for Jacob Keen (1798-1862) and his wife Magdalena (1796-1886). This coverlet has no center seam, indicating that Goodman was using a broad loom to weave his coverlets and was possibly involved in early factory production in Luzerne County.
Daniel Goodman was from family of Pennsylvania coverlet weavers. His father, Peter (b. 1783) was also a weaver as was Daniel’s son, John S. Goodman (b. 1820). Daniel Goodman’s extant coverlets date from 1841-1844. Daniel had presumably been weaving twenty years prior, but may not have been able to invest in new pattern weaving technology until the 1840s. Rather than being able to order equipment, patented loom technology was sold via licensing and franchise agreements with the patent holder(s).
date made
1842
maker
Goodman, Daniel
ID Number
TE.T16364
accession number
301346
According to the donor, John Riegel commissioned this coverlet in 1840, for his daughter, Eliza Riegel when she married Charles B. Daniel, one of the founders of Bethlehem Iron Co., which later became Bethlehem Steel.
Description
According to the donor, John Riegel commissioned this coverlet in 1840, for his daughter, Eliza Riegel when she married Charles B. Daniel, one of the founders of Bethlehem Iron Co., which later became Bethlehem Steel. The coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and is Jacquard double-woven. It features a design of lilies, stars, birds,
and trees, and is striped with red, white, and dark and light blue rows. The name "John Riegel" and the date "1840," appear in each of the lower corners.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T17895
catalog number
T17895.000
accession number
319093
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
This green, blue, red, and white, 2:1 tied-Beiderwand coverlet was executed in a “Stars and Roses” block weave pattern.
Description
This green, blue, red, and white, 2:1 tied-Beiderwand coverlet was executed in a “Stars and Roses” block weave pattern. The borders that appears along three sides was created from a fractional reduction of the main pattern motifs and is a variation of the traditional “Pine Tree” border. The warp and ground weft is a 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton. The binding warp is a Z-spun cotton single. There is also a second set of wool weft yarns which is 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun. The coverlet measures 78.5 inches by 64 inches. It almost certainly from Pennsylvania and was likely woven between 1825 and 1850.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1825-1850
ID Number
TE.T16359
catalog number
T163594.000
accession number
299239
This Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet features a “Double Tulip and Carnation” carpet medallion and starburst centerfield. The borders along the sides and bottom all feature the "Rose Tree and Plume" pattern, and inscribed cornerblocks identifying the weaver as D.
Description
This Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet features a “Double Tulip and Carnation” carpet medallion and starburst centerfield. The borders along the sides and bottom all feature the "Rose Tree and Plume" pattern, and inscribed cornerblocks identifying the weaver as D. Cosley, the place woven as Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, and the date, 1845. The red, white, blue & green wool and cotton yarns interlace forming an integrated weave structure known as tied-Biederwand and identifiable because of the ribbed appearance of the finished textile. The coverlet has self-fringe on three sides and measure eighty-four by eighty inches. The lack of a center seam indicates that this coverlet was woven on a broadloom with a fly shuttle and possibly even a power loom.
Dennis Cosley (1816-1904) was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and he was trained as a weaver along with his brother, George (1805-1884) in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The brothers were operating a mill in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania in 1837. Dennis opened a mill in Fayetteville in 1844. It is that mill in which this coverlet was woven. That mill in Fayetteville burned two years later, and the Cosley brothers relocated to Xenia, Greene County, Ohio. In Xenia, tax documents show Dennis Cosley owning a coverlet and carpet factory that employed at least three men. Cosley left Xenia in 1864, moved to Miami County, Ohio and opened a weaving mill there. He retired to Troy, Ohio and operated a store until his death in 1904. Dennis' first wife was Margaret Ann Comer Cosley (1817-1852). She was born in Pennsylvania. His second wife was Catherine Landis (Landess) Cosley (1833-1917). Catherine was born in Xenia, Ohio. Catherine and Dennis were married 1858. This coverlet was owned by the Cosley family and donated by one of Dennis' children. This coverlet is an early example of his factory's work in Fayetteville, PA and important because it shows that signed coverlets can be representative of factory production, not just artisan craft.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1845
weaver
Cosley, Dennis
ID Number
TE.T8431
catalog number
T08431.000
accession number
157562
Weavers at Emanuel Ettinger & Co. wove this Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Aaronsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania in 1852. The coverlet features a "Double Carnation" carpet medallion centerfield and "Double Rose" borders along the sides.
Description
Weavers at Emanuel Ettinger & Co. wove this Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Aaronsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania in 1852. The coverlet features a "Double Carnation" carpet medallion centerfield and "Double Rose" borders along the sides. The top and bottom borders depict rows of urns or baskets with three flowers each. There are two inscribed lower cornerblocks that identify the manufacturer and place and date made. This coverlet was woven on a broad loom with a fly shuttle attachment and possibly even on a power loom. Structurally, this coverlet was woven in tied-Beiderwand, which is an integrated weave structure which utilizes dedicated warp threads to bind or tie two separate structures together. These binding warps alternate sides along the coverlet’s surface giving it a ribbed appearance. A combination of dark blue, medium blue, and red wool and natural cotton yarns were used for the warp and weft. The top and bottom borders depict an urn of basket with three flowers.
Emanuel Ettinger (1802-1889) was born in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and moved to Centre Co. in 1820. He appears on the Federal Census from 1830-1880. The 1850 Federal Census lists him as a weaver with two unrelated journeymen weavers living with him and a forty-two-year-old live-in laborer named Absolom Roop, who was born in Germany. It is as likely like that the other weavers, Jacob Fisher, John Folk, or the Emanuel’s neighbor, weaver David Ochre wove this coverlet as Emanuel. These men were almost certainly the employees of E. Ettinger and Co. In 1860, Emanuel Ettinger is recorded as a laborer with a 17-year-old apprentice, Daniel Harter. Emanuel Ettinger also appears in the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists in 1865 and 1866. It is from this that we learn Ettinger had a partnership with a man named Stover and also his own independent pianoforte manufactory. Ettinger and a group of other wealthy Aaronsburg businessmen invested in the Aaronsburg Academy as a subscription school in 1865, but the venture eventually failed leading the development of public education in the town. He is listed as a retired weaver in the 1870 Federal Census and a farmer in the 1880 Federal Census. His son William Ettinger (b. 1824) first appears on the 1850 Federal Census as a “coverlid weaver” in Shrewsbury, York County, Pennsylvania. By 1860, William was living two houses from his father and presumably involved in the management of the family’s various entrepreneurial enterprises. There are extant coverlets that bear his name as well E. Ettinger and Co. The 1864 IRS Tax Assessment List indicates that besides weaving, William was also operating as a Class 3 Peddler and involved in the Ettinger and Stover partnership. There is also evidence in the tax assessment list that William was involved in leather goods and tobacco. The 1880 Federal Census recorded William living in Milton, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania and working as a butcher, suggesting that William had divested himself from weaving to focus on leather goods, cattle, and supplying meat to Central Pennsylvania.
The donor of the coverlet, who was born in Iowa in 1891 reported that she received the coverlet from her mother. This coverlet presumably made the journey West with the family sometime after 1852. There is some loss along the top and toward the bottom center of the coverlet; however, this coverlet is important as material evidence of Westward migration as well as evidence of rural industry.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1852
weaver
Ettinger, Emanuel
ID Number
TE.T8363
catalog number
T08363.000
accession number
155728
This Jacquard, red, white, blue and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet features and “Double Flower” carpet medallion pattern made up of two different designs.
Description
This Jacquard, red, white, blue and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet features and “Double Flower” carpet medallion pattern made up of two different designs. The two side borders feature stylized flower and foliate designs, and the lower border is made up of leaves and stylized floral tiles. The cornerblock also features a floral carpet tile design and is likely associated with an as-of-yet unidentified weaver. The donor received this coverlet from his mother, Elizabeth Fretz Darnell (b. 1870) of Dublin, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The coverlet measures 81 inches by 89 inches and does not have a center seam, indicating that it was woven on a broad loom. Former curators at NMAH have dated the coverlet to approximately 1845. There is a two inch applied fringe along three sides.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th Century
date made
c. 1845
ID Number
TE.T12922
accession number
247373
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas.
Description
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas. The patterns were painted by hand on “point paper,” which today would be called graph paper. Some of the patterns were copies of famous paintings.
This rectangular Berlin wool work piece depicts Faith, Hope, and Charity. The three large seated female figures in the center of the work. The one on the left is holding a babe, the one in the center holds a chalice and a book, and the one on the right holds a flower. Three small children are in the center foreground, one holding a parasol and another with a dog. At the bottom is stitched: “EMMA FRANCES FEATHER – 1855.” It is embroidered on cotton canvas that has a warp of 28/in and weft of 24/in. The thread is worsted wool and the stitches are cross and half cross.
Faith, Hope, and Charity are three theological virtues. The woman on the left represents Charity, the woman in the center, Faith, and the woman on the right, Hope. The opening flower she is holding is a symbol for hope. The more traditional symbol for hope is an anchor.
Emma Frances Feather was born on June 27, 1840, in Reading, Pennsylvania, to James Augustus and Mary Ann Fisher Feather. She married Levi G. Coleman on February 23, 1897. She died January 31, 1906. In the Reading, Pennsylvania, directories, she is listed as a vestmaker and Levi is listed as a merchant tailor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1855
maker
Feather, Emma Frances
ID Number
TE.T15608
catalog number
T15608
accession number
298622
John (Johannes) Kaufman (1812-1863) wove this Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet which features a “Double Lily” carpet medallion centerfield pattern. There is an inner border of addorsed roosters and garlands and an outer border of double flowers along the sides and bottom.
Description
John (Johannes) Kaufman (1812-1863) wove this Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet which features a “Double Lily” carpet medallion centerfield pattern. There is an inner border of addorsed roosters and garlands and an outer border of double flowers along the sides and bottom. There are also two inscribed cornerblocks identifying the maker, customer, place made, and date. Kaufman used red wool and indigo-dyed cotton to weave this coverlet in tied-Beiderwand structure. Sometimes called single-Jacquard, this structure is an integrated weave and identifiable by the ribbed texture of the textile. In the upper left hand corner there is a large amount of red yarn missing due to wear. Smaller amounts of red yarn is missing from five others areas on the coverlet.
John (Johannes) Kaufman (1812-1863) was a Mennonite weaver. He was born in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and began weaving in Hilltown Township in Bucks County in 1837. Samuel Moyer was the customer for whom the coverlet was woven. There are five Samuel Moyers buried in the Blooming Glen Mennonite Meetinghouse graveyard alongside Kaufman, and it is almost certain one of these interrelated Samuels that was the commissioner of the coverlet. This correlation reflects that artisan weavers often gained customers from trade and community networks which they were already a part of. Pennsylvania coverlet scholar, Ron Walter estimates that Kaufman wove between 400 and 500 coverlets. Most are still owned by family descendants but some are in the collections at NMAH, the Pennsylvania Museum of Art, the Mennonite Heritage Center, and private collections like Walter's. Kauffman is known to have operated as a weaver from 1837-1847 when rival weaver, Samuel B. Musselman seemingly forced him out of business. This coverlet is different than most other Kaufman coverlets, because of the indigo-dyed cotton warp threads. His other extant coverlets feature the typical horizontal color bands of reds, greens, blues, and white common in Pennsylvania coverlets. The donor purchased the coverlet in 1927 in nearby Quakertown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1839
maker
Kaufman, John
ID Number
TE.T8137
catalog number
T08137.000
accession number
145933
Weavers at the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory likely wove this all-wool, mulberry and olive green, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania sometime between 1856 and 1880.
Description
Weavers at the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory likely wove this all-wool, mulberry and olive green, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania sometime between 1856 and 1880. There is a large central medallion composed of a floral design at the center surrounded by an olive wreath and garland of grape vines Beyond that are morning glory vines and roses in each corner. There are borders on all four sides made up of repeating lily of the valley motifs. There is no center seam, indicating that this coverlet was woven on a broadloom and likely a power loom. There is no fringe. The coverlet is in overall poor condition and there are large sections of loss and the hems have come undone. Philip Schum (1814-1880) was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Schum immigrated to the United States with his first wife, Ana Margartha Bond in the 1830s, settling first in New York City where he worked as a malt tramper. The family soon moved to Lancaster County where Schum worked as a shoemaker and basket maker. Schum purchased a general store in 1852, and by 1856 he had become successful enough to sell the business and start the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory. Schum expanded his business exponentially over the ensuing decades growing from four employee to over forty. He and his second wife, Anna Margaret Koch were killed by a train in their carriage in 1880. Schum’s sons took over the business which remained successful until the 1920s. There is no evidence that Schum was ever trained as a weaver.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1856-1880
maker
Schum, Philip
ID Number
TE.T9538
catalog number
T09538.000
accession number
171995
H. & A. Seifert manufactured this Jacquard, red, white, blue and green, tied Beiderwand coverlet in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in 1851. The coverlet has no center seam indicating the use of a broadloom and has self-fringe on 3 sides.
Description
H. & A. Seifert manufactured this Jacquard, red, white, blue and green, tied Beiderwand coverlet in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in 1851. The coverlet has no center seam indicating the use of a broadloom and has self-fringe on 3 sides. The centerfield pattern features to different stylized “Double Rose” motifs arranged in a typical carpet medallion pattern. The side borders depict “Urn and Rose” motifs and the bottom border features an even more elaborate version of this pattern. The woven inscription found in each corner beneath two trees and flowering rose reads, “WOVEN SUPERIOR/ TIGHT WORK/MANUFACTURED ON/ THE LATEST FASHION BY/ H.&A. SEIFERT/MECHANISBURG/ CUMBERLAND COUNTY/ PENNSYLVANIA AD 1851. The weavers used 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton for the warp and indigo-dyed Z-spun cotton singles as binding warp. The same 2-ply cotton was used in the weft along with 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool. The coverlet measures 103.5 inches by 93.5 inches.
H. & A. Seifert, the manufacturer of this coverlet, was a partnership between brothers, Andrew (1820-1900) and Henry Seifert (1823-1905). More research is needed into whether this partnership was simply between two artisan hand-weavers or if the brothers were investing their capital into the establishment of a factory. The brothers were born in York City, York County, Pennsylvania. They established their business in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The partnership was extant at least between the years 1843-1851, as there are extant signed and dated coverlets that fall within that range. There was a third brother, Emanuel (b. 1830) who was recorded at living with Andrew in the 1850 Federal Census. It is quite likely that as the youngest brother, his older brothers trained him as a coverlet weaver, and he was likely working in the manufactory where this coverlet was made. H. & A. Seifert was dissolved in 1851, and Seifert and Co. established. It is almost certain that Emanuel joined into the partnership with his older brothers. The Seifert coverlets and the evolving business relationships these brothers engaged in tell and show how rural American craftspeople related to technological advancement and new business models.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1851
maker
H. & A. Seifert
Seifert, Henry
ID Number
TE.T16358
catalog number
T16358.000
accession number
299239

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