Textiles

Coverlet

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.

Date: 1820s

Mary Bishop's Sampler

There is a wide floral crossband at the center of the sampler, worked with crinkled silk thread in long, couched stitches.
Description
There is a wide floral crossband at the center of the sampler, worked with crinkled silk thread in long, couched stitches. At the bottom of the sampler are three large and two small floral motifs, and among them these initials: “WB SB CB JB.” All four edges are finished with wide green silk ribbon. Mary Bishop included an inscription and the names Joseph Bishop, Mary Bishop, and Sarah Bishop.
Inscription: "In the sightless are I dwell / On the sloping sunbeams pley / Delve the cavern’s inmost cell / Where never yet did daylight stray / Joseph Bishop / Mary Bishop / Sarah Bishop."
Mary’s inscription is from a poem entitled “Song of a Spirit” by Ann Ward Radcliffe (1764-1823). Mrs. Radcliffe was a popular English writer in her day and this poem is from her 1791 historical Gothic romance novel The Romance of the Forest. The sampler is stitched with silk embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 28, weft 30/in. The stitches used are cross, satin, eyelet, rice, stem, outline, and crosslet.
Despite including the names of possibly her mother and father, nothing could be found about the life of Mary Bishop.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
Bishop, Mary
ID Number
TE.T15008
catalog number
T15008
accession number
286272

"Big Lion" group; coverlet; Figured and Fancy; double-cloth; c.1835-1845; New York

This coverlet is from what is known as the “Big Lion” or “Hollow Lion” group. The weaver has not yet been identified.
Description
This coverlet is from what is known as the “Big Lion” or “Hollow Lion” group. The weaver has not yet been identified. There have been at least eighteen of these coverlets identified and collectors and scholars have attributed these coverlets to Auburn State Prison or to weaver, Harry Tyler, who also sometimes used a lion in his cornerblocks. There is; however, no evidence to corroborate these prior attributions. The centerfield design features stylized floral carpet medallions. There are borders on three sides. The side borders depict flowering trees, and the bottom border also features a different design of tall, leafed trees. The cornerblocks are unsigned and undated and contain a vertically oriented lion. This lion is depicted in outline form rather than solid as depicted in Tyler’s coverlets. This coverlet measures 84 inches by 78 inches and was constructed from two panels sewn together with a center seam. The unidentified weaver would have been from the Finger Lakes region of New York state and the coverlet was likely woven between the years 1835 and 1845.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1829
1830s?
date made
1835-1845
maker ? not sure
Tyler, Harry
maker
Tyler, Harry
unknown
ID Number
TE.T18629
catalog number
T18629.000
accession number
1978.2413

Mourning Embroidery

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. The death of George Washington gave impetus to this new fad of the mourning picture. It included an assortment of plinth, urn, mourners, and trees in a garden setting.
This square embroidered picture depicts a young girl weeping, kneeling beside a plinth topped by an urn beneath a weeping willow tree. There was once an inscription glued on the plinth, but it is now missing from the oval. The girl is dressed in an ivory and pale gold Empire style dress with lacy edging around the square neck. The embroidered weeping figure, plinth, chenille tree and chenille ground are surrounded by painted water. A gold inscription on a black mat at the bottom says, “Wrought by Sophia W. Childs, Charleston, 1827.” It is stitched on a plain weave ivory silk ground with silk floss and chenille. The stitches are satin, long and short, laid, and straight.
This mourning embroidery contains the usual motifs of a plinth with an urn, weeping willow trees and a young lady mourning. The Regency style dress would have been the dress of the period and helps to date the picture.
Sophia Wyman Childs married Jeremiah Holmes Kimball (1802-1849) of Woburn, Massachusetts, on February 24, 1828. She died sometime before November 1832, when Jeremiah wed Jerusha Ann Richardson.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1827
associated date
1964-12
maker
Childs, Sophia Wyman
ID Number
TE.T19319
accession number
256396
catalog number
T19319

"Sun, Moon, and Stars;" coverlet; overshot; 1790-1825

This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven in “Sun, Moon, and Stars” pattern. The two-paneled coverlet measures one-hundred inches in length by seventy-two inches wide.
Description
This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven in “Sun, Moon, and Stars” pattern. The two-paneled coverlet measures one-hundred inches in length by seventy-two inches wide. The plain weave ground cloth is made up of natural or unbleached linen or cotton warp and weft yarn and the supplementary pattern weft is a 2-ply wool yarn. There is some staining and slight discoloration, but overall this coverlet is in fairly good condition. Because the donor collected this coverlet from and unknown sources, the date and maker of this blue and white, cotton and wool, overshot coverlet is unknown. The coverlet was probably made between 1790 and 1825 and could possibly be from New York. The weaver of this early coverlet would also likely have been a woman or group of women who would pool equipment and skill sets to produce domestic goods for themselves and their neighbors. Since this coverlet dates from the early 19th century, it is quite likely that some or even all of the yarns used were homespun. Professional weavers switched to machine-spun cotton as soon as it was available, but hand-spun wool continued in use in coverlets in the early 19th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
first half of the 19th century
c. 1790-1825
ID Number
TE.T6888
catalog number
T06888.000
accession number
11503

Geometric double-cloth coverlet; 1800-1825; Pennsylvania

This red, blue, and white, geometric, double-cloth coverlet features a "Snowball" center field pattern with "Diamond" border. The design is similar to those found in John Landes' pattern book No. 51. (centerfield) and No. 57 (border).
Description
This red, blue, and white, geometric, double-cloth coverlet features a "Snowball" center field pattern with "Diamond" border. The design is similar to those found in John Landes' pattern book No. 51. (centerfield) and No. 57 (border). It was woven circa 1800-1825 almost certainly in Pennsylvania. The coverlet also features an applied red white and blue fringe attached with 2-ply blue linen thread. It is made up of two sections which were woven as one length and seamed with a 2-ply indigo blue linen thread. Although the accession file notes that Mrs. Miller, the donor, has information on the origin of the coverlet, no such information was included in the accession file. The top edge of the coverlet has a 1" wide, red-dyed, twill woven, woolen tape attached
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1900
19th century
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T13795
catalog number
T13795.000
accession number
263867

Abbie Corey Bracket overshot coverlet; Connecticut; early 19th C.

Abbie Corey Brackett is said to have woven this cotton and wool overshot coverlet on the Corey farm in Plainfield, Connecticut, in the early 19th century. It is woven in two sections, each forty inches wide.
Description
Abbie Corey Brackett is said to have woven this cotton and wool overshot coverlet on the Corey farm in Plainfield, Connecticut, in the early 19th century. It is woven in two sections, each forty inches wide. The center seam of this single-woven coverlet is sewn with linen thread. The attached fringe is eight inches deep, and made of hand-knotted wool. In the 18th and 19th centuries, very few women were involved in weaving anything as complicated as a coverlet. However, women were involved in spinning fiber into yarn. They would take the yarn to a professional weaver and pay him to make them a coverlet. The coverlet might have been used immediately or it could be put into the maker's dowry, or hope chest, for use after marriage.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
owner; possible maker
Brackett, Abbie Corey
ID Number
TE.T9125
catalog number
T09125.000
accession number
169638

"Snowballs and Pine Tree" Geometric double-cloth coverlet; 1800-1830

This blue and white cotton and wool coverlet features a variation of the Snowball pattern in the center, and a variation of the Pine Tree pattern along its borders. It is double-woven and believed to have been made in New York State in the first half of the 19th century.
Description
This blue and white cotton and wool coverlet features a variation of the Snowball pattern in the center, and a variation of the Pine Tree pattern along its borders. It is double-woven and believed to have been made in New York State in the first half of the 19th century. It was passed down through the family of the original owner to the donor, before being given to the Museum. The name of the weaver is unknown. Its condition is testimony to many years of use. Coverlets are damaged by sunlight, insects, and abrasion brought on by everyday use. They are frequently worn away at the top edge, by the owner pulling them up at night to stay warm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1830
early 19th century
1827
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T9571
catalog number
T09571.000
accession number
172485

Betsy Bruce's Sampler

The name “Betsy Bruce” appears at end of one alphabet. Below the alphabets is the inscription:"Seize Mortals seize the present hour Lifes a short summerMan’s a flower he dies alas how soon he dies. E. B.
Description
The name “Betsy Bruce” appears at end of one alphabet. Below the alphabets is the inscription:
"Seize Mortals seize the present hour Lifes a short summer
Man’s a flower he dies alas how soon he dies. E. B. 14 Y.”
The “E.B.” may stand for her sister Eveline Bruce who died July 21, 1817.
Betsy Bruce’s inscription is an adaptation of an Ode for Winter by English poet Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). The sampler is stitched with silk and cotton embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 22, weft 22/ in. The stitches used are cross, Algerian eye, and crosslet
Betsy Bruce was born on September 2, 1809, in Marlborough, Vermont to Rev. Mansfield and Grace Goddard Bruce. She married Origen Smith (1810-1884) on May 11, 1837. They had two children - Irenaeus OP born on February 5, 1841, and Elizabeth, born c.1845. Betsy died on October 4, 1882.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1822-1824
maker
Bruce, Betsy
ID Number
TE.T7729A
catalog number
T7729A
accession number
139053

coverlet; Figured and Fancy, double-cloth; 1825; New York

This blue and white, double cloth, Figured and Fancy coverlet features Great Seal eagles and Federal style steeple architecture in the borders, and “Double Tulip” medallions in the center.
Description
This blue and white, double cloth, Figured and Fancy coverlet features Great Seal eagles and Federal style steeple architecture in the borders, and “Double Tulip” medallions in the center. The tulip medallion (the type woven by James Alexander and other New York State weavers) is repeated throughout the centerfield of the coverlet. The eagles in upper and lower edges have a Masonic symbol and little monkeys and dogs in-between. The words "Agriculture & Manufactures are the Foundation of Our Independence July 4, 1825 P + Wagman GNRL Lafayette" are woven into each of the four corners. 1825 was the 50th anniversary of American independence as well as the first year of a two year visit from famed Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette. The coverlet may have been made as a commemorative item for both of these events. This coverlet design has been replicated numerous times dated from 1824-1840 and appears in major museums across the country. NMAH has another red and white coverlet of the same design. This design was initially associated with weaver, James Alexander of New York, but the consensus has changed. This group of coverlets was woven by more than one weaver whose identities have not yet been found. The floral medallions harken back to Scottish and English double-woven carpet designs. See also T14962 and T16116.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1825
July, 1825
ID Number
TE.T18131
catalog number
T18131.000
accession number
323465

Black Silk Bobbin Lace Edging

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1790-1820
ID Number
TE.T14587
accession number
277988
catalog number
T14587

Walking Dress

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1823
ID Number
CS.228001.0272
catalog number
228001.0272

Border of Bobbin Lace Floral Swags on Netting

Two sections of Empire period (1790-1820) style bobbin lace floral swags applied to machine made netting making a borderCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Two sections of Empire period (1790-1820) style bobbin lace floral swags applied to machine made netting making a border
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1790-1820
ID Number
TE.L7004A

Summer-and-Winter coverlet; c. 1790-1820; Connecticut

This blue and white, cotton and wool geometric coverlet is an excellent example of the structure known as Summer-and-Winter. There is a lot of apocryphal and mythological information circulating about the origins of this structure.
Description
This blue and white, cotton and wool geometric coverlet is an excellent example of the structure known as Summer-and-Winter. There is a lot of apocryphal and mythological information circulating about the origins of this structure. Is it an American invention or a European holdover? It is quite likely we will never know. Summer-and-Winter weave is an overshot weave with stricter rules. The supplementary warp yarn cannot float over more than two warp yarns. This creates a tighter fabric and also gives Summer-and-Winter its light (Summer) side and its darker (Winter) side. The weaver used a pattern most commonly known as "Cup and Saucer" with no border. A woven fringe has been pieced and applied around three edges of the coverlet. The coverlet is constructed from two panels which were woven as one length, cut, and sewn together to create the finished width. Each section is 39.5 inches wide, and the coverlet measures 85 inches by 79 inches. This coverlet descended through the donor’s family and was made in Connecticut between 1790 and 1820.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 19th century
c. 1790-1820
ID Number
TE.T16372
catalog number
T16372.000
accession number
300918

Mary P. Stabler's Sampler

This sampler features six block alphabets: five of 26 letters and one double. All the rows are separated by simple geometric crossbands.
Description
This sampler features six block alphabets: five of 26 letters and one double. All the rows are separated by simple geometric crossbands. Mary Stabler’s sampler is an example of a marking sampler that consisted predominately of alphabets and numbers, and was usually the first sampler a young lady stitched. Alphabets were used to mark linens for identification. Mary included the inscription:

“Mary P Stabler’s
Work
Aged 11 Alexandria”
The sampler is stitched with silk and cotton embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 28, weft 29/in. The stitches used are: cross, crosslet, four-sided, double cross, rice, Algerian eye, queen, and herringbone.
Mary Pleasants Stabler was born on January 30, 1809, to Edward and Mary Hartshorne Stabler in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1835 she married John Leadbeater and they had eight children - Edward S., Lucy, Mary G., Alice, Anna, Alice, William, and Thomas. Mary died on August 9, 1863. See her daughter Anna Leadbeater’s samplers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1819-1821
maker
Stabler, Mary P.
ID Number
TE.T12610
catalog number
T12610
accession number
235642

Parisian Visiting Dress

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1822
ID Number
CS.228001.0029
catalog number
228001.0029

James Alexander; coverlet; Figured and Fancy, double-cloth; 1824; New York

James Alexander (1770-1870) wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet for Eleanor Van Etten in Orange County, New York in 1824. The white warp and weft yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton while the blue yarns are 2-ply, s-twist, and Z-spun wool.
Description
James Alexander (1770-1870) wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet for Eleanor Van Etten in Orange County, New York in 1824. The white warp and weft yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton while the blue yarns are 2-ply, s-twist, and Z-spun wool. In the binding, the yarn is a z-spun cotton single of and there is a secondary yarn which appears to be 2-ply s-twist z-spun cotton. The centerfield is composed of large “Double Tulip” carpet medallions and foliate designs. The lengthwise border is composed of depictions of Independence Hall flanked by eagles and surmounted by stars and floral springs. The crosswise border is made of Masonic columns flanked by eagles. The repeat unit for the Centerfield measures 27 inches by 26 inches. The border is 7.25 inches wide on all four sides. The repeat unit for the crosswise border is 7.25 inches by 29 inches, while the repeat for the lengthwise borders is 27.75 inches x 7.25 inches. The coverlet is composed of two 38 " wide lengths which were woven as one length, cut, and hand sewn together. The coverlet measures 96.5 inches by 76 inches. There is woven inscription in each corner which reads, “Eleanor Van Etten Oct. 14 1824." This coverlet has descended through the Swartwout family of New York for generations before coming to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1824-10-14
1824
owner
Van Etten, Eleanor
maker
Alexander, James
ID Number
1982.0572.01
catalog number
1982.0572.001
accession number
1982.0572

1800 - 1825 Pieced Quilt

This quilt, composed of 5 ¾” squares of printed cotton set diagonally with 2 ¾” sashing and border, contains interesting cotton fabrics from the early 19th century.
Description
This quilt, composed of 5 ¾” squares of printed cotton set diagonally with 2 ¾” sashing and border, contains interesting cotton fabrics from the early 19th century. The green motif repeated on a dark ground appears to have been mordant-printed from a small wooden stamp, possibly of Indian origin, and dyed. The sashing is cut from yardage of copper-block-printed floral stripes, probably English. The lining is a block-printed resist-dyed fabric. The various fabric printing techniques and the woven effect of the sashing contribute to the appeal of this quilt.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
1988.0122.01
catalog number
1988.0122.01
accession number
1988.0122

1800 - 1825 Nine-patch Variation Block

Quilt block pieced in a Nine-patch variation. Double diagonal grid roller-printed in blue on woven ivory Marseilles ground. Block has been stitched to other blocks at one time; there are needle holes and fragments of white cotton along all edges.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Quilt block pieced in a Nine-patch variation. Double diagonal grid roller-printed in blue on woven ivory Marseilles ground. Block has been stitched to other blocks at one time; there are needle holes and fragments of white cotton along all edges.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
1985.0376.07
catalog number
1985.0376.07
accession number
1985.0376

altar cloth

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1700-1820
associated dates
1897 03 13 / 1897 03 13, 1965 00 00 / 1965 00 00
1966 10 27 / 1966 10 27
ID Number
CL.176398
accession number
31785
catalog number
176398

Lydia Ann Garton's Sampler

Four block alphabets of 26 letters. Numbers to 14; two rows of initials "MG," "JG," "CG," "LAG,"; "RG," "AG," "WCG," and "JG." Two alphabets, numbers, and initials colored in pairs.
Description
Four block alphabets of 26 letters. Numbers to 14; two rows of initials "MG," "JG," "CG," "LAG,"; "RG," "AG," "WCG," and "JG." Two alphabets, numbers, and initials colored in pairs. All these rows separated by simple crossbands, and included in them, apple worked in pulled thread and patch of shaded florentine stitch; these rows separated from inscription by geometric strawberry crossband. Flanking inscription, two baskets of flowers. Border of geometric carnation vine on all four sides. Silk thread on cotton ground. STITCHES: cross, crosslet, queen, stem, satin, herringbone, eyelet, rice, tent, four-sided, outline, padded satin, Irish, pulled thread. THREAD COUNT: warp 26, weft 34/in.
Inscriptions:
"O blest Religion heavenly fair
Thy kind thy healing power.
Can sweeten Pain alleviate care
And gild each gloomy hour.
Lydia Ann Garton was Born
April 4th AD 1811 Did this Work
in the 10th Year of her age AD 1820"
Background:
Lydia Ann was born on April 4, 1811, to Mark and Jane Cowgill Garton in Cumberland, New Jersey. The initials on her sampler are for her parents Mark and Jane, and for her and her siblings Charles, Lydia Ann, Rebecca, Ann, William Cowgill, and Jane. Lydia married William Murphy on June 20, 1833, in Cumberland, and they had five children—Sarah, Ann, John, Charles, and Mary. William was a glass blower, and they resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1820
maker
Garton, Lydia Ann
ID Number
TE.T13433
catalog number
T13433
accession number
254791

1800 - 1825 Geometric Counterpane

Seven large squares and six large triangular sections, set diagonally, create the focus for this mosaic counterpane from the early 19th century.
Description
Seven large squares and six large triangular sections, set diagonally, create the focus for this mosaic counterpane from the early 19th century. The segments are both pieced and appliqued with a multitude of block-, plate-, and roller-printed cottons as well as a few Indian painted cottons. It is finished by a narrow border attached with piping along each side, creating a frame for the center. The lining is a roller-printed, floral motif cotton; small pieces of the same fabric were also used for the geometric top. The many fabrics used to create the complex design make it an interesting example in the Collection.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T14558
catalog number
T14558
accession number
278173

lace, veil

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1810-1827
1810-1826
ID Number
TE.T16342
catalog number
T16342.000
accession number
298683

1800 - 1825 Elizabeth C. Nunn's "Liberty" Quilted Counterpane

After its adoption in 1782, the Great Seal of the United States became a popular design motif. An adaptation of the eagle design centers the top of this hand-woven cotton quilt that was block-printed in the early 19th century for a Mrs. Farris of Kentucky. Mrs.
Description
After its adoption in 1782, the Great Seal of the United States became a popular design motif. An adaptation of the eagle design centers the top of this hand-woven cotton quilt that was block-printed in the early 19th century for a Mrs. Farris of Kentucky. Mrs. Farris’s daughter, Elizabeth C. Nunn, lined and interlined the top with cotton and stitched the layers together in a diamond quilting pattern.
Blocks for printing such bedcovers were of crudely carved wood, with individual motifs that could be arranged in a variety of designs. The color on this example, probably originally printed with Prussian blue, has faded from washings.
Elizabeth C. born in 1783 in Virginia, married William Nunn (1783-1822) in March 1805. Elizabeth died in Kentucky in 1871.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1825
maker
Nunn, Elizabeth C.
ID Number
TE.T15294
catalog number
T15294
accession number
292230

1800 - 1820 Brown-Francis Family's Patriotic Quilt

This early-nineteenth-century patriotic quilt was owned by members of the Brown-Frances family of Canterbury, Connecticut, before being donated to the Museum in 1947.
Description
This early-nineteenth-century patriotic quilt was owned by members of the Brown-Frances family of Canterbury, Connecticut, before being donated to the Museum in 1947. The donor's grandmother had acquired possession of it along with other household furnishings that were in the eighteenth-century family homestead.
The focus of the quilt, the large center block, is an adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States. An appliquéd eagle holding an arrow in one claw and a leafy sprig in the other dominates the block A shield with fifteen stars that indicate the number of states from June 1, 1792 until June 1, 1796 is behind the eagle. Appliquéd floral and bird motifs complete the block. This center block is set in a field of 4¾-inch blocks alternately plain and pieced in a nine-patch variation. The fabrics include thirty-eight roller-printed, plain colored and white cottons. It is quilted in parallel diagonal lines ¾-inch apart, 7 or 8 stitches per inch. From the late-eighteenth century the American eagle motif has signified patriotism and sacrifice. This quilt by an unknown Canturbury, Connecticut, quilt maker displays a unique rendition of that powerful symbol.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1800-1820
date made
1795-1820
quilter
unknown
ID Number
TE.T13505
accession number
168993
catalog number
T13505

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