| National Museum of American History

Two different roller-printed cotton fabrics were used to piece this quilt. One fabric for the 8-inch squares set diagonally, and the other for the 3 ½-inch sashing and border (3 ½-inch top, 5-inch side and bottom).

Description: Two different roller-printed cotton fabrics were used to piece this quilt. One fabric for the 8-inch squares set diagonally, and the other for the 3 ½-inch sashing and border (3 ½-inch top, 5-inch side and bottom). The lining is 3 lengths of plain-woven cotton; “MW 6” and “MW 7” are cross-stitched in brown on two of the lengths. Also, “G. W. Singer” is inscribed in blue ink on the lining. The quilt is cotton filled and quilted 6 stitches per inch. No separate binding, the front and lining are turned in and sewn with a running stitch. Unfortunately, little is known about this quilt.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17344.000
catalog number: T17344.000
accession number: 321804

Mary Winfield crafted this small pieced quilt of diamond-shaped blocks for her granddaughter, Julia A. Poole, of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia. Possibly it was intended as a doll quilt.

Description: Mary Winfield crafted this small pieced quilt of diamond-shaped blocks for her granddaughter, Julia A. Poole, of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia. Possibly it was intended as a doll quilt. Some of the diamond-shaped blocks are pieced in the “Nine-patch” pattern, others are plain white cotton.; Mary W. Tucker was born about 1764 in Virginia. She married William Winfield III (1762-1837) on January 6th in either 1783 or 1787. She made another small quilt, also in the Collection, for the same granddaughter.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1850

maker: Winfield, Mary

ID Number: TE.T02139.00B
accession number: 57609
catalog number: T02139B

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 9,679 issued April 19, 1853William Wickersham of Lowell, MassachusettsWickersham exhibited his boot and leather sewing machine at the “New York Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations” in 1853.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 9,679 issued April 19, 1853; William Wickersham of Lowell, Massachusetts; Wickersham exhibited his boot and leather sewing machine at the “New York Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations” in 1853. His address in the catalogue for the exhibition was listed as 20 Bulfinch Street, Boston.; In 1853 and 1854, Butterfield & Stevens Mfg. Co., of Boston.; Massachusetts, manufactured sewing machines based on his patent of April 19, 1853. In his patent specification, Wickersham wrote, “My machine for sewing cloth, leather, or other material is calculated to sew either a chain stitch (the formation of which is well understood) or a stitch . . . formed of two threads, and so that the loops of one . . . shall alternately pass through or be interlocked with those of the other . . . .” Although he mentions sewing cloth, it was for sewing leather for boots and shoes that his sewing machine became important. Wickersham’s patents introduced the method that allowed for the use of sewing leather with waxed thread. The development of mechanisms that would allow for sewing with wax thread was crucial to the industrialization of the shoe making industry.
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1853-04-19
patent date: 1853-04-19

inventor: Wickersham, William

ID Number: TE.T06117
catalog number: T06117.000
patent number: 009679
accession number: 89797

Martha Powell created this quilted and stuffed counterpane. Stuffed work refers to the technique of adding extra cotton wadding under the designs before quilting, resulting in a three dimensional effect.

Description: Martha Powell created this quilted and stuffed counterpane. Stuffed work refers to the technique of adding extra cotton wadding under the designs before quilting, resulting in a three dimensional effect. The center of this counterpane is a sunburst in a laurel wreath surrounded by a flowering vine. This is in turn is framed by arcs of flowering vines. Around the outside edge are baskets of fruit and sprays of flowers. It has a cotton lining and filling. All the stuffed motifs are outlined in quilting. The background is quilted in a triple diagonal grid, 11 stitches per inch. No separate binding, front brought to back 1/4" and whipped.; Martha Powell was born in DeKalb County, Georgia, on August 6 1831. She married Fielding Travis Powell (1828-1898) in 1849 or 1857. He practiced law, was a surgeon during the Civil War, and was also known for his many writings in various fields. They had two sons, and a daughter (donor of the quilt). Martha died in 1917 and is buried in Atlanta, Georgia.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1850; 1840-1850; 1840-1860

maker: Powell, Martha

ID Number: TE.T07721
accession number: 136919
catalog number: T07721

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 9,338, issued October 19, 1852Otis Avery of Honesdale, PennsylvaniaOtis Avery was born in Bridgewater, New York, on August 19, 1808. He learned the watchmaker’s trade from his father John, a silversmith and watchmaker.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 9,338, issued October 19, 1852; Otis Avery of Honesdale, Pennsylvania; Otis Avery was born in Bridgewater, New York, on August 19, 1808. He learned the watchmaker’s trade from his father John, a silversmith and watchmaker. Otis opened a watch repair shop in Bethany, Pennsylvania, in 1827.; Later, he studied dentistry under a Dr. Ambler in New Berlin, New York, and received a dental certificate of qualification in 1833. In 1850, he settled in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, where he practiced dentistry until his death in 1904.; Avery was mechanically talented, making many of his own dental tools. He designed a self-cleaning cuspidor and devised improvements to a typesetting machine. On October 19, 1852, he received Patent No. 9,338 for improvements on a sewing machine. The chain stitch he used was enlarged on his patent drawing and he described it in the specification as “two threads having a double lock with each other, and in practice almost every alternate stitch may be cut or broken, and yet the material will not . . . ‘rip out.’” A common problem with the chain stitch was that it could easily be unraveled. His patent claims were for the working combination of needle-bars, spring-holders, and adjustable guides, which regulated the length of the stitch together with a weight for moving the cloth forward.; The catalogue for the 1853 New York Exhibition noted that three sewing machines were exhibited by the Avery Sewing Machine Co. of New York City. Each machine was adapted for sewing different materials, such as wool, muslin, linen, and leathers. He continued to improve his machine and received Patent No. 10,880, issued May 9, 1854, and Patent No. 22,007, issued November 9, 1856.
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1852-10-19
patent date: 1852-10-19

inventor: Avery, Otis

ID Number: TE.T06114
catalog number: T06114.000
patent number: 009338
accession number: 89797

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 9,139, issued July 20, 1852Charles Miller of St. Louis, MissouriAt the time of his patent, Charles Miller lived in St. Louis, Missouri, an uncommon choice of residence for a sewing machine inventor.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 9,139, issued July 20, 1852; Charles Miller of St. Louis, Missouri; At the time of his patent, Charles Miller lived in St. Louis, Missouri, an uncommon choice of residence for a sewing machine inventor. Most of the inventors, and subsequent manufacturers, were located in the northeastern United States, particularly New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.; In his patent specification, Miller states: “This invention relates to that description of sewing-machine which forms the stitch by the interlacing of two threads, one of which is passed through the cloth in the form of a loop, and the other carried by a shuttle through the said loop.” His claim continues by stating: “It consists, first, in an improved stop-motion, or certain means of preventing the feed or movement of the cloth when by accident the thread breaks or catches in the seam; and, second, in certain means of sewing or making a stitch similar to what is termed in hand-sewing ‘the back stitch.”; According to Miller, his mechanism was different in that it passed the needle through the cloth in two places rather than in one, as was the case with other sewing machines of the time. His brass model is strikingly handsome, and engraved on the base of the model is “Charles Miller & J. A. Ross.” Usually when a second name is so prominently displayed on a model, it indicates a second inventor. However, no mention is made of Ross in the patent specification. Interestingly, Jonathan A. Ross turns up the following year at the 1853 New York Exhibition, exhibiting a sewing machine, and is listed in the catalogue as a sewing machine manufacturer from St. Louis, Missouri.; Miller is perhaps best known for an invention some two years later. It was the first sewing machine patented to stitch buttonholes (Patent No. 10,609, issued March 7, 1854). In his patent specification, Miller describes the three different stitches, “button-hole stitch, whip stitch or herring-bone stitch,” that can be mechanically sewn to finish the buttonhole.
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1852-07-20
patent date: 1852-07-20

inventor: Miller, Charles

ID Number: TE.T06113
catalog number: T06113.000
patent number: 009139
accession number: 89797

This album quilt has the inscription "Benoni Pearce Pawling 1850" plainly appliquéd across the top. Whether to celebrate an engagement, announce his availability for marriage, or as a token of friendship it is not evident why this quilt so boldly bears the name, Benoni Pearce.

Description: This album quilt has the inscription "Benoni Pearce Pawling 1850" plainly appliquéd across the top. Whether to celebrate an engagement, announce his availability for marriage, or as a token of friendship it is not evident why this quilt so boldly bears the name, Benoni Pearce. It is known that album quilts were quite popular in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1850 family and friends in the Pawling, New York area joined together to create this example well expressed by one of the inscriptions: "This Humble Tribute I Present - My Friendship to Portray." The needlework, artistry and many inscriptions on the Benoni Pearce Album Quilt make it an important part of the collection.; The eighty-one distinctive blocks of the quilt represent a great many of the quilting techniques and patterns popular in the mid-nineteenth century. Fifty-eight blocks are appliquéd, thirteen are pieced, eight are pieced and appliquéd, one is reverse appliquéd and one is quilted and stuffed. It is constructed mainly of roller printed cottons. The motifs of each of the eighty-one quilt blocks differ, from basic pieced star patterns to free form designs such as a girl jumping rope, a deer or trees. Details on many of the blocks are added in ink or embroidery. The quilting patterns also represent a variety of styles with quilted symbols of hearts, flowers, and various geometric shapes found throughout the quilt.; The many contributors to this quilt have appliquéd, inked or embroidered their signatures to individual blocks, often adding dates, place names, relationship to quilt recipient Benoni Pearce, and even poems. One quilt block depicting a barren gnarled tree expresses the following sentiment:; "I am a broken aged tree; That long has stood the wind and rain; But now has come a cruel blast; And my last hold on earth is gone; No leaf of mine shall greet the spring; No Summers sun exalt my bloom; But I must lie before the storm; And others plant them in my room.; Presented by Your Aunt Anna Dodge."; ("Lament For James, Earl of Glencairn," Robert Burns); Other inscriptions express conventional sentiments. It is through the many dated inscriptions that some of the history of Benoni Pearce's Album Quilt has been established.; Benoni Pearce married Emma Stark in 1851, farmed in the Pawling, Dutchess County, New York, area, had two daughters and died in 1871. By 1873 his widow, Emma, had moved to Washington D.C. with their two daughters and was working as a clerk for the U.S. government, one of the early government girls. Emma Stark Pearce continued to live in Washington D.C. and worked in various government offices until her death in 1899 at age seventy. After she died the quilt remained with her daughter, Jessie, who never married. The other daughter, Augusta, apparently died at a young age. Jessie also lived in Washington D.C., kept boarders and was listed in the city directory as a china painter or artist until her own death in 1907. It was in Jessie's handwritten will that mention was made of "my album quilt . . . ." probably the one that was eventually donated to the Museum in 1972 by descendants. According to the donors they felt that the Museum was better able to preserve and care for the quilt and that such a beautiful object, Benoni Pearce's Album Quilt, should be shared and valued.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1850

quilter: Pearce, Benoni, friends of

ID Number: TE.T16323
accession number: 304519
catalog number: T16323

Sewing Machine Patent Model. Patent No. 9,041, issued June 15, 1852Allen Benjamin Wilson of Watertown, Connecticut.Allen B. Wilson was one of the most creative and innovative of the early inventors.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model. Patent No. 9,041, issued June 15, 1852; Allen Benjamin Wilson of Watertown, Connecticut.; Allen B. Wilson was one of the most creative and innovative of the early inventors. Born in Willett, New York, in 1823, he was apprenticed at age sixteen as a cabinetmaker. Later in 1847, he moved to Adrian, Michigan, and worked as a journeyman cabinetmaker. It was here, far removed from New England and the efforts by other inventors, that he began to design a different sewing machine. After recovering from an illness, he moved back east to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and began to perfect his new concept for a sewing machine.; In 1850, Wilson developed a prototype for a reciprocating-shuttle machine. When the needle went through the cloth, it formed a loop below the seam. A shuttle that was pointed on both ends held a second thread that was passed through the loop and as the tension on the thread was tightened, a lockstitch was made. This shuttle could be moved both forward and backwards to form a stitch on both movements, unlike the shuttles of Hunt and Howe, which only created a stitch in one direction.; Based on these same ideas, he made a second machine that he submitted to the U.S. Patent Office and was granted Patent No. 7,776 on November 12, 1850. Presumably, Wilson’s skills as a cabinetmaker came into use with this model as it is almost entirely made out of wood and painted black to look like metal. Constructing a model out of wood, rather than metal, was a less expensive and easier way to build, requiring fewer specialized tools. On the underside of the metal raceway is stamped “Deall & Sons,” evidence that Wilson used a machinist to fabricate this part.; Fortunately, Wilson met Nathaniel Wheeler, partner of the firm of Warren and Woodruff of Watertown, Connecticut. He moved to Watertown to join in the partnership and to continue to perfect his sewing machine.; In his second patent (Patent No. 8,296, issued August 12, 1851) Wilson developed the rotary hook and bobbin to replace the shuttle mechanism in his first patent (Patent No. 7776, issued November 12, 1850.) The rotary hook opened the loop of the needle thread, while a reciprocating bobbin carried the second thread through the loop to complete the lockstitch.; In order to avoid patent litigation that the reciprocating bobbin might have caused, Wilson developed his third unique invention, the stationary bobbin (Patent No. 9,041, issued June 15, 1852.) In Wilson’s rotary hook and stationary bobbin, the lockstitch was made by locking the needle thread with the bobbin thread by passing the needle thread loop under the bobbin. The driving shaft carried the circular rotary hook, which resulted in a revolutionary method of sewing.; For his patent model, Wilson submitted a commercial Wheeler and Wilson sewing machine that had been manufactured the previous year. The evolution of his ideas from the simple wooden model to the successful manufactured machine beautifully illustrates the progress of his novel inventions.; In 1853 the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company was organized to manufacture sewing machines based on Allen Wilson patents. In 1856, the company moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and became the largest and most successful manufacturer of sewing machines in the 1850s and 1860s.
Location: Currently on loan

model constructed: before 1852-06-15
patent date: 1852-06-15

inventor: Wilson, Allen B.

ID Number: TE.T06055
catalog number: T06055.000
patent number: 009041
accession number: 48865

The focal point, an appliqued basket of flowering branches, is surrounded by an undulating flowering vine and a 2 ½-inch band of printed cotton.

Description: The focal point, an appliqued basket of flowering branches, is surrounded by an undulating flowering vine and a 2 ½-inch band of printed cotton. These are in turn framed by an 8-inch border appliqued with a leafy undulating vine, another 2 ½-inch band of printed cotton, another 13-inch border with appliqued motifs and a final outer band of printed cotton. Quilted, 9-10 stitches per inch, with a variety of leaf motifs and background of diagonal lines and clamshells. This quilt is a fine example of the frame-within-a-frame overall design.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1830-1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T14924
catalog number: T14924
accession number: 285838

This example of the “Feathered Star” pattern was among several quilts, quilt blocks, and other household textile items that were donated in 1932. It is the work of Rachel Burr Corwin. At the time of the donation the quilt was considered by the curator “. . .

Description: This example of the “Feathered Star” pattern was among several quilts, quilt blocks, and other household textile items that were donated in 1932. It is the work of Rachel Burr Corwin. At the time of the donation the quilt was considered by the curator “. . . a valued addition to the Museum’s collection of old cotton prints . . . one is amazed at the work required to piece together patches of ½-inch dimensions.”; Fifteen-and-a-half-inch “Feathered Star” pieced blocks are set diagonally with sashing pieced in the “Garden Maze” pattern. These are framed by a six-inch pieced border. An 1829 date was given on a note pinned to the quilt, but the roller-printed cottons are more typical of those used a few years later. Small quilted floral motifs and outline quilting, 7 stitches per inch, complete the quilt.; Rachel Burr, daughter of Samuel Burr and Sibyl Scudder Burr of Massachusetts, was born March 3, 1788. She married Samuel Corwin of Orange County, New York, October 14, 1809. They had four children. Needlework examples by one of their daughters, Celia, are also in the Collection. Rachel Burr Corwin died March 14, 1849, in Orange County, New York.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: Corwin, Rachel Burr

ID Number: TE.T07118
accession number: 121578
catalog number: T07118

This quilt, pieced in a modified Nine-patch pattern, displays a multitude of fabric examples mainly from the 1820s and 1830s.

Description: This quilt, pieced in a modified Nine-patch pattern, displays a multitude of fabric examples mainly from the 1820s and 1830s. Thirty roller-printed cottons, 5 block-printed cottons, and 16 woven fabrics (stripes, checks, and plaids) were used to make the 6-inch square pieced blocks that alternate with 6-inch squares of printed cottons. The quilt is lined and bound with a plain-weave white cotton fabric. It is quilted, 8 stitches per inch. The variety of fabrics that were used makes this quilt an especially interesting example of early 19th-century textile design and printing.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T15385
catalog number: T15385
accession number: 293793

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 7,931, issued on February 11, 1851William O. Grover and William E. Baker of Roxbury, MassachusettsWilliam O. Grover, a tailor working in Boston, believed that the sewing machine would transform the clothing industry.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 7,931, issued on February 11, 1851; William O. Grover and William E. Baker of Roxbury, Massachusetts; William O. Grover, a tailor working in Boston, believed that the sewing machine would transform the clothing industry. Seeing that the available sewing machines were not very practical, he began in 1849 to devise a different machine. He developed a new stitch that was made by interlocking two threads in a series of slipknots. Another Boston tailor, William E. Baker, shared Grover’s vision and became his partner in the project.; They received Patent No. 7,931 on February 11, 1851, for a double chain stitch made with two threads. The stitch was made using a vertical eye-pointed needle for the top thread and a horizontal needle for the under thread.; The Grover and Baker Sewing Machine Company was organized in 1851. Jacob Weatherill, mechanic, and Orlando B. Potter, lawyer, joined the firm. It was Potter who saw that the numerous lawsuits over patent rights were strangling the growth of the fledging sewing machine industry. In 1856, his work lead to the formation of the Sewing Machine Combination also called the Sewing Machine Trust. This organization consisted of three sewing machine manufacturers, I. M. Singer Co., Wheeler & Wilson Co., and the Grover & Baker Co., and the inventor, Elias Howe Jr., who all agreed to pool their important patents and stop patent litigation between them. This allowed them to move ahead with manufacturing and marketing of their own sewing machines and collecting license fees from other companies wanting to use their patents.
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1851-02-11
patent date: 1851-02-11

inventor: Grover, William O.; Baker, William E.

ID Number: TE.T06053
catalog number: T06053.000
patent number: 007931
accession number: 48865

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania friends of Ellen Winebrenner Calder presented this quilt to her in 1851. It was a farewell present for Ellen, a young bride, who was accompanying her husband, Rev. James K. Calder to Fuh-Chua, China.

Description: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania friends of Ellen Winebrenner Calder presented this quilt to her in 1851. It was a farewell present for Ellen, a young bride, who was accompanying her husband, Rev. James K. Calder to Fuh-Chua, China. They worked under difficult circumstances in China for two years as missionaries for the Methodist Episcopal Church before returning to the United States. Ellen Calder, born in 1824, died in 1858 at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. She is buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery.; This cotton quilt consists of 36 blocks appliquéd with a fleur-de-lis motif often used by religious groups for presentation pieces. In the center circle of each block is penned a name and on many the place and date as well. Also penned on the quilt are a few pertinent religious inscriptions such as:; "When on the bounding wave,; Or in a Heathen land,; May God in Mercy Save,; And guide you by the hand.; And when your labors cease,; And you no more must roam,; May you return in peace,; To your beloved home."; In the mid nineteenth century the album or autograph quilt was a popular token of affection, often presented to someone leaving the community for a long journey or a new home far away.
Location: Currently not on view

Date made: 1851

user: Calder, Ellen Winebrenner
quilters: unknown

ID Number: TE.T08114
accession number: 144655
catalog number: T08114

In the mid-nineteenth century, Mary Ann Bishop appliquéd this cotton “Wreath of Roses” quilt in the then popular red and green combination of fabrics. Nine 18-inch blocks appliquéd with wreaths of roses are separated by 5½-inch plain white sashing.

Description: In the mid-nineteenth century, Mary Ann Bishop appliquéd this cotton “Wreath of Roses” quilt in the then popular red and green combination of fabrics. Nine 18-inch blocks appliquéd with wreaths of roses are separated by 5½-inch plain white sashing. Eight-pointed stars are appliquéd at the sashing intersections. The 8-inch quilt border is appliquéd with three-lobed leaves on an undulating vine. Plain-weave white and red cottons and a roller-printed cotton of brown dots on a green ground were used for the quilt. Diagonal grid and line quilting, 10 stitches to the inch, provides a contrast to the quilted feathered leaves on the sashing. Two gradually curved S-shaped wooden templates, also donated to the Collection, were used for marking the quilting pattern.; Mary Ann Gotschall was born July 7, 1819. She married Hiram H. Bishop (1818-1897) on January 31, 1842, in Harrison County, Ohio. He received his medical training at Starling Medical College in Columbus, Ohio, in the late 1840s. Lyne Starling (1784-1848) was the founder of the hospital and medical school, a new concept at that time of providing medical education and patient care in one facility. During the Civil War, from June 1864 to March 1865, Hiram was contracted as an Acting Assistant Surgeon at the Totten General Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky. In March of 1865, when he left, the hospital had over 6,500 patients and fewer than 100 surgeons.; Mary and Hiram reared four children; John (b. 1843), Naomi (b. 1845), Mary (b. 1848), and Luie (b. 1860). Mary Ann died March 9, 1915, and is buried in the Wilkesville Cemetery. Mary Ann Bishop’s quilt in the “Wreath of Roses” pattern is one of three quilts in the collection that were donated to the Smithsonian by her granddaughter, Maude M. Fierce, in 1936 and 1937.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1840-1850

maker: Bishop, Mary Ann Gotschall

ID Number: TE.T07956
accession number: 143694
catalog number: T07956

The design of this pieced quilt, rendered in five roller-printed cottons, resembles both the “Delectable Mountains” and “Twelve Crowns” patterns. Pattern block names vary by era and region.

Description: The design of this pieced quilt, rendered in five roller-printed cottons, resembles both the “Delectable Mountains” and “Twelve Crowns” patterns. Pattern block names vary by era and region. Variations on traditional or classical block patterns are always evolving with new names and the maker may have had another name for the pattern. It is quilted 5 stitches per inch, with a pattern of various size wheels (15-inch, 13-inch and 6-inch) and parallel diagonal lines.; Marked in ink on the lining is “E.K. Sweetland. No.14.” At the time of the 1973 donation by a descendent, a note attached to the quilt noted: “142 years old. Made by Electa Kingsbury Sweetland, Great grandmother of F.P. Loomis.” The Loomis, Kingsbury and Sweetland families were early settlers of Coventry, Connecticut.; Electa Kingsbury was born June 9, 1791 in Coventry. She married Levi Sweetland (1789-1851 or 1854) on March 8, 1810. They had five children and the quilt was possibly made for her daughter, Mary Ann, who was born in 1811 and married George Nelson Loomis (1811-1874). Electa died December 6, 1848 and is buried in the Center Cemetery in Coventry, Connnecticut.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: Sweetland, Electa Kingsbury

ID Number: TE.T16940.00S
accession number: 310734
catalog number: T16940S

Jane Winter Price pieced this example of the “Carpenter’s Wheel” pattern in the second quarter of the nineteenth century and quilted her initials, “JWP,” into a white triangle at the lower edge of the quilt.

Description: Jane Winter Price pieced this example of the “Carpenter’s Wheel” pattern in the second quarter of the nineteenth century and quilted her initials, “JWP,” into a white triangle at the lower edge of the quilt. According to family information, she may have made this quilt during a previous engagement when she lived in Maryland, before the death of her fiancé. “Keate Price McHenry from her Mother” is written in a corner of the lining. Catherine (Kate) Price McHenry was Jane’s daughter, born in 1856 in Arkansas.; Thirty “Carpenter’s Wheel” pieced blocks are set diagonally with alternate white blocks on this elaborately quilted example of mid-nineteenth-century needlework. The blocks are 11½ inches square, and the blue-ground chintz border is 7½ inches wide. The white squares are quilted, 15 stitches per inch, with sprays of flowers and grapes against a background of diagonal lines 1/8 inch apart. Double clamshell quilting is found in the white triangles inside the border. Both the pieced blocks and the border are quilted 9 stitches per inch. The wide border effectively frames the artistic placement of pieced blocks and finely quilted white blocks and triangles.; Jane Winter Price, born in 1818 in Maryland, was the daughter of Catherine Winter Dunnington II (1790 -1863) and Richard Price (b 1771). Catherine was married in 1813, but widowed in 1823. In 1838 she, along with her two living children, Jane and George Richard Price, left with others for Alabama. Jane married Josiah W. McHenry (b.1815) in 1849. In 1860 they lived in La Pile, Union County, Arkansas, with their four children, Catherine (b. 1850), Barnabas (b. 1852), George (b. 1854) and Jane C. (b. 1856) and Jane’s mother, Catherine, then aged 70. By 1870, they were living in Homer, Louisiana, where Jane died in January 1899.; This quilt is among several items that G. Ruth McHenry donated to the Smithsonian in 1961. It had been given to her by her aunt, Kate (Catherine) Price McHenry. Catherine Price McHenry was the daughter of Jane Winter Price, who probably made this quilt before her marriage to Josiah W. McHenry in 1849.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: Price, Jane Winter

ID Number: TE.T12697
accession number: 238478
catalog number: T12697

Annis Curtis pieced her version of a “Reel” pattern during the second quarter of the 19th century. Sixteen 12-inch pieced blocks and 4 half-blocks in blue and white are set diagonally and alternate with 12-inch squares of the same printed dark blue fabric.

Description: Annis Curtis pieced her version of a “Reel” pattern during the second quarter of the 19th century. Sixteen 12-inch pieced blocks and 4 half-blocks in blue and white are set diagonally and alternate with 12-inch squares of the same printed dark blue fabric. The cotton fabric was printed in pale blue and yellow on a dark blue ground. The white in the pattern is achieved through discharge printing, a process that bleaches the color from the fabric. It is quilted, 6 stitches per inch, with diagonal lines in the border, and arced lines following the “Reel” pattern on the blocks. The blue and white theme is continued with the borders on three sides.; Annis Lawrence, daughter of Joab and Jemima Cross Lawrence, was born January 28, 1787, in Simsbury, Conn. Her grandfather, Col. Bigelow Lawrence (1741-1818) was a captain and major in the Revolutionary War and also served in the New York militia in the War of 1812. About 1795 he and his eight sons, one of which was Joab, were the first settlers of Marcellus, Onondaga County, N.Y. Her aunt, Asenath Lawrence (1773-?) was the first female teacher in Marcellus in the late 1790s. Annis married Israel Curtis (1781-1845), also originally from Simsbury, Conn. Annis died August 19, 1858. They apparently had no children, but lived in the area of Marcellus and are both buried in the Old Marcellus Village Cemetery.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: Curtis, Annis Lawrence

ID Number: TE.T14554
catalog number: T14554
accession number: 277503

Virginia Ivey designed this white-work quilt to capture the excitement and lively interest of a county fairground in the mid-nineteenth century. The center circle, 40 inches in diameter, is edged by a board fence complete with gate.

Description: Virginia Ivey designed this white-work quilt to capture the excitement and lively interest of a county fairground in the mid-nineteenth century. The center circle, 40 inches in diameter, is edged by a board fence complete with gate. Inside the fence is the quilted inscription: "1856 A REPRESENTATION OF THE FAIR GROUND NEAR RUSSELLVILLE KENTUCKY." The central judges' pavilion with the judges, encircled by horses and riders, fair buildings and workers, animals of all sorts, and of course the fairgoers themselves, all in a state of arrested motion, contribute to the unique design.; Virginia Ivey's needlework and artistic skills resulted in a quilt that depicts the smallest details of fence rail, walking stick and saddle, or men shaking hands in greeting. The surface outline was quilted using two layers of fine white cotton with a thin cotton fiber filling, stitched through all three layers. The sculpted effect of the design was achieved with stuffed and corded quilting techniques and grounded with stippling, 12 stitches to the inch. The quilt is finished with a 4½-inch woven and knotted cotton fringe. Her needlework is often described as using needle and thread much like another artist might use pen or brush.; Virginia Mason Ivey was born on October 26, 1828 in Tennessee. She was the daughter of Mourning Mason and Capt. David Ivey, a farmer and soldier in the War of 1812. According to family information her father named her after his native state. When Virginia was a young child the family moved to Keysburg, a small town in Logan County, Kentucky. Aunt Jennie, as she was known to the family, according to her niece Ida B. Lewis, "never had any lessons in art-just-her own talent and creative instinct. She loved beauty in many forms and had a most attractive personality and was quite a pretty woman." Virginia Ivey never married and when she died she left this quilt to her niece, Lillian Virginia Lewis.; "I have a quilt which I value most highly. It was made by my aunt, Virginia M. Ivey. I cannot care for it much longer and I should like very much to know that it will have excellent care and that it will give pleasure to many people who will appreciate its remarkable workmanship and its great beauty". So wrote Lillian V. Lewis about the quilt she donated to the Museum in 1949. Now over 150 years old, this elaborate example of white-work quilting, "A REPRESENTATION OF THE FAIR GROUND NEAR RUSSELLVILLE KENTUCKY 1856," has been exhibited at fairs and museums and has won many prizes.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1856-1857

quilter: Ivey, Virginia Mason

ID Number: TE.T10269
catalog number: T10269
accession number: 183387

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 7,824, issued December 10, 1850Frederick R. Robinson of Boston, MassachusettsIn his Annual Report to the Congress of Patents for 1850, Commissioner Thomas Ewbank stated that 995 patents were issued. One of those patents was to Frederick R.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 7,824, issued December 10, 1850; Frederick R. Robinson of Boston, Massachusetts; In his Annual Report to the Congress of Patents for 1850, Commissioner Thomas Ewbank stated that 995 patents were issued. One of those patents was to Frederick R. Robinson for improvements to sewing machines. Robinson’s patent was used commercially by the firm of Howard & Davis of Boston to manufacture sewing machines. In addition to using Robinson’s patent, the machines they built utilized improvements patented by Sylvester H. Roper of Worcester, Massachusetts (Patent No. 11,521 issued on August 15, 1854) and with additional improvements (Patent No. 16,026 issued on November 4, 1856). Howard & Davis were best known for their manufacture of high-grade clocks and watches, although they also built fire engines and precision balances.; As Robinson stated, “The object of my invention is to produce either what is generally termed ‘stitch and back stitch’ sewing, or ordinary stitching.” He notes that this is frequently called the running stitch or basting stitch. His specific patent claim was “The combination of two needles, two thread-guides, and a cloth-holder made to operate together . . . and . . . the improvement of making the needles with springs and applying mouth-pieces or pressers to them, and on each side of the flange of the base-plate . . .”; Scientific American, November 1, 1856, describes the machine based on the patents mentioned above as: “Robinson & Roper exhibit their new improved sewing machines, which appear to operate with great success. Two needles are employed, the points of which are furnished with hooks that alternately catch the thread and form the stitch. The finest kind of cotton thread or silk can be used.”
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1850-12-10
patent date: 1850-12-10

inventor: Robinson, Frederick R.

ID Number: TE.T06111
catalog number: T.6111
accession number: 89797
patent number: 7824

With an astute arrangement of the colors of the diamond shaped pieces, a framed center design was achieved on this example of a mid-nineteenth century silk quilt. Silk diamond-shaped patches, 2-1/4 inches long, are pieced in straight vertical rows.

Description: With an astute arrangement of the colors of the diamond shaped pieces, a framed center design was achieved on this example of a mid-nineteenth century silk quilt. Silk diamond-shaped patches, 2-1/4 inches long, are pieced in straight vertical rows. A wide variety of silks are represented; plain, ribbed, checked, brocaded, printed, pattern-woven, plaid, and striped. The “frame” is an 8-inch brown silk border, quilted in a wave pattern. There is outline quilting on most of the diamonds. It is quilted at 8 stitches per inch. The quilt has a cotton filling and is lined with a plaid cotton. This colorful silk quilt was said to be found in Bremen, Maine, but no other information was given.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T17335.000
catalog number: T17335.000
accession number: 321804

A date of “August 1853” inscribed on seventeen blocks provided a clue to the possible origins of this “Album Patch” quilt. Names and places inscribed on other blocks gave further information.

Description: A date of “August 1853” inscribed on seventeen blocks provided a clue to the possible origins of this “Album Patch” quilt. Names and places inscribed on other blocks gave further information. Probably Rachel Young Roseberry started this quilt when the family moved to Brentsville, Va., from Phillipsburg, N.J., in 1853. At the time she and her husband, Michael, had four young children: Emma (1838-1897), Annie (about 1840-?), John (1843-1915, and, Alice (about 1844-?). The names of friends and relatives appear to have been written by the same hand, maybe at different times, and many are further embellished by different floral drawings.; Thirty-six nine-inch “Album Patch” or “Friendship Chain” pieced blocks are composed of plain red and white or printed green and white cottons. The “Album” blocks are framed by a 1 ½-inch border of printed green and plain white triangles. All blocks are signed in ink denoting name, and sometimes a date and/or place. Ink drawings are added to several of the inscriptions. The same red and green cottons and thread were used throughout the quilt and nearly half are inscribed “1853.” The addition of dates of “1858,” “1859,” and “1871,” suggest signatures may have been added after the quilt was completed. Places included Washington, D.C., Youngsville ?, Newark, N. J., and Brentsville, Va.; Rachel Roseberry’s quilt represents a personalized textile document containing names of friends and family and associated dates that may represent visits, marriages, deaths or other significant events related to that name. Album quilts such as this were popular in the mid-19th century, as was the use of the red and green color combination.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1853

maker: unknown

ID Number: TE.T11232
accession number: 209501
catalog number: T11232

This white rectangular bureau or furniture cover is an example of stuffed-work. The quilted design is a flower basket motif inside a semi-circular undulating vine.Currently not on view

Description: This white rectangular bureau or furniture cover is an example of stuffed-work. The quilted design is a flower basket motif inside a semi-circular undulating vine.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1825-1850

maker: unknown; Copp Family

ID Number: TE.H006589.000
catalog number: H006589.000

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 9,380, issued on November 2, 1852John G. Bradeen of Boston, MassachusettsJohn G. Bradeen notes in his patent specification that his sewing machine operates and forms a similar stitch to that of Frederick R.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 9,380, issued on November 2, 1852; John G. Bradeen of Boston, Massachusetts; John G. Bradeen notes in his patent specification that his sewing machine operates and forms a similar stitch to that of Frederick R. Roberson’s sewing machine of December 10, 1850 (Patent No. 7,824.) Roberson’s machine sewed with a running stitch or basting stitch.; The mechanisms of Bradeen’s patent model are mostly made of brass and the model sits on a simple wooden box. He furnished six pages of drawings depicting his improvements, whereas most sewing machine inventors limited their submissions to fewer drawings. Bradeen claims for his improvements “two rotating draft-hooks . . . separate from the needle, in combination with the two needles and two threads-guides; . . . the arrangement of each needle and its thread-guide, respectively, on opposite sides of the cloth . . . and the combination of the rocking thread-lifter or its equivalent with the needle and presser . . . .”; It is not known if any sewing machines were manufactured based on Bradeen’s patent.
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1852-11-02
patent date: 1852-11-02

inventor: Bradeen, John G.

ID Number: TE.T08634
catalog number: T08634.000
patent number: 009380
accession number: 89797

Sewing Machine Patent ModelPatent No. 8,296, issued August 12, 1851Allen Benjamin Wilson of Watertown, ConnecticutAllen B. Wilson was one of the most creative and innovative of the early inventors.

Description: Sewing Machine Patent Model; Patent No. 8,296, issued August 12, 1851; Allen Benjamin Wilson of Watertown, Connecticut; Allen B. Wilson was one of the most creative and innovative of the early inventors. Born in Willett, New York, in 1823, he was apprenticed at age sixteen as a cabinetmaker. Later in 1847, he moved to Adrian, Michigan, and worked as a journeyman cabinetmaker. It was here, far removed from New England and the efforts by other inventors, that he began to design a different sewing machine. After recovering from an illness, he moved back east to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and began to perfect his new concept for a sewing machine.; In 1850, Wilson developed a prototype for a reciprocating-shuttle machine. When the needle went through the cloth, it formed a loop below the seam. A shuttle that was pointed on both ends held a second thread that was passed through the loop and as the tension on the thread was tightened, a lockstitch was made. This shuttle could be moved both forward and backwards to form a stitch on both movements, unlike the shuttles of Hunt and Howe, which only created a stitch in one direction.; Based on these same ideas, he made a second machine that he submitted to the U.S. Patent Office and was granted Patent No. 7,776 on November 12, 1850. Presumably, Wilson’s skills as a cabinetmaker came into use with this model as it is almost entirely made out of wood and painted black to look like metal. Constructing a model out of wood, rather than metal, was a less expensive and easier way to build, requiring fewer specialized tools. On the underside of the metal raceway is stamped “Deall & Sons,” evidence that Wilson used a machinist to fabricate this part.; Fortunately, Wilson met Nathaniel Wheeler, partner of the firm of Warren and Woodruff of Watertown, Connecticut. He moved to Watertown to join in the partnership and to continue to perfect his sewing machine.; In his second patent (Patent No. 8,296, issued August 12, 1851) Wilson developed the rotary hook and bobbin to replace the shuttle mechanism in his first patent (Patent No. 7776, issued November 12, 1850.) The rotary hook opened the loop of the needle thread, while a reciprocating bobbin carried the second thread through the loop to complete the lockstitch.; In order to avoid patent litigation that the reciprocating bobbin might have caused, Wilson developed his third unique invention, the stationary bobbin (Patent No. 9,041, issued June 15, 1852.) In Wilson’s rotary hook and stationary bobbin, the lockstitch was made by locking the needle thread with the bobbin thread by passing the needle thread loop under the bobbin. The driving shaft carried the circular rotary hook, which resulted in a revolutionary method of sewing.; For his patent model, Wilson submitted a commercial Wheeler and Wilson sewing machine that had been manufactured the previous year. The evolution of his ideas from the simple wooden model to the successful manufactured machine beautifully illustrates the progress of his novel inventions.; In 1853 the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company was organized to manufacture sewing machines based on Allen Wilson patents. In 1856, the company moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and became the largest and most successful manufacturer of sewing machines in the 1850s and 1860s.
Location: Currently not on view

model constructed: before 1851-08-12
patent date: 1851-08-12

inventor: Wilson, Allen B.

ID Number: TE.T06112
accession number: 89797
catalog number: T06112.000
patent number: 8296; 008296

Textiles

1825 - 1850 Pieced Quilt

1840 - 1850 Mary Winfield's Pieced Quilt

1853 - William Wickersham's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine (leather)

1840 - 1850 Powell's Quilted and Stuffed Counterpane

1852 - Otis Avery's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine

1852 - Charles Miller's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine

1850 Benoni Pearce's Album Quilt

1852 - Allen Wilson's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine

1830 - 1850 Appliqued Quilt

1825 - 1850 Rachel Burr Corwin's "Feathered Star" Pieced Quilt

1825 - 1850 Nine-patch Pieced Quilt

1851 Grover and Baker's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine

1851 Ellen Calder's Presentation Quilt

1840 - 1850 Mary Ann Bishop's "Wreath of Roses" Appliqued Quilt

1825 - 1850 Electa Kingsbury Sweetland's Pieced Quilt

1825 - 1850 Jane Winter Price's "Carpenter's Wheel" Quilt

1825 - 1850 Annis Curtis's Pieced Quilt

1856 - 1857 Virginia Ivey's Russellville Fair Quilt

1850 - Frederick R. Robinson's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine

1825 - 1850 "Diamond" Pieced Silk Quilt

1853 Rachel Roseberry's "Album Patch" Quilt

1825 - 1850 Quilted Bureau Cover

1852 - John G. Bradeen's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine

1851 - Allen B. Wilson's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine