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.

Gros Point de Venise needle lace border.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T13389A
catalog number
T13389.00A

Argentan Needle Lace Edging

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 18th century
ID Number
TE.T16270B
catalog number
T16270.00B
accession number
300957

Point de Gaze needlelace Cuff

According to the donors, this Rose Point set of collar and cuffs were made in France circa 1790, and was worn by Princess Caroline Murat at the Court of Napoleon III. She was exiled to America and lived in Charleston for a time.
Description
According to the donors, this Rose Point set of collar and cuffs were made in France circa 1790, and was worn by Princess Caroline Murat at the Court of Napoleon III. She was exiled to America and lived in Charleston for a time. The lace was given by the Princess to the late Rev. J.A. Harrold & his wife. This story is doubtful, as this type of Point de Gaze needle lace was not made much before 1850.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.E331633B
catalog number
E331633.00B
accession number
91898

embroidery, flat, lace

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T16912
catalog number
T16912.000

Fall Cap With Brussels Bobbin Lace Motifs

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
ID Number
TE.E317268
catalog number
E317268.000

Cap crown in Argentan Needle Lace

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Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T15209A
catalog number
T15209.00A
accession number
290897

Summer-and-Winter Coverlet; New York; 1800-1850

This blue and white, Summer-and-Winter weave coverlet was woven from a warp of 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton, a ground weft of single ply Z-spun cotton, and a supplementary pattern weft of 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool.
Description
This blue and white, Summer-and-Winter weave coverlet was woven from a warp of 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton, a ground weft of single ply Z-spun cotton, and a supplementary pattern weft of 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool. The coverlet is constructed of two 35.5 inch widths that were woven as one length, cut, and seamed together to create the finished width. The pattern is a square variation of the “Whig Rose” pattern. There is fringe is along three sides. It appears the fringe was two inches long when new but has worn away over time. There are badly worn spots along the top and bottom edges and the center seam. The side fringe is detached and ragged in a few places. The condition of the coverlet overall is fair. According to the donors, this coverlet was woven in the first half of the nineteenth century in Cambridge, New York. The coverlet measures 92 inches by 66.5 inches.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1850
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T16959
catalog number
T16959.000
accession number
309644

Armenian needlelace flowers (oya).

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2013.0121.09
accession number
2013.0121
catalog number
2013.0121.09

lace, collar

Rose point needle lace collar remodeled from 18th century lace. A machine made entre deux has been added at the neck edge at a later dateCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Rose point needle lace collar remodeled from 18th century lace. A machine made entre deux has been added at the neck edge at a later date
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.L7320B
catalog number
L7320.000

Craig Family; Figured and Fancy coverlet; double-cloth; 1848; Indiana

This Figured and Fancy coverlet features a centerfield design based on the “Double Lily” pattern but accentuated with double lotus and “Liberty,” shielded eagle motifs. There are borders along all four sides.
Description
This Figured and Fancy coverlet features a centerfield design based on the “Double Lily” pattern but accentuated with double lotus and “Liberty,” shielded eagle motifs. There are borders along all four sides. The top and bottom borders feature the “Bellflower and Bluebells” pattern associated with the Craig Family of Indiana. The side borders feature “Peacocks feeding their young” and what has been referred to as the Capitol. This coverlet, as with all Craig coverlets, is double-cloth woven in dark and medium red, white & blue wool and cotton with a fringe along bottom edge. All four corner block are dated 1848 and depict a building with a cupola. This motif is associated with the Craig family of Indiana. Donor information found in the accession file states that the maker was William Craig, Original incoming cataloging records that this coverlet came in as two separate pieces. It is now seamed together, but there is no information in the file to say when that was done. Coverlet seams were released during washing and as Colonial Revival became popular, many families repurposed their heirloom coverlets as curtains and portieres.
The Craig Family weavers consist of Scottish-born, William Craig, Sr. (1800-1880), Scottish-born cousin, James Craig (1819-1896), William Craig, Jr. (1824-1880), and James Craig (1823-1889) make up the two generations of weavers who intermarried with other Scottish immigrant weaving families, dominating the coverlet market in Floyd, Decatur, and Washington counties in Indiana. It is almost certain that their regional influence extended into Western Kentucky as well. The Craigs were prodigious weavers and entrepreneurs and the number of extant coverlets attest to this fact. Also of interest is a published interview with William Sr.'s granddaughter, Rena Craig Gilchrist found in Indiana Coverlets and Coverlet Weavers (1928) by Kate Milner Rabb. Rena Craig Gilchrist recounted how her grandfather was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1800, moving to South Carolina in 1820 to assume the role of foreman at a Southern cotton goods factory. In 1832 the Craigs and other immigrant weaving families, the Gilchrists and Youngs moved to Mt. Caramel, Indiana. In 1838, the family moved again, further distributing weavers, to Decatur County, Indiana. The Craigs at first wove on their farm just outside of Greensburg, Indiana, but soon sons William Jr. and James ventured out on their own, marrying other weaver’s daughters, and establishing workshops in Greensburg and Anderson. Their coverlet weaving became regionally famous and people were reported as having come from fifty to sixty miles by wagon with woolen yarn for enough coverlets for each child at marriage.
The Craigs continued to weave until 1860 when William Sr. retired. Cousin James opened a shop in Canton, Indiana. A local resident described his loom as," “different from any other loom I have ever seen in that the threads of the warp were each run through a loop of cords to which were attached leaden weights about the size of an ordinary lead pencil, and I should think from twelve to fifteen inches in length. I do not remember accurately about that. The other end of each cord was attached to a pedal, of which there was a considerable number. A number of cords may have been attached to a pedal, according to the colors and figures being used. This enabled him to depress any of the threads of the warp that he pleased by operating the pedals with his feet, thus opening a space for the passing of the shuttle, of which he used as many as he wished colors in the pattern.” This description suggests that members of the Craig family were using modified drawlooms, possibly what is sometimes referred to a Scotch loom, which was used to weave figured double-cloth ingrain carpet. This is interesting because the introduction of the Jacquard head attachment, which used chains of punch cards, made figured weaving much faster and cheaper in the decades before the Craig family’s foray into coverlet weaving.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1848
maker
Craig Family
ID Number
TE.T12849
catalog number
T12849.000
accession number
243362

handkerchief, lace, embroidered

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Location
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ID Number
TE.T16033
catalog number
T16033.000
accession number
297965

Cuff for Alb in Milanese Bobbin Lace

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.E317244B
catalog number
E317244.00B

Javanese batik reticule or purse, for the western market; 1915

Javanese batik reticule (handbag or purse), for the western market; 1915. 26.75" L x 10" W, unfolded. A rectangle with 3 distinct rectangular panels with end borders, Original cataloging identifies the pattern as "Romo" and the price as 5 F. or $2.00.
Description
Javanese batik reticule (handbag or purse), for the western market; 1915. 26.75" L x 10" W, unfolded. A rectangle with 3 distinct rectangular panels with end borders, Original cataloging identifies the pattern as "Romo" and the price as 5 F. or $2.00. Indigo blue and brown on off white. Center rectangle has tumpal motif (opposed triangles), flanked by identical ractangles with scrolling floral designs. Three narrow end borders. meant to be made up as a purse or handbag. Example of the use of traditional Javanese technique and patterning for a form meant for the Euroepan trade. One of 22 finished batik textiles, together with 14 process samples, made by prisoners in Java for exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Purchased by the US National Museum for the Division of Textiles from the Netherlands East Indies Commission at the close of the Exposition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1915
ID Number
TE.T02932.000
catalog number
T02932.000
accession number
59191

Late 16th C Needle Lace Border Fragment

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2013.0121.30
accession number
2013.0121
catalog number
2013.0121.30

lace

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T12105
catalog number
T12105.000

Brussels Applique Lace Collar

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T16285.000
catalog number
T16285.000

Daniel King; coverlet; Jacquard; tied-Beiderwand; 1848; Ohio

Daniel King (1827-1888) wove this blue and white, tied-Beiderwand, Jacquard coverlet in Wayne Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio in 1848.
Description
Daniel King (1827-1888) wove this blue and white, tied-Beiderwand, Jacquard coverlet in Wayne Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio in 1848. The centerfield pattern appears to be made up of alternating half-drop rows of stylized “Double Irises” and “Double Potted Plants” that almost extend into one another, unifying the centerfield design. The side borders depict meandering grape vines, while the bottom border shows a meandering hops plant vine. Hops and grapes both being respectively used in the production of beer and wine. The cornerblocks in the lower corners contain the woven inscription, “DANIEL/KING/TUSCAR/AWAS/CO.OHIO/1848.” The warp is composed of 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton yarns and a binding warp of Z-spun cotton singles. The weft yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton and wool yarns. The coverlet measures 82.5 inches by 66 inches and is constructed of two panels stitched together with a center seam. There is self-fringe on the sides of the coverlet and likely along the bottom edge as well. The bottom fringe has been worm away over time.
King was born in Pennsylvania, moving to Tuscarawas County, Ohio by at least 1848, making this coverlet one of his earliest known pieces. He and his wife, Catherine Kenegy lived and worked in Wayne Township until relocating in 1854 to Stark County, Ohio. In 1864, King served in the Union Army during the Civil War, fighting with Company K of the 163rd Regiment of the Ohio Voluntary Infantry.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1848
maker
King, Daniel
ID Number
TE.T17654
catalog number
T17654.00S
accession number
321743

Chinese Made Torchon Bobbin Lace Sample

This sample of handmade torchon bobbin lace has motifs with heart shapes, roseground, spiders, and Spanish fans. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for twenty cents per yard in US gold in 1913.
Description
This sample of handmade torchon bobbin lace has motifs with heart shapes, roseground, spiders, and Spanish fans. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for twenty cents per yard in US gold in 1913. The Amoy Lace Guild was established by missionaries in 1885 as a charitable organization to provide a source of income to indigent Chinese women and children. Patterns and linen thread was imported from England and Ireland. Lace from the Amoy Lace Guild won a silver medal at the St. Louis exposition in 1904.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905-1912
1900-1912
maker
Amoy Lace Guild
ID Number
TE.T00917
catalog number
T00917.000
accession number
55643

lace

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Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T14394
catalog number
T14394.000

lace, sleeve

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T12022
catalog number
T12022.000

mitt

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th to early 20th C
ID Number
TE.T15032B
catalog number
T15032.00B
accession number
287953

Border Fragment, Alencon Needle Lace

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TE.T14386
catalog number
T14386.000
accession number
278083

Flounce

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1830
ID Number
TE.T13490B
accession number
254382

Beadwork Bag

A knitted beadwork purse, with a stylized flower repeat design, front and back. There are small flower bands at the bottom. It has a beaded twisted looped fringe at the bottom. Frame and fastener of German silver, with gold finish chain attached.
Description
A knitted beadwork purse, with a stylized flower repeat design, front and back. There are small flower bands at the bottom. It has a beaded twisted looped fringe at the bottom. Frame and fastener of German silver, with gold finish chain attached. Lined with blue silk, with a pocket. Beaded bags and knitted bags were fashionable in the 1800s. It was made by Clara Augusta Harvey Todd who was born to Charles and Augusta Farnsworth Harvey on June 27, 1869 in Methuen, MA. She married Burton D Todd and had a daughter Arvilla.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Todd, Clara Augusta Harvey
ID Number
TE.T15177
catalog number
T15177.000
accession number
290955

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