According to the donor, Elizabeth Deuel is said to have made this blue and white, overshot, all-linen coverlet in 1790, in the Saratoga region of New York. Her name and the date are cross-stitched into the lower edge of the coverlet just above the fringe. A search of the 1790 census of the area produced no one with the surname Deuel. More research is needed to determine where Deuel lived, and if she was the weaver or the owner of this coverlet. In the 18th century, it was common for household textiles to be marked with the initials or name of the owner and the date. The average colonial home did not have a great number of household textiles, and they were considered important possessions. This coverlet was woven in two sections that were then sewn together. The coverlet is woven in a “Chariot Wheel” pattern and measures 104.75 inches by 80.25 inches.
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