coverlet; Jacquard, double-cloth; c. 1835-1850; prob. Ohio

Description:

This red, white & blue, wool and cotton, Jacquard, double cloth coverlet has fringe on three sides. Interestingly, this coverlet has no borders, dates, or signatures. The entire surface is covered in "Double Rose" carpet medallion patterns and the color blocking of the two sets of warps and wefts creates a dynamic color effect to enhance the pattern. There is a center seam in this coverlet. People would take coverlets apart into their panels to wash them. This coverlet was not properly matched back up the last time the center seam was undone. There is some loss at the top that has had some muslin sheeting stitched across the top edge to prevent further damage and stop any further unraveling of the weave structure. This coverlet was likely woven in New York or more likely Ohio sometime between 1835 and 1850 when and where this kind of color blocking was most popular. These patterns and color systems can almost always be attributed to weavers of Scottish origin. Although we cannot say with certainty where or who made this coverlet, we can hypothesize that it is factory production and likely from a manufacturer who produced strip, ingrain carpeting as well. The pattern and lack of border suggest that the same sets of Jacquard paste-board punch cards would also have been used to weave carpet and coverlets at various times.