National Woven Coverlet Collection
What is a Coverlet?
In this collection, coverlet is defined as a decorative, woven bedcovering. Sometimes called coverlids or kivers, these bedcoverings have been present in American homes from Colonial times through the Colonial Revival. Coverlets were usually woven from a combination of linen or cotton and wool. They can be broadly divided into two categories based on design and loom type: geometric, and Figured and Fancy. These textiles were at their height of popularity in America from the 1750s through the 1870s. There was a resurgence in popularity at the turn of the twentieth century as Colonial Revival design developed. Hand-weavers in the US continue to weave from old geometric coverlet patterns, and contemporary computer-driven looms have made it easy to reproduce Figured and Fancy designs.
Learn more about the history and construction of coverlets.
This project was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
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J.J. Heilbronn Figured and Fancy Coverlet Fragment, 1840
- Description
- J.J. Heilbronn Figured and Fancy Coverlet Fragment, 1840. Red, white & blue jacquard double weave, no visible fringe. 1. (border) potted flowers & birds 2. (center) double rose & snowflakes. John Jacob Heilbronn, was born June 15, 1815 in Alsace, France. He married January 9, 1840, Phebe Weaver in Fairfield, OH. He died July 8, 1887.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1840
- weaver
- Heilbronn, J.J.
- ID Number
- TE.T14712
- catalog number
- T14712.000
- accession number
- 280847
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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S.B. Musselman coverlet; Figured & Fancy, 1842
- Description
- Red, white, and blue Jacquard woven or Figured and Fancy coverlet in single weave. Double roses motifs framed by cut-cornered rectangles regularly repeated in bands and rows; separated by rows of dots and with rosettes in octagon frames. The inner border consists of vase forms alternating with flowers; Outer borders have a double diamond and dot repeated. Outer border is along all four sides, the inner border is not. Between the two borders the word Pennsylvania is repeated over and over, forwardsand backwards. The lower corner on the right says "This coverlet belongs to me Susana Diehl 1842" . The corner on the left says" S.B.Musselman Coverlet Weaver Milford Bucks. Co 1842". This coverlet is woven with a compound, plain weave base. Warp and ground weft yarns are Z-twist single ply cotton. The pattern weft is red and blue twist single ply wool. Samuel Beidler Musselman was born June 9, 1802 to Jacob and Barbara Beidler Musselman in Milford, Bucks Co. PA. He married ca. 1824 Elizabeth Landis (1798-1873). They had eleven children. He died August 7, 1874, in Bucks Co. PA. After 1837 all of his coverlets were seamless. While he numbered many of his coverlets, he did not number this one.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1842
- weaver
- Musselman, S.B.
- ID Number
- 1980.0859.01
- accession number
- 1980.0859
- catalog number
- 1980.0859.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory; coverlet; Jacquard; double-cloth; 1858-1880; Pennsylvania
- Description
- Weavers at the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory, owned by Philip Schum likely wove this Jacquard, mauve, red, green, and brown, double-cloth coverlet sometime between 1856 and 1880. The centerfield features a large central medallion made up of concentric floral wreaths. Inside these medallions is a large representation of the United States Capitol. The centerfield ground is made up of shaded triangles. Each corner of the centerfield design features a bird surrounded by flowers and above the bird is a boteh, a motif found on Kashmiri shawls and later European copies commonly referred to as Paisley pattern. The four-sided border is composed of meandering floral and foliate designs. There are not traditional cornerblocks on this coverlet, but there are large floral or foliate medallions in each corner that are very similar to those used on signed Philip Schum coverlets. There is fringe along three sides. This coverlet was woven on a broadloom, and possibly a power loom.
- Philip Schum (1814-1880) was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire. He immigrated to New York, moving to Lancaster County, PA in approximately 1844. He was not trained as a weaver and there is no evidence that he ever was. What we do know is that Philip Schum was a savvy businessman. He worked first as a "Malt Tramper" in New York, a position presumably linked to brewing and malting of grains. After six months, Philip was able to afford to bring his first wife Ana Margartha Bond (1820-1875) to join him in Pennsylvania. Once reunited, Philip worked as a day laborer, shoemaker, and basket-maker. He purchased a small general store in Lancaster City in 1852. By 1856, he has built his business enough to sell at a profit and purchase the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory. Philip's first wife, Anna, passed away sometime before 1879, because in this year, Philip married his second wife, Anna Margaret Koch (1834-1880). The two were tragically killed in a train accident in 1880, when a locomotive stuck their horse and buggy. The New Era, a local Lancaster newspaper titled the article about the incident with the headline, "Death's Harvest." Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory began with just one or two looms and four men. It grew to four looms and eight men quickly. By 1875, the factory had twenty looms and employed forty men. Philip Schum was no weaver. He was an entrepreneur and businessman who invested in the growing market for household textiles. Philip's estate inventory included a carpet shop, weaving shop, dye house, two stores, and a coal yard. At the time of his death were also listed 390 "Half-wool coverlets." These were valued at $920. In 1878, Philip partnered with his son, John E. Schum to form, Philip Schum, Son, and Co. Another Schum coverlet is in the collections of the MFA-Houston. This particular coverlet was purchased by the donor's grandfather in either Cincinnati or Pittsburg while he was serving as a ship's carpenter along the Ohio River trade routes. The family would later settle in Crawford County, Indiana. This fact also shows that Philip Schum's coverlets, quilts, yarn, etc. were not just being made for the local market. Schum was transporting his goods west and presumably in other directions. He was making for an American market.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1875-1900
- late 19th century
- 1858-1880
- maker
- Schum, Philip
- ID Number
- TE.T14561
- catalog number
- T14561.000
- accession number
- 277986
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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"Stars and Tables" Overshot Coverlet, 1784
- Description
- The weaver and original owner of this very complex, well worn, single-woven, linen, cotton and wool, overshot coverlet, dated 1784, are unknown. The letters “E M” and the date are woven into the coverlet on the lower right hand side, using a hand technique. We do not know if
- “E M” stands for name of the owner or the weaver. In the 18th century it was not unusual for textiles to be marked with the initials of the owner, but it was usually done with embroidery. The initials identified the coverlet as the woman's property. Women could own and inherit "moveable" property.
- The overall patterns used in this coverlet are “Rose” and “Tables,” and there are two shades of indigo blue used in a band effect. The coverlet was woven in two sections, and then sewn together. The original size of the sections and the coverlet as a whole are unknown, as there are no original edges present. This coverlet was found in Massachusetts. In the18th century, a young woman might commission the weaving of a coverlet or receive one as a gift, and put it in her dowry (hope chest) saving it for use after marriage.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1784
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1979.0723.01
- accession number
- 1979.0723
- catalog number
- 1979.0723.1
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Overshot coverlet fragment or sample
- Description
- Overshot coverlet fragment or sample. Tabby (plain weave) foundation of homespun cotton yarns. Pattern weft of indigo dyed wool yarn. The name of this pattern varies according to locality, "Catalpa Flower," in North Caroline; "Work Complete," in Alabama; "Lady's Fancy," and "Gentleman's Fancy," in Kentucky.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- TE.T07682.000
- catalog number
- T07682.000
- accession number
- 136393
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Coverlet, overshot, "Double Chariot Wheel;" 1790-1825
- Description
- This orange/rust and blue, all-wool, overshot coverlet was woven in a “Double Chariot Wheel” pattern. The coverlet has fringe along two edges, suggesting that this coverlet may originally have been three panels rather than two. The lower fringe is a self-fringe. The fringe on the side is applied. The coverlet is composed of two panels, (possibly three initially), woven as one length and seamed up the center to create the finished coverlet width. The warp yarns are a golden rust, 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool. The ground weft is golden rust, 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool. The supplementary pattern weft is blue 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool yarn. The yarn count was 20 warp ends by 9 weft ends per inch.s per inch.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1790-1810
- late 18th century
- early 19th century
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1981.0274.08
- accession number
- 1981.0274
- catalog number
- 1981.0274.08
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Overshot coverlet fragment
- Description
- Fragment of a 4 harness, overshot, coverlet weave: "snowball," variant, using fine unbleached cotton warp yarn and weft yarn for the foundation and blue wool weft yarn to form the small overshot pattern.
- Because of the donor, Mrs. Allen's, importance in teaching and preserving early handweaving, and the use of materials she collected in books on the subject, NMAH should keep the fragments she donated in the collection, as part of the national woven coverlet collection.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- TE.T06762.000
- catalog number
- T06762.000
- accession number
- 110325
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Geometric Double-cloth "Snowball Tree" Coverlet, 1800-1850
- Description
- This blue and white double-woven coverlet features a "Snowball Tree" central field motif, with wavy line borders on three sides. It was woven with cotton and wool yarns, and has a fringe on all four sides. The lower edge has a self-fringe, while the sides have tape fringes that travel to the top edge and run along that edge for twenty-two inches. This coverlet was woven in two sections that were sewn together on each side. According to the donor, the yarn was spun and the coverlet was woven in the home of her great-grandmother (no name given.) The coverlet dates from the first half of the 19th century. Double-woven coverlets are reversible, with the dark color dominant on one side, and the light color dominante on the other. Such coverlets are complicated to weave and require two separate sets of warp and filling yarns.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1800-1850
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE.H12765
- catalog number
- H012765.000
- accession number
- 053657
- 53657
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fragment of an overshot coverlet, Kentucky
- Description
- Fragment of a woven coverlet. 4-harness overshot coverlet weave: "forty-nine snowballs" woven in Monroe Co, Kentucky, with cotton and wool yarns in brown, pink, blue and white
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- TE.T04791.000
- catalog number
- T04791.000
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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"Weaver Rose" overshot coverlet fragment; Rhode Island
- Description
- "Weaver Rose" overshot coverlet fragment; Rhode Island. All wool; tan and brown; 4-harness overshot coverlet weave: "Sunrise," woven by William Henry Harrison Rose, "Weaver Rose" Kingston, R. I.
- Because of the donor, Mrs. Allen's, importance in teaching and preserving early handweaving, and the use of materials she collected in books on the subject, NMAH should keep the fragments she donated in the collection, as part of the national woven coverlet collection.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Rose, William Henry Harrison
- ID Number
- TE.T04827.000
- catalog number
- T04827.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fragment of a double woven coverlet, Kentucky
- Description
- Fragment of a double woven coverlet, Kentucky. 20 harness, double weave, made entirely of wool in rose, tan, and cream.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- TE.T04907.000
- catalog number
- T04907.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Fragment of an overshot coverlet; "Whig Rose" pattern
- Description
- Fragment of an overshot coverlet. Blue and white; cotton and wool; 6-harness overshot weave with large and small geometrical figures forming an allover pattern. According to Mrs. Mary M. Atwater the pattern is called "The Whig Rose."
- ID Number
- TE.T04928
- accession number
- 71965
- catalog number
- T04928
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fragment of a geometric double cloth coverlet; Tennessee
- Description
- Fragment of a geometric double cloth coverlet. Fragment of a sixteen harness double weave coverlet, said to have been woven by two professional male weavers. Fancy block pattern made of squares and rectangles in rose wool and coarse bleached cotton.
- Said to have been made by 2 traveling weavers in 1773, in Tennessee. The use of cotton makes this date uncertain (unlikely). The donor, Mrs. Laura M. Allen, was Director of Weaving in Mechanics' Institute, Rochester, N.Y.
- Because of the donor, Mrs. Allen's, importance in teaching and preserving early handweaving, and the use of materials she collected in books on the subject, NMAH should keep the fragments she donated in the collection, as part of the national woven coverlet collection.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- late 18th C.
- ID Number
- TE.T04934.000
- catalog number
- T04934.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Abram Allen; coverlet; Jacquard, double-cloth;1838; Ohio
- Description
- Abram Allen wove this Jacquard, double-cloth coverlet in Ohio in 1838. Measuring eighty-two inches by seventy-four inches, the coverlet features a stylized tulip, bell-flower, or pear centerfield with bird and tree borders. The side borders also feature a quadrupled sine curve border and the bottom border is made up of a six-fold sine curve. The word Ohio and the date 1838 are woven into two lower corners of the coverlet. Although unsigned, this coverlet can be attributed to Abram Allen and is similar to another coverlet in the NMAH collection (1980.0089.01). This double-cloth coverlet was woven from a combination of two sets of wool and cotton warps that exchange places revealing the pattern and lock the two separate plain weave structures together in a complementary weave structure. Abram Allen was born May 3, 1796, in Ireland. He married Kate Cata Howlan (1800-1866) June 25, 1818, and died June 7, 1867, in Clinton, OH. Coverlet scholar, John Heisey described him as the only man in the county with a flying shuttle, suggesting he owned a broad loom. This makes more sense when considering that the coverlet is one piece rather that center-seamed. Clarita Anderson noted that later in his life, Allen was listed in various census as both a wagon-maker and farmer, suggesting that weaving was only ever a part of his economic activity in Clinton County. Henry Ford Museum in Michigan and the Art Institute of Chicago both possess coverlets in the style of the one held by NMAH.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1838
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE.T10093
- catalog number
- T10093.000
- accession number
- 134186
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
"King's Flower" pattern overshot coverlet
- Description
- Overshot coverlet, red, indigo, white, Kings Flower pattern. Yarns: warp - 2ply off-white cotton; ground weft, off white singels cotton; pattern 2-ply red and indido wool, was larger, but edges have been re-hemmed. Originally woven in 2 widths, each over 34" wide. coarsely woven, 19th century
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 19th century
- ID Number
- TE.T11471
- catalog number
- T11471.000
- accession number
- 212398
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Coverlet panel; overshot, multishaft; c. 1800-1825; poss. Pennsylvania
- Description
- This red, white, and blue, overshot panel was woven on a multishaft loom, likely in Pennsylvania, sometime in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. There is fringe along the side and bottom borders. The border found on two sides of the coverlet panel was created from a fractional reduction of the main block pattern. The coverlet panel was woven using wool and cotton yarns.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- c. 1800-1825
- ID Number
- 1998.0360.175
- accession number
- 1998.0360
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Archibald Davidson; coverlet; Figured and Fancy; double cloth; 1838; New York
- Description
- Archibald Davidson (b. 1771), proprietor of the Ithaca Carpet Factory, wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double- cloth coverlet in 1838. This centerfield design features a stylized “Double Tulip” carpet medallion motif offset by floral diamond motifs. The coverlet features borders along three side. The two side borders are composed of an adorsed “Stag and Tree,” and the bottom border is composed of a more developed Independence Hall and Great Seal Eagle border found on earlier Davidson coverlets. In the lower two corners, the words "Woven at the Ithaca Carpet Factory by Arch'd Davidson 1838" appear. This coverlet belonged to James Madison Wheeler, grandfather of the donor. Archibald Davidson was born in Scotland in 1771, where he was trained as a weaver. He married Jane McPhail on December 10, 1795 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and they had five sons, one born in Pennsylvania and the other four in New Jersey. They later lived in both Tompkins and Warsaw Counties, New York. Davidson died January 5, 1854. This coverlet is composed of two panels woven as one length, cut, and sewn together to create the finished width.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1838
- weaver
- Davidson, Archibald
- manufacturer
- Ithaca Carpet Factory
- ID Number
- TE.T11470
- catalog number
- T11470.000
- accession number
- 212398
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Jacquard single-woven coverlet, 1858
- Description (Brief)
- A Jacquard, single woven coverlet in red, white, blue, and green, cotton and wool. It has fringe on 3 sides. The border design is made up of potted flowers, and the center design is made up of double rose medallions and floral wreaths. The date 1858 appears in two corners. The maker and place of manufacture are unknown.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1858
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE.T17196
- catalog number
- T17196.00S
- accession number
- 313379
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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John Hartman; Figured and Fancy coverlet; tied-Beiderwand; 1845; Ohio
- Description
- John (Johann) Hartman wove this Figured and Fancy, tied-Beiderwand coverlet in Milton Township, Richland County, Ohio in 1845. The centerfield design is composed of “Double Tulip and Carnation” medallions with offset “Starbursts” arranged in a traditional carpet medallion configuration. The three borders contain addorsed Distelfinken (thistle finches) flanked by rose bushes and Hom, the Germanic tree of life motif. There is self-fringe along three sides. The two corner blocks, which on this coverlet are at the top edge without warp fringe read, “MADE*BY/J.HARTMAN/MILTON/TOWNSHIP/RICHLAND/COUNTY/OHIO/1845.” The coverlet measures 88 inches by 72 inches and is constructed of two panels that were woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle, suggesting hand loom production.
- John Hartman (c.1807-1888) was born in the German States of the Holy Roman Empire. He and his brother, Peter (1797-1876) immigrated to the United States, moved to Ohio, and opened their own weaving businesses. John wove coverlets in Richland, Ashland, and Wayne Counties, Ohio. His extant coverlets date from 1839-1857. His older brother presumably immigrated first, settling in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before moving west to Ohio. The weavers were Mennonites who fled their German homeland to escape religious persecution and economic pressures. Peter was a Mennonite preacher as well as weaver.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1845
- maker
- Hartman, John
- weaver
- Hartman, John
- ID Number
- TE.T11621
- catalog number
- T11621.000
- accession number
- 221201
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Jacquard coverlet fragment, St. Peters Church design, 19th c.
- Description
- Jacquard coverlet fragment. The ground is loosely plain woven. The design is formed by floats in the A direction; starting at the bottom there is a horizontal band of flowers. In this band the flowers are stacked above and beside each other one deep. The flowers are half-blue and half white, none being all ground or completely formed from the blue design yarn. Above this band is a bulding, supposedly St. Peter's Church, since these words appear at each side of the building (one side reads backwards). The building has a large center dome and 2 smaller domes on each side. the words appear in a straight line at the top and bottom of the building. Above the building are two areas of flowers and leaves. They are mostly blue, while smaller delicate flowers are white.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 19th century
- ID Number
- 1980.0367.01
- accession number
- 1980.0367
- catalog number
- 1980.0367.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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