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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Saxon Plantation overshot coverlet, Laurens, SC, late 19th century?
- Description
- According to the donor, this overshot, black, white, and purple coverlet was woven by enslaved weavers on her family’s plantation, Saxon Plantation in Laurens, South Carolina. The donor recalled that her mother, who was born in 1898, had visited the plantation as a child. Further research has cast doubt on this family memory. The coverlet was woven in three panels, each measuring 25 inches wide and 96 inches long. The entire coverlet measures 96 inches by 75 inches. Each section is sewn together by hand with a yarn that appears heavier than the warp and of slightly darker color. The top and bottom hems are rolled under and stitched by hand with sewing thread. This coverlet was probably woven on a 4-shaft loom. There is an all-over pattern consisting of circular shapes and tables; each design possessing its own color which accentuates the pattern breaks. The pattern repeat is 2.5 inches, and the yarn count is 36 ends per inch by 18 shots per inch. The pattern itself closely resembles a wheel variation found in Atwater's Shuttle Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving. Further research suggests that the coverlet was actually woven after the Civil War, in a small weaving concern operated by Mack and Caroline Saxon, emancipated slaves who purchased land, eventually owning several hundred acres, and establishing a thriving community of workshops, in Laurens, SC. The purple yarn has been tested and is an aniline dye, not invented until 1856 and not in general use, especially outside industrial areas, until after the Civil War.
- In his book, Black Blue Bloods: Legacy of an African-American Plantation Owner, Christopher Emil Williams tells the story of Mack Saxon (1843-1915) and his wife, Caroline Saxon (1845-1910). According to Williams, Mack and Caroline were, “freed slaves who owned a 575-acre plantation in the 1800s, off what is now Interstate 385, between Greenville and Laurens counties. Mack Saxon, he says, bought additional land in Laurens, Greenville and Mauldin, bringing his land total up to about 700 acres.” Mack and Caroline not only bought land, they created jobs for friends and relatives. It is therefore likely that rather than being woven by an enslaved weaver; this coverlet was woven by a emancipated weaver.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- After 1856
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1986.0289.01
- catalog number
- 1986.0289.01
- accession number
- 1986.0289
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Overshot coverlet fragment
- Description
- Fragment of a 4-harness overshot coverlet weave:, "Chariot Wheels" or " Church Windows" in rose and brown wool patterning yarns: combined with the cotton ground warp & weft.
- 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.T04924.000
- catalog number
- T04924.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fragment of an overshot coverlet
- Description
- Fragment of a 4-harness overshot weave: "Chariot Wheel" unbleached line warp and cotton and wool weft.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- TE.T04890.00A
- catalog number
- T04890.00A
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Corner of a twill weave "diaper" coverlet; before 1832, Pennsylvania
- Description
- Corner section of a hand-woven coverlet, blue and white Twill weave, 16 harness, pattern "Diaper" or "4-heddle Damask" woven with cotton and wool yarns, by a person named Burns, in PA, before 1832 Tabby shuttle not used.
- 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
- 1800-1832
- ID Number
- TE.T04771.000
- catalog number
- T04771.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Overshot coverlet fragment
- Description
- Fragment of a brown and white; cotton and wool; 4-harness, overshot weave: "Dog track" 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.T04923.000
- catalog number
- T04923.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Southern Appalachian Crafts Overshot Coverlet; ca. 1970
- Description
- Southern Appalachian Crafts Overshot Coverlet; ca. 1970. This is a 4-shaft overshot coverlet, woven in red, black and white. Warp z twist, 2 ply white cellulosic, ground weft z twist single(?) of white cellulosic, pattern weft s-twist, 2 ply (?) of red and back wool (?) The pattern is a "sunrise" or "blooming leaf" figure between tables or squares (see pp 68, 179, 181 in the The shuttle-craft Book by Atwater for a similar coverlet) sunrise patterns Repeat unit is 10 1/4 x 9 1/4. The coverlet is composed of two 39.5 wide lengths which are machine stitched together then hand overcast.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973?
- ID Number
- TE.E301219.02
- catalog number
- E301219.002
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Sam Gamble?, "King's Flower" overshot coverlet, 1832, Kentucky
- Description
- A "King's Flower" pattern, Overshot coverlet; attributed to Sam Gamble, of Glasgow, Kentucky. Blue and white overshot-woven, two panel, center-seamed coverlet. The coverlet is made of a 2-ply, white or unbleached, cotton for both the warp and weft and the supplementary weft float patterning was created by using blue indigo-dyed Z-spun single wool. The letters '"B S" and the date 1832, are embroidered on the coverlet in crossstitch with 2-ply, linen thread and almost certainly represent the initals of the owner, not the weaver. The coverlet has an overshot-panel fringe, which is uncommon.
- John W. Heisey and Eliza Calvertt Hall both record Samuel Gamble as active in Glasgow County, Kentucky between 1830-1844. The coverlets attributed to him are of overshot construction and usually without initials or dates. The marking on this coverlet were almost certainly done by the coverlet's owner after receiving it.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1832
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2011.0148.05
- accession number
- 2011.0148
- catalog number
- 2011.0148.05
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fragment of coverlet woven by Betsy Rice; Virginia, 1885
- Description
- Fragment of a coverlet - 4-harness weave with fine cotton yarn warp and weft, and red and black wool weft forming an overshot block pattern. Woven in 1885 by Mrs. Betsy Rice, VA.
- 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
- 1885
- ID Number
- TE.T05656.000
- catalog number
- T05656.000
- accession number
- 93193
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Fragment of an overshot coverlet, 19th century
- Description
- Coverlet fragment. Plain weave, overshot; dark blue wool, beige cotton, geometric design. Yarn count 40 x 40. One selvage is present. The design is formed by blue weft floats on a plain weave. The pattern is geometric. There is a rectangle in the middle with 4 lines coming out of the corners. There is a long oblong shape beside, above, and below each of these x shapes. On this piece, there are four separate units with the lines coming together in the center. The pattern repeat measures 3.25 x 3.75". The yarns are fine which give the piece a very delicate overall look. The selvage is rather uneven.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 19th century
- ID Number
- 1980.0550.003
- accession number
- 1980.0550
- catalog number
- 1980.0550.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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B. Vaneps Coverlet, Jacquard double-cloth, New York, 1838
- Description
- Blue and white, jacquard, double-woven coverlet woven in two 40 1/2 inch wide panels, and sewn together. the design features a modified version of "Lilies and Stars", with a "Tree and Eagles border." The lower corners bear the weaver's mark and the inscription "B. Vaneps,1838, Bethany, Genesee County, N.Y." The coverlet has an applied fringe finish on 3 edges.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1838
- ID Number
- TE.T001636.Y
- catalog number
- T01636.00Y
- accession number
- 168536
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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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
-
Coverlet fragment or sample; Ralph Warner, Racine, Wisconsin
- Description
- Fragment or sample of a blue and white; cotton and wool; 4-harness, overshot weave: "Sun, Moon, and Stars." Racine, WI, from Mr. Ralph Warner, WI.
- 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.T04895.000
- catalog number
- T04895.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Charles Miley jacquard woven coverlet fragment; Ohio, 1839
- Description
- Fragment of a Charles Miley jacquard woven coverlet; Ohio, 1839. Single woven, white and rose colored, jacquard woven coverlet fragment, featuring sunburst and a lily pattern with bird and floral border. Inscription woven into the coverlet: "Charles Miley+ Wayne County+ Ohio+ 1839." The selvedge edge is machine hemmed.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1839
- weaver
- Meily, Charles
- ID Number
- 1979.0897.001
- accession number
- 1979.0897
- catalog number
- 1979.0897.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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One of three fragments of an overshot coverlet
- Description
- One of three fragments of overshot coverlet in Double Bow Knot pattern; red and navy, dull gold, originally part of 1980.0372.01
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 19th century
- ID Number
- 1980.0372.02
- accession number
- 1980.0372
- catalog number
- 1980.0372.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Overshot coverlet fragment
- Description
- Fragment of a 4-harness, overshot block pattern, woven with linen warp and cotton and wool weft.
- 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.T04898.000
- catalog number
- T04898.000
- accession number
- 71965
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Figured and Fancy coverlet; Birds of Paradise, no date
- Description
- Red and white jacquard woven coverlet with Birds of Paradise pattern among those used. there is no date woven in.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1830-1850
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2011.0148.03
- accession number
- 2011.0148
- catalog number
- 2011.0148.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Reproduction sample of an NMAH coverlet, 1980
- Description
- Reproduction sample of an NMAH coverlet, 1980. Pattern has rows of groups of 5 egg-like shapes alternating with W or M shaped lines, and 4 diamond shaped groups. These rows are separated by geometric, simple shapes and blocks of color. the museum catalog number ,0723.01 is woven into the design. Sample overshot coverlet reproduced after another coverlet in NMAH's collection, T14896. White and 2 shades of blue. Woven by Dr. Joyce Cone.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1980
- maker
- Cone, Joyce E.
- ID Number
- 1981.0045.002
- accession number
- 1981.0045
- catalog number
- 1981.0045.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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