This Jacquard, red, white, blue & green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet came from the workshop of Andrew Kump (1811-1868). Kump worked in Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania, but advertised in Northern Maryland as well as Pennsylvania. Kump employed another weaver named Valentine Cook. Kump evidently retired from coverlet weaving, because in 1855, William Gernand advertised that he had recently purchased Kump’s equipment and inventory.
This coverlet measures 76x90 inches with fringe on 3 sides. It was woven in two sections from wool and cotton yarns and seamed up the middle with a whip stitch. The side and bottom double borders feature doubled eight-pointed stars and laurel branches. The centerfield design is the common “Double Lily and Starburst” carpet medallion pattern. The words "Andrew Kump Hanover" are woven into two corners, along with the date 1836, and the letters "G.E." There is an interesting error where the side borders and corner blocks meet. Kump’s extant coverlets date from 1834-1853, and this would have been just a few years into his use of the Jacquard attachment.
This blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet features the “Double Tulip” carpet medallion centerfield associated with New York coverlet weaver, James Alexander and the “Agriculture and Manufactures” group of coverlets. The expected eagle and Masonic column borders appear on both sides. The lack of a bottom border or cornerblocks suggests that this coverlet has been cut down during its life. Without the bottom border or cornerblocks, attribution to a maker or group is impossible. The coverlet measures 75 inches by 67 inches. The length is considerably shorter than other complete coverlets of this pattern. The white cotton warp and weft is 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun yarn and the indigo blue warp and weft is 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun yarns. This coverlet was acquired from the donor's father's estate after his death. He was a collector of "Early American things."
Vertical rows of symmetrical grape vines, addorsed doves, and carpet medallion starbursts are accented by horizontal bands of blue, gold, and red in this coverlet. The two side borders feature a double border of repeating geometric motifs and scrollwork. The bottom border depicts a variety of floral motifs, a house with two chimneys, and, rather unusually, confronted giraffes. The two cornerblocks show a trademark of four, eight-petaled flowers within a box over two more empty boxes. Those other boxes would have contained the date, maker’s name, and customer’s name, if requested. The lower edge of the coverlet has been lost completely. This coverlet is tied-Beiderwand, an integrated weave structure similar to lampas that uses a complementary binding warp to unify two separate fabrics. The warp is composed of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton and a blue Z-spun cotton single binding warp, and the weft is made up of 3-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton yarn and high twist, Z-spun wool singles. This coverlet was first owned by the donor’s grandparents, Peter and Eliza Hannon Hunter (married in 1832), and family legend states that Peter bought this coverlet for his wife, Eliza at a local fair around 1840 from an “itinerant weaver.” The myth of the itinerant weaver has stuck with the American cultural memory for generations. While it is true that some weavers did travel to people’s home to weave, they did not carry their looms with them as they were cumbersome and America’s over-land transportation system was not in good working order until the middle of the twentieth century. Traveling weavers would have woven things that couldn’t be produced by the family on the family’s own loom them move on to the next farm. This is not the case with this coverlet; however, it was possibly purchased at a fair rather than custom ordered because of the lack of date and the apparent lack of names in the corner blocks. This is likely a ready-made piece of stock that was sold at the fair Peter and Eliza attended back in 1840. Although there is no signature, the patterns used, particularly that vertical centerfield arrangement and confronted giraffe border, allow us to attribute this coverlet to the work of the Hesse brothers in Somerset, Hocking, and Perry Counties, Ohio. Frederick A. (b. 1801), Frederick E. (b. 1827), and L. Hesse (b. 1809) were Saxon immigrants from what was then the Kingdom of Prussia. They settled in Ohio, each opening their own weaving business. The brothers have extant coverlets dating from the years, 1838-1862 collectively.
This Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet was woven for Sally Loper in Westbury, Long Island, New York in 1817. This is the oldest known dated Figured and Fancy coverlet. The centerfield design is composed of rows of pine trees and tulips. The borders found on all four sides were created from directional fractional reductions of the centerfield motifs. The name of the owner Sally Loper, and the date, December 2, 1817, are woven into the upper right hand corner. The place, Westbury, Long Island, is also woven opposite the name. The coverlet measures 88.5 inches by 81 inches and was constructed from two panels woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle. Sarah (Sally) Bishop Loper (b. 1780) was married to Luther Loper (b. 1780). The coverlet passed to their daughter, Elmirah Jane Loper Pine, her daughter, Edna Pine Dunning, and finally to her daughter, the donor, Jane Dunning Dirks.
According to the donor, John Riegel commissioned this coverlet in 1840, for his daughter, Eliza Riegel when she married Charles B. Daniel, one of the founders of Bethlehem Iron Co., which later became Bethlehem Steel. The coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and is Jacquard double-woven. It features a design of lilies, stars, birds,
and trees, and is striped with red, white, and dark and light blue rows. The name "John Riegel" and the date "1840," appear in each of the lower corners.
Overshot, red, indigo & white coverlet woven in the Rose and table design. The coverlet is made up of three widths of fabric stitched together. The coverlet is said to have been made by Talitha Alvis Stallings, near Humboldt Tennesse. Her husband Bryant Stallings is said to have sheared the sheep, while she spun the yarn and wove it into fabric.
Weavers at the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory likely wove this all-wool, mulberry and olive green, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania sometime between 1856 and 1880. There is a large central medallion composed of a floral design at the center surrounded by an olive wreath and garland of grape vines Beyond that are morning glory vines and roses in each corner. There are borders on all four sides made up of repeating lily of the valley motifs. There is no center seam, indicating that this coverlet was woven on a broadloom and likely a power loom. There is no fringe. The coverlet is in overall poor condition and there are large sections of loss and the hems have come undone. Philip Schum (1814-1880) was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Schum immigrated to the United States with his first wife, Ana Margartha Bond in the 1830s, settling first in New York City where he worked as a malt tramper. The family soon moved to Lancaster County where Schum worked as a shoemaker and basket maker. Schum purchased a general store in 1852, and by 1856 he had become successful enough to sell the business and start the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory. Schum expanded his business exponentially over the ensuing decades growing from four employee to over forty. He and his second wife, Anna Margaret Koch were killed by a train in their carriage in 1880. Schum’s sons took over the business which remained successful until the 1920s. There is no evidence that Schum was ever trained as a weaver.
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.
This blue and white, overshot coverlet is woven in a simple patch pattern variation. The customer’s initials, "M S" and the date “1787” are woven into the fabric at one corner. The weaver of this coverlet is unknown; however, there are several others known. There are two others in the NMAH collection. It is thought that the weaver worked in the Albany, New York areas. The earliest coverlet that is dated in the weaver was woven by this weaver. It is dated 1771 and is currently in the collection of the National Museum of the American Coverlet in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The coverlet was constructed from two panels and measures 91 inches by 64 inches.
Red, white and blue, double-weave geometric coverlet. Layer one: 2-ply, s twist blue and red wool, warp and weft. The second layer is 2 ply , s twist, white cotton. The coverlet was woven in 2 sections, seamed together down the center. The pattern is a checked block pattern whose motifs are joined by chain link like figures there is a deep border along the sides and the lower edge. According to the donor, this coverlet was originally owned by Mrs. Sarah Franklin Brown, grandmother of the donor, who lived in Washington County, Tenn. (Post office Telford, just below Jonesboro) in the Southern Highlands.
This red, white, and blue, overshot coverlet was woven in a “Patch Pattern” variation. The coverlet measures 98 inches by 81 inches and is made up of three panels that were woven as one length, cut, and seamed together to create the finished width. The red and indigo wool supplementary pattern weft yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun, and the white cotton yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun. There are deep borders along all four sides of the coverlet that are created from fractional reductions of the main “Patch Pattern” motif. There is no information about this coverlet’s maker or origins.
Samuel Butterfield (b. 1792) wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet in Oneida County, New York for A. White in 1834. The centerfield design features large “Double Tulip” carpet medallions common to many New York coverlet designs. The four-sided border depicts Great Seal Eagles with floral embellishments. The cornerblocks depict Gen. George Washington on horseback, the date, 1834, and a woven inscription naming Washington. Below this on one end the customer’s name, A. White appears and the date again. At the other end, Samuel Butterfield is listed as the weaver or owner of the manufactory along with the location of his establishment, North Hartfors, Oneida County, New York. The coverlet measures 86 inches by 68.5 inches and was constructed from two panels sewn together with a center seam. This coverlet is in like-new condition. It was almost certainly never used. Butterfield was an English immigrant who was in a partnership with fellow weaver, James Cunningham until at least 1832. The two weavers both used this exact pattern, the only difference being the weaver’s name. Butterfield along with Archibald Davidson both claim to be the first British weaver to introduce ingrain carpeting to New York in the early nineteenth century. There is some evidence that Cunningham and Butterfield were not only weavers, but also early American industrialists creating small, regional factories to produce both carpeting and coverlets. Many British immigrants were recruited by emerging coastal textile mills early in the nineteenth century, and that is almost certainly how Butterfield would have initially found his way to America. His entrepreneurial spirit is further reflected in the occupational choices of his two sons. William owned a successful lumber business in Oneida County, and his other son, Thomas was a master tanner.
Fragment of a cotton and wool, overshot coverlet weave in a block pattern. The overshot design on the wrong side, according to the seam, is a simplification of the draft "Dog Track" and is developed in blue and pink (faded) wool yarns. Two pieces have been joined to form this square which is part of a coverlet brought to Missouri from Kentucky, but the place of origin is unknown. It has been in the family of the donor about 200 years.
Coverlet, handwoven, in geometric pattern, double weave with pine tree border, 2-ply blue wool and 2-ply white cotton ' purchased in Coventry, Connecticut. seamed at center.
This red and white, reverse twill coverlet likely comes from the New Market, Maryland area. The weaver used reverse twill to create a block pattern. The coverlet was constructed from two sections woven as one length, cut, and seamed together. The pattern block is formed by the use of herringbone left to right twill as well as a diamond twill square. The pattern repeat measures five and a half inches by five and three-eighths inches. The coverlet is well matched at the seam. There is some loss and the overall condition is fair to poor.
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.
Fragment of a coverlet with a red, grey and white overshot design done with a plain weave. Warp yarns are 2 ply single ztwist cotton and red and grey are single z twist wool. The yarn count is 34 x 55. The pattern is similar to "Whig Roses" in Heirlooms from Old Looms, page 32. The red and grey floats are set out in various squares and rectangles as well as a pattern of overlapping circles
Complete coverlet; Figured and Fancy design; Jacquard, double-woven. Blue and white double weave, no fringe. 1. (border) flowers 2. (center) birds perched in flowering trees in ogee meanders surrounding medallions. Sometimes known as the Bird of Paradise design
This is an example of a diamond twill weave coverlet in brown and peach wool. The coverlet measures 74 inches by 70 inches and was constructed from two, 37 inch wide widths that were woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle. The yarns are all 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun wool. The overall pattern beyond the diamond twill weaver is one of large checks with a striped border along three sides. It has been cut down and hemmed along all four sides.
The date 1789 and two letters (no longer readable) are embroidered into this double-woven coverlet in cross-stitch. The pattern features a variation of the "Pine Tree" motif in the border, and repetitive squares and diamonds in the center. Three of the four edges have an applied fringe. The coverlet is believed to have been made by a member of the Brown family of the village of Emilie, Pennsylvania, and received by the donor from his mother's father, Henry C. Brown (1848—-1921). He obtained it from his father, John B. Brown, of Emilie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The maker of the coverlet is unknown.