This coverlet was woven in 1841 by John Kaufman (Coffman). It belonged to Elizabeth Fretz, great-aunt of the donor. It features stars, eagles, and trees in its border. The center design consists of flowers and sunbursts. The coverlet is cotton and wool, and was woven in two sections that were sewn together with linen thread. According to the donor, the wool in the coverlet came from sheep grown on the family farm. The wool was spun into yarn there as well. John Kaufman (1812—1863) was born in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It appears his weaving business was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
This 19th century single-woven jacquard coverlet was woven by Charles Wiand who worked in Allentown and Trexlertown, Pennsylvania in the 1840s. The design is a sylized flower design in red, blue, and green wool and white cotton. The border is an Oak tree and flower design. The coverlet does not have a center seam. Two sides of the coverlet have a finished edges with an extremely short frienge. The other two side, are finished with a piece of brown fabric tape, sewn in place with a sewing machine. The date, "1843" and "C. Wiand are woven in to two corners of the coverlet. Charles Wiand was born c. 1818 in PA. He married Mary Bittner (c. 1814 - 1880). In the 1850 census for Allentown, Lehigh Co, PA, Charles is listed as a weaver and John Kramlich a 45 year old weaver is living with his family. In the 1880 census he is living with his daughter Eliza Wiand Wasser and is listed as a blanket weaver. He died ca. 1880.
Fragment or sample of a "Double-face" or reversible fabric of handspun yarns, consisting of a plain tabby foundation of cotton overlaid and underlaid with the pattern weft of tan and blue wool in short "skips" or "floats" which are closely interwoven with the ground. This specimen represents a type of American coverlet weave produced during the century 1725 - 1825. Leopard skin variant
Red, white, and blue, cotton and wool, geometric double-woven with a plain weave coverlet fragment. White yarns are 2 ply, z twist cotton and the red and blue yarns are 2 ply z twist wool. The pattern is a variation of a "snowball" design with rows of squares alternating with rows of checkerboard squares. Portions of the fragment contains border pattern, which uses forms from the main pattern
Coverlet fragment. Blue and white: cotton & wool, 4-harness, overshot pattern: "Rose in the Garden," woven by Mrs. Leah Dougherty at Russellville, TN, in 1902, from an original draft drawn by her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Adams at Sugar Grove, NC., in 1868.
This Jacquard, tied-Beiderwand coverlet features a “Double Tulip and Carnation” carpet medallion and starburst centerfield. The borders along the sides and bottom all feature the "Rose Tree and Plume" pattern, and inscribed cornerblocks identifying the weaver as D. Cosley, the place woven as Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, and the date, 1845. The red, white, blue & green wool and cotton yarns interlace forming an integrated weave structure known as tied-Biederwand and identifiable because of the ribbed appearance of the finished textile. The coverlet has self-fringe on three sides and measure eighty-four by eighty inches. The lack of a center seam indicates that this coverlet was woven on a broadloom with a fly shuttle and possibly even a power loom.
Dennis Cosley (1816-1904) was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and he was trained as a weaver along with his brother, George (1805-1884) in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The brothers were operating a mill in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania in 1837. Dennis opened a mill in Fayetteville in 1844. It is that mill in which this coverlet was woven. That mill in Fayetteville burned two years later, and the Cosley brothers relocated to Xenia, Greene County, Ohio. In Xenia, tax documents show Dennis Cosley owning a coverlet and carpet factory that employed at least three men. Cosley left Xenia in 1864, moved to Miami County, Ohio and opened a weaving mill there. He retired to Troy, Ohio and operated a store until his death in 1904. Dennis' first wife was Margaret Ann Comer Cosley (1817-1852). She was born in Pennsylvania. His second wife was Catherine Landis (Landess) Cosley (1833-1917). Catherine was born in Xenia, Ohio. Catherine and Dennis were married 1858. This coverlet was owned by the Cosley family and donated by one of Dennis' children. This coverlet is an early example of his factory's work in Fayetteville, PA and important because it shows that signed coverlets can be representative of factory production, not just artisan craft.
Berea College Summer and Winter coverlet Sample, 1938. Berea College Summer and Winter coverlet Sample, 1938. Coverlet sample in "Summer and Winter" weave with the "Snowball center and "Pine Tree" border. Modern, hand-woven, double-face, 7 harness 12 treadle weave of homespun yarn. The web consists of a tabby foundation in white cotton woven with a pattern of indigo-dyed wool as in "overshot" weaving--which closely interweaves with the ground. Copied from an old coverlet and made at Berea College in 1938.
Coverlet sample in "Summer and Winter" weave with the "Snowball center and "Pine Tree" border. Modern, hand-woven, double-face, 7 harness 12 treadle weave of homespun yarn. The web consists of a tabby foundation in white cotton woven with a pattern of indigo-dyed wool as in "overshot" weaving--which closely interweaves with the ground. copied from an old coverlet and made at Berea College in 1938.
This appears to be one section, or lengthwise panel, of an overshot coverlet. It is made of olive green wool and light brown (may have been white or buff at one time) linen. The geometric pattern is similar to John Lande's #44 and Miss cobb #2 (Atwater P. 191). It may have been made in the 18th century.
A treadling error was made in one section of this double-woven coverlet (by accident, we assume) and intentionally repeated in the other section so they would match. This coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and is woven in a geometric design of squares and circles. There is a cut self fringe on the lower edge, and an uncut fringe on each side. The coverlet was woven in two pieces that were sewn together. The name of the weaver is unknown.
Emanuel Meily wove this coverlet in 1838. The coverlet is red, white, blue, and green, and is made of cotton and wool. It features a center design of sunburst medallions with lily wreaths. This design is sometimes called “Stars and Lilies.” The lower two corners contain the name of the weaver, Emanuel Meily, his county, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and the date 1838. Emanuel Meily (about 1805—1869) was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and had his weaving business there. According to Clarita S. Anderson in her book, American Coverlets and Their Weavers, there are two Emanuel Meileys listed in the 1840 census of Lebanon Co. One was a 60 to 70- year-old head of household, (no occupation given) and the other was a 30-to-40-year-old head of household engaged in “manufactures and trades.” The 1850 census lists an Emanuel “Meiley “ as a blue dyer, and the 1860 census lists an Emanuel “Meiley” as a 45 year-old laborer with real estate and personal property.
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.
This Figured and Fancy coverlet features a centerfield design based on the “Double Lily” pattern but accentuated with double lotus and “Liberty,” shielded eagle motifs. There are borders along all four sides. The top and bottom borders feature the “Bellflower and Bluebells” pattern associated with the Craig Family of Indiana. The side borders feature “Peacocks feeding their young” and what has been referred to as the Capitol. This coverlet, as with all Craig coverlets, is double-cloth woven in dark and medium red, white & blue wool and cotton with a fringe along bottom edge. All four corner block are dated 1848 and depict a building with a cupola. This motif is associated with the Craig family of Indiana. Donor information found in the accession file states that the maker was William Craig, Original incoming cataloging records that this coverlet came in as two separate pieces. It is now seamed together, but there is no information in the file to say when that was done. Coverlet seams were released during washing and as Colonial Revival became popular, many families repurposed their heirloom coverlets as curtains and portieres.
The Craig Family weavers consist of Scottish-born, William Craig, Sr. (1800-1880), Scottish-born cousin, James Craig (1819-1896), William Craig, Jr. (1824-1880), and James Craig (1823-1889) make up the two generations of weavers who intermarried with other Scottish immigrant weaving families, dominating the coverlet market in Floyd, Decatur, and Washington counties in Indiana. It is almost certain that their regional influence extended into Western Kentucky as well. The Craigs were prodigious weavers and entrepreneurs and the number of extant coverlets attest to this fact. Also of interest is a published interview with William Sr.'s granddaughter, Rena Craig Gilchrist found in Indiana Coverlets and Coverlet Weavers (1928) by Kate Milner Rabb. Rena Craig Gilchrist recounted how her grandfather was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1800, moving to South Carolina in 1820 to assume the role of foreman at a Southern cotton goods factory. In 1832 the Craigs and other immigrant weaving families, the Gilchrists and Youngs moved to Mt. Caramel, Indiana. In 1838, the family moved again, further distributing weavers, to Decatur County, Indiana. The Craigs at first wove on their farm just outside of Greensburg, Indiana, but soon sons William Jr. and James ventured out on their own, marrying other weaver’s daughters, and establishing workshops in Greensburg and Anderson. Their coverlet weaving became regionally famous and people were reported as having come from fifty to sixty miles by wagon with woolen yarn for enough coverlets for each child at marriage.
The Craigs continued to weave until 1860 when William Sr. retired. Cousin James opened a shop in Canton, Indiana. A local resident described his loom as," “different from any other loom I have ever seen in that the threads of the warp were each run through a loop of cords to which were attached leaden weights about the size of an ordinary lead pencil, and I should think from twelve to fifteen inches in length. I do not remember accurately about that. The other end of each cord was attached to a pedal, of which there was a considerable number. A number of cords may have been attached to a pedal, according to the colors and figures being used. This enabled him to depress any of the threads of the warp that he pleased by operating the pedals with his feet, thus opening a space for the passing of the shuttle, of which he used as many as he wished colors in the pattern.” This description suggests that members of the Craig family were using modified drawlooms, possibly what is sometimes referred to a Scotch loom, which was used to weave figured double-cloth ingrain carpet. This is interesting because the introduction of the Jacquard head attachment, which used chains of punch cards, made figured weaving much faster and cheaper in the decades before the Craig family’s foray into coverlet weaving.
Overshot coverlet made with red, indigo and natural colored yarns. Rose and table pattern--no extra border pattern. The coverlet is consists of two panels stitched together. Yarns: warp-single ply , z twist white cotton, ground weft--single z twist white cotton, pattern-weft single z twist red and indigo wool. The top and bottom hems are hand stitched. Repeat size of pattern 6 1/8 " x 5 3/4." There is no border pattern. According to the donor, this coverlet was owned by Mrs. Sarah Franklin Brown , grand mother of the donor. She lived in Washington County, Tenn. (post office-Telford, just below Jonesboro) in the Southern Highlands.
Single-woven Jacquard coverlet with Double-roses pattern with flower basket border. "Lima Ohio" is woven into the two lower corners. The coverlet is red, white, blue and gold, and woven with wool and cotton yarns. The weaver is John Henry Meily. He was born December 15, 1817 in Lebanon, PA. He married December 3, 1839, Catharine Fisher (1820-1906) in Mansfield, Richland, OH. In 1844-45 he moved to Lima, OH. In addition to being a weaver he was also a practical iron molder and brickmaker and sold agricultural implements and real estate until he retired, according to Clarita S. Anderson. He died December 25, 1883, in Lima Allen, OH.
Has trademark corners of John Henry Meily. This coverlet was given to the museum by the weavers great-granddaughter, Miss Marjorie McClintock in 1964. She provided this information: J.H. Meily was born in Mansfield Ohio in 1820. In 1844-45 he migrated by covered wagon to Lima, Ohio where he practiced his trade as a weaver, and became a prominent citizen of the town. He had nine children-his daughter Olivia was a member of the first graduating class of the "Western Female Seminary "now the "Western College" at Oxford, Ohio. She later married Calvin. S. Bruce who was U.S. Senator from Ohio during the Cleveland administration.
This is a red, white, and blue, cotton and wool, multi-harness, overshot coverlet woven in a complex “Star and Table” pattern with long warp self-fringe and shorter weft self-fringe. There is a center seam, indicating hand-loom weaving. The coverlet measures 79 inches by 71.5 inches. There is little information about the provenance of this coverlet; however, most of the complex overshot star and diamond coverlets were created in the counties just west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The weavers of these coverlets were master weavers and used looms with upward of twenty-six shafts, which allowed them to pack in minute detail into a rather small space. The weaver’s use of red, and blue wool yarns contrasting against the white, cotton ground-cloth create a stunning visual.
"Liberty" pattern Jacquard coverlet fragment, 19th century. Red and blue jacquard double-woven coverlet fragment, made with a plain weave. The yarns are 2 ply z twist wool. The yarn count is 18 x 18 1/2 per inch. The pattern is known as "Liberty" (see the Book of hand-Woven Coverlets," page 200, and features images of George Washington, and the American Eagle.
Daniel Goodman (b. 1800) wove this red, blue, and green, tied-Beiderwand coverlet for J. and M. Keen in Nescopeck, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in 1842. The centerfield features a typical carpet medallion pattern composed of eight-point stars and stylized starburst motifs. The three borders depict the addorsed, German Distelfinken (thistle finches) flanked by rose bushes and Hom (Germanic tree of life). The cornerblocks read, “MADE.BY./DANIEL/GOODMAN/NESCOPECK/LUZERNECO/FOR/J.ANDM./KEEN/PENN.1842.” The donor's mother's maiden name was Keen. It is possible that the coverlet was made for Jacob Keen (1798-1862) and his wife Magdalena (1796-1886). This coverlet has no center seam, indicating that Goodman was using a broad loom to weave his coverlets and was possibly involved in early factory production in Luzerne County.
Daniel Goodman was from family of Pennsylvania coverlet weavers. His father, Peter (b. 1783) was also a weaver as was Daniel’s son, John S. Goodman (b. 1820). Daniel Goodman’s extant coverlets date from 1841-1844. Daniel had presumably been weaving twenty years prior, but may not have been able to invest in new pattern weaving technology until the 1840s. Rather than being able to order equipment, patented loom technology was sold via licensing and franchise agreements with the patent holder(s).
This Jacquard, red, white, blue, and green double-cloth lap coverlet features a scalloped centerfield. “L. S. R. R. SLEEPING CAR” is woven into the innermost border. There is a large middle border made up of what appears to be a representation of the Michigan State Capitol building flanked by pairs of turkeys. The corners each feature a pair of deer—a buck and doe. The shorter ends of the middle border feature acorns and oak leaves and interconnected birds. The interconnected birds suggest an altered Jacquard punch-card set. There is fringe along the bottom edge. "L.S.R.R." stands for the Lakeshore and Southern Railway. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, founded in 1833, developed into a conglomeration of other railroads in the Northern Ohio, Michigan region. The Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad (CP&ARR) would eventually be incorporated into that system. In 1868, the railroad leased the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad and renamed itself Lakeshore and Southern Railway. It is this time period in which this coverlet was woven for use in the sleeping cars of the railway’s passenger cars.
This blue and white, patterned turned twill coverlet is woven in the "Snail Trail," or "Cat Track," pattern with wavy linear border formed from a fractional reduction of the main pattern on all four sides. There are no hems along the top or bottom edges, but both are secured with an overcast binding stitch of natural 2-ply, s-twist z-spun cotton thread. This is the same yarn used in the warp and weft and likely originates from the last shot of the weft. According the accession file, this coverlet was woven in the Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland area sometime during the nineteenth century. The wool in this coverlet is said to have come from sheep raised on the orginal owners farm.