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.
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.
James Cunningham of North Hartford, Oneida County, New York wove this commemorative George Washington, Jacquard-woven, gold wool and cotton tablecloth in 1846. This tablecloth is a true damask where on one side the ground is a four-shaft “crowsfoot” weave structure and the pattern is woven in a weft-faced plain weave and vice versa on the opposite side. The pattern is interesting, because Cunningham is most often associated with coverlet weaving, particularly this pattern. He and his business partner, Samuel Butterfield exclusively wove this pattern, which features “Double Tulip” centerfields with Great Seal eagle borders. In each of the four corners, George Washington is depicted astride his horse. The date "1846" appears above Washington and below reads the woven inscription, “Washington/J. Cunningham/Weaver/N. Hartford/Oneida Co. N. York.” Under the Great Seal eagle borders can be found the inscription, “Under This We Prosper.” The coverlet was woven from white cotton and gold wool. The white cotton yarns are Z-spun singes and the gold wool weft is also a Z-spun single. The yarn count is 57 warp ends x 51-55 weft end per inch. The pattern is vertically and horizontally mirror images of one another, indicating how the weaver set up his patterning device, at this point, almost certainly a Jacquard mechanism. Coverlet weavers were not just producing ingrain carpeting and coverlets, but also attempting to branch out into other fancy goods for the household. This tablecloth was woven on a handloom, which is evidence from the very irregular selvedge edges found along the sides. This could also indicate that Cunningham was experimenting with tablecloths as a new product, hoping to expand his business. The cloth is one piece, there are no seams. There are two selvages and other edges are hemmed. James Cunningham (1797-1865) was born in Scotland and died in New Hartford, Oneida Co, New York. Cunningham’s extant coverlets date between the years 1837-1848. He and English-born weaver, Samuel Butterfield (b. 1792) partnered before 1835 and evidently shared patterns with one another as they both use this pattern in their coverlets. Cunningham was married three times and fathered eleven children. At least one son, Robert also trained as a weaver. This tablecloth is a rare example of coverlet design’s influence on other household textile production as well as evidence of the business practice of coverlet weavers in America.
According to the donor, Elizabeth Deuel is said to have made this blue and white, overshot, all-linen coverlet in 1790, in the Saratoga region of New York. Her name and the date are cross-stitched into the lower edge of the coverlet just above the fringe. A search of the 1790 census of the area produced no one with the surname Deuel. More research is needed to determine where Deuel lived, and if she was the weaver or the owner of this coverlet. In the 18th century, it was common for household textiles to be marked with the initials or name of the owner and the date. The average colonial home did not have a great number of household textiles, and they were considered important possessions. This coverlet was woven in two sections that were then sewn together. The coverlet is woven in a “Chariot Wheel” pattern and measures 104.75 inches by 80.25 inches.
Overshot wool and cotton coverlet in black (oxidized indigo?) and natural. Small-scale geometric pattern of opposing meanders and flower heads. Two panels, stitched together. No borders. Unknown maker.
This geometric double-cloth coverlet features a "Four Snowball" centerfield pattern with "Pine Tree” borders on three sides. It passed through at least five generations of Parker-Ellis Family before being donated to the National Museum of American History’s collections. Woven between the years 1790-1820, the coverlet was given as a wedding gift or as part of the bridal trousseau for the wedding of Daniel Ellis and Eliza Parker on January 6, 1820 in Butler County, Ohio. In 1847, the coverlet was given to son, Theodore Ellis when he married is wife, Mary A. in Montgomery County, Indiana. Theodore, in turn, presented it to his daughter Amanda Ellis Talbott on the occasion of her wedding in 1879. Estella Maude Talbott Lang received the coverlet in 1907 when she married, and the donor, Iona Long received the coverlet at her mother’s death in 1956. Family legend held that Eliza Parker’s mother wove the double-cloth coverlet for her daughter’s trousseau, and while that is very possible, more research is needed to determine where Eliza was born and who her parents were. What can be determined is that this geometric double-cloth coverlet was cherished by a family for over 150 years and made its way across the United States with each successive generation.
As this coverlet is double-cloth there are two sets of warps and wefts that change position interlocking the two cloths and creating pockets, lending to the alternative name for double-cloth, pocket cloth. There is an indigo-dyed blue wool warp and weft as well as a white, unbleached cotton warp and weft. The cotton has yellowed with age. The yarn count is 22x22. The snowball pattern with pine tree border is a ubiquitous Northern European pattern designed to create a decorative effect and provide a heavy and durable textile. The coverlet is in relatively fragile condition and the center seam is coming apart at the both the top and bottom. There is some fraying and missing sections along the top and bottom border as well. This coverlet has no fringe.
Hand-woven coverlet-weave sampler, Brown and white, cotton and wool, coverlet patterns in 16-harness twill, 16-harness damask and 16-harness double weave.These were all woven on the same threading by changing the tie-up of the treddles for each weave. Weaver, Mrs. Mary Atwater.
Fragment or sample of a 4-harness, overshot coverlet weave: "Double Chariot Wheels," reproduced, with lavender angora wool for the tabby and white angora for the pattern, by a pupil of the Berry School. Mt. Berry, GA.
Figured beiderwand panel, natural off-white linen and green wool. Repeating pattern of human figures, buildings, and trees. Possibly Christian meaning.
Harry Tyler (1801-1858) wove this red and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet for Cynthia Walker in Oswego County, New York in 1845. The centerfield design features a double floral and starburst design with a “Fence and Tree” border along three sides. . The lower corners feature an American eagle with a shield, and twenty-three stars, a known Harry Tyler trademark. The name of the client, Cynthia Walker, the place, Oswego Co., N.Y., and the date 1845, are woven beneath the eagle and shield trademark. Cynthia Walker was the donor’s paternal grandmother. This coverlet measures 84 inches by 82.5 inches and was constructed of two panels woven as one length, cut, and sewn together with a center seam.
Tyler was born in Connecticut, moving to New York sometime around 1834. Harry Tyler married three times to Anne Cole, Harriet A. Dye, and Mary A. Tyler. His son with Anne, Elman Tyler (1829-1909) was also a coverlet weaver and wove coverlets in the same pattern as his father even after Harry’s death in 1858. The details of Harry Tyler’s life are a bit of a mystery. There are over 300 coverlets attributed to Tyler, but very little documentary evidence of his business activity or life. The Jefferson County Historical Society is fortunate to have over 40 Harry Tyler coverlets in its collection. They also included this information about the death of Harry Tyler, which has evaded scholars for decades. Harry Tyler died August 22,1858 at the age of 57 after suffering a stroke and is buried in Smithville Cemetery, Jefferson County, New York.
The weaver of this “Star-in-Star” pattern, red, white, blue, and gold, multi-harness coverlet is unknown. It was likely made in the vicinity of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where this style of coverlet was most common and according to the donor’s information likely dates between the years 1840-1850. These multi-harness coverlets require specialized looms with upward of 24 shafts to create the intricate and complex patterning. The coverlet measures 85 inches by 72 inches and is constructed from two panels that would have been woven as one length on the loom, cut, folded and sewn up the center. There is some loss in the coverlet due to its age, but overall the pattern and complexity of the design indicate the production of a master weaver.
This blue and white overshot coverlet is dated 1795 in the weave along with the initials “E.B.” The overshot patterning was created using a supplementary wool weft which shoots over a plain weave foundation. The top and bottom edges are hemmed about 3/8 of an inch, and the center seam is joined with an overcast stitch in which the 2 selvages just meet. Coverlets with seams were woven as single lengths, cut, and joined to create wider textiles suitable for bed coverings. Seams and hems appear to have been redone, which is standard with use and washing. Pattern name is unknown but is the same as coverlet 1979.0723.01, with stars clustered in alternating groups of four or five with tables at their corners. The pattern is similar to Tennessee Trouble and Sun, Moon, and Stars, but as with quilt patterns, names change over time and place. It has a border on all four sides. The border pattern is a fractional reduction of the centerfield pattern. The name of the weaver of this coverlet remains unknown. What is known is that this weaver operated in Albany, New York from approximately 1770-1830 and wove a great number of overshot coverlets with pick-up-woven dates and initials in the lower border. The oldest dated coverlet known to exist was woven by this weaver. It is dated 1771 and currently resides at the National Museum of the American Coverlet in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The National Museum of American History has three coverlets from this weaver. The initials differ on each coverlet, and the initials almost certainly reflect the client’s name rather than the weaver.
Coverlet; All wool plain geometric patterned double weave, red, green and navy pattern is variation of single snowball; pine tree border on all 4 sides.
Peter Stauffer was a professional weaver in Chester County, Pennsylvania in the early nineteenth century. He recorded payments for coverlets and tablecloths that he wove for local customers in his account book, dating between 1810 and 1831, (object number TE*T14233). This piece is a hemmed fragment of a larger coverlet in the “Star and Diamond” pattern, woven by Stauffer in red, dark blue and green wool with white cotton. Stauffer also wove small samples of different coverlet patterns to advertise his skills and help customers select designs; one of these was also acquired by the museum. According to his accounts, by the later 1820s Stauffer made fewer coverlets, likely losing this business to the coverlets with realistic floral and other complex patterns produced on the newly popular, mechanized, jacquard looms. In 1812, Stauffer married Suzanna Hartz. The family soon switched professions, working as carpet weavers and later in iron foundries.
Not much is known about the origins of this multi-shaft, overshot, red, light blue, indigo, and white coverlet. It was almost certainly woven by a professional, male, German weaver in Pennsylvania between 1800 and 1825. There is self-fringe along the sides, but none along either the top or bottom. The coverlet measures 92 inches by 84 inches and was constructed from two panels. The pattern matches the design found on plate 4, number 2 of the 1771 pattern book, Neues Weberbild und Musterbuch published by Johann Michael Kirschbaum.
This blue and white, jacquard, double-woven coverlet was woven in two sections, each 37.25 inches wide. The total coverlet measures 97 7/8 inches by 74 ½ inches. The centerfield pattern is composed of stylized dogwood flower medallions interspersed with bellflower-inspired carpet tiles. The side borders feature an meandering vine with irises. The bottom border features a scrolling floral vine associated with the LaTourette family of Fountain City, Indiana. This attribution is further confirmed by the flower in the cornerblock, which is the trademark of the LaTourette family. The appearance of the word "Year" indicates it was woven by Sarah LaTourette, or her brother Henry. John LaTourette. John LaTourette, the family patriarch, was born into a New York/New Jersey, Huguenot weaving family in 1793. He and his wife, Sarah Schenck moved West after their marriage in 1816, moving from Ohio to Fountain County, Indiana in 1828. It is here where John established his weaving business and taught daughter Sarah (b. 1822) and son, Henry (b. 1832) the art of Jacquard weaving. John died in 1848, and his children carried on the family business, weaving their last coverlet in 1871.
Sarah LaTourette (1822-1914) and/or her brother, Henry LaTourette (1832-1892) wove this blue and white, Jacquard, double-cloth coverlet in 1850 in Fountain County, Indiana. Today, the coverlet exists as two separate panels, which is how it would have been woven—as one length. The centerfield pattern features a “Double Rose” carpet medallion motif accented by geometric stars. There are two border designs. The side border depicts birds, likely peacocks, perched in trees, alongside urns and cathedrals. The bottom border features a meandering floral vine. John LaTourette (1793-1849), Sarah and Henry’s father, was also a weaver who came from a long line of Huguenot weavers in New York and New Jersey. John and his wife moved West in 1816, first settling in Germantown, Ohio, where Sarah was born, then later moving to Indiana. John LaTourette’s trademark was the rose seen here. His children continued using his mark after his death in 1846, but they added the word, “year” to the design to differentiate their coverlets from his. Sarah LaTourette wove until her marriage to John Van Sickle in 1870, and Henry LaTourette continued weaving until 1871. Each panel measures 90 inches by 36 inches.
Blue and white Jacquard double-woven coverlet featuring borders with birds perched in trees, along with urns and"cathedrals". The center of the coverlet features medallions and flowers, along with a "Star and Rose" pattern. This coverlet was made by either Sarah or Henry La Tourette. Sarah and Henry LaTourette were brother and sister and the children of John LaTourette of Fountain County, Indiana. John LaTourette was a coverlet weaver also. After he died his children continued to use his trademark (a flower in the corner). To distinguish their work from his, they placed the word 'Year" above the flower. Since Henry and Sarah used the same trademark, it is impossible to known which coverlets were made by Sarah, and which were made by Henry. The date 1850, also appears in the corner. This is a coverlet in two pieces.They are 2734 A and 2734 B. The two pieces were never sewn together.
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.