A length of printed pure dye silk crepe. Soft, lustrous, plain weave fabric, pattern "Sampler". One of the H.R. Mallinson & Co. George Washington Bicentennial print series. According to company publicity provided at the time of the line's introduction, the faux "cross stitch" design depicts various dates of Washington's life: his coat of arms, the key to the Bastille, an hour glass, a boxwood hedge he planted, and filler motifs of trees and birds on a beige ground.
Goetz Silk Mf Co. silk satin faced, cotton backed lining fabric in rose pink; 1914. Lining silk: "Cotton Back Satin" Warp silk, weft cotton. White stripe on selvedge on right side, Goetz name repeated along length of wrong side selvedge
David Goetz was born in Lyons, France in 1844 and came to America in 1878. He was the son of a silk manufacturer and brought that trade with him. He worked with William Skinner and Sons in Florence and Holyoke, Massachusetts until 1892. At that point he opened Goetz Silk Manufacturing Company in Holyoke. It was active until about 1930.
A length of printed pure dye silk crepe. Soft lustrous, plain weave fabric. Pattern "Mount Vernon", one of the H.R. Mallinson & Co. George Washington Bicentennial print series. Allover, directional design of flower garlands with household objects said by company publicity to be "typical of Mount Vernon" - including bellows, lantern, hour glass, powder horn, glass demijohn, dye pot, mug, etc., in yellow, green, gray, blue, and white on a brown ground.
A length of printed pure dye silk crepe--soft lustrous, plain weave fabric #7102 (same construction as T 6943) pattern #3968 "Dolly Madison," one of the H.R. Mallinson & Co. George Washington Bicentennial celebratory prints. The wheat design in black and white on a yellow ground, is an adaptation of the brocaded pattern of a dress worn by Dolly Madison during the administration of James Madison. At the time this print series was introduced in 1931, this dress and others used for inspiration in this line of silk prints were on exhibition at the National Museum (now NMAH.)
Oscar Hofman Corporation "Silk Zephyr" plain weave, unbleached, suiting fabric length; 1915. Original cataloging reads: "Silk Zephyr suiting, A new silk fabric woven of tussah yarn, washable, unshrinkable, absolutely non-slipping and strong. Possesing all the tailoring qualities of wool and worsted fabrics. Used for mens suits." Beige color (undyed, unbleached tussah silk) in a plain weave. (NB - the attached image suggests a moire finish; this is a result of the scanning process and is not present in the actual cloth)
Company info: Oscar Hofman Corp. - Headquarters: 229-233 Fourth Avenue, New York, NY. Mill: Newmarket, New Hampshire. Active 1910s. Trademark “Silk Zephyr Suiting” – 1915.
A length of H.R. Mallinson's "Havana" design printed novelty dress silk, trade name "Vagabond crepe." This crepe weave fabric was woven with silk warp and doupioni in the weft or filling (rough, irregular silk yarn reeled from double cocoons). The printed design is a "Jazz Age" angular or rayed allover pattern illustrating the people, places, and activities in Havana, Cuba: sailboats, horse-racing, palm trees, nightclubs, etc.. It is one of Mallinson "Playgrounds of the World" series from 1928. The print colors are red, black, brown, and gold on a white ground. Selvage inscription.reads: Mallinson Silks Deluxe Playgrounds of the World Havana. Company numbers: 523/2632. Colorway # 16.
A length of H.R. Mallinson & Co.'s rayon pile crushed velvet in red. Sheer, almost transparent, plain weave ground; a double-woven fabric having a silk base and rayon pile - the fabric is woven so the pile warps are shared between two ground cloths woven face to face, and the pile is sheared as the fabric comes off the loom onto the breast beam, making two identical lengths of velvet.. Piece dyed red and while partly dried the cloth is tightly folded lengthwise and twisted. The fabric is then run between cylinders in this tightly wrung condition and when dried has received a permanent crushed finish.
This album quilt has the inscription "Benoni Pearce Pawling 1850" plainly appliquéd across the top. Whether to celebrate an engagement, announce his availability for marriage, or as a token of friendship it is not evident why this quilt so boldly bears the name, Benoni Pearce. It is known that album quilts were quite popular in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1850 family and friends in the Pawling, New York area joined together to create this example well expressed by one of the inscriptions: "This Humble Tribute I Present - My Friendship to Portray." The needlework, artistry and many inscriptions on the Benoni Pearce Album Quilt make it an important part of the collection.
The eighty-one distinctive blocks of the quilt represent a great many of the quilting techniques and patterns popular in the mid-nineteenth century. Fifty-eight blocks are appliquéd, thirteen are pieced, eight are pieced and appliquéd, one is reverse appliquéd and one is quilted and stuffed. It is constructed mainly of roller printed cottons. The motifs of each of the eighty-one quilt blocks differ, from basic pieced star patterns to free form designs such as a girl jumping rope, a deer or trees. Details on many of the blocks are added in ink or embroidery. The quilting patterns also represent a variety of styles with quilted symbols of hearts, flowers, and various geometric shapes found throughout the quilt.
The many contributors to this quilt have appliquéd, inked or embroidered their signatures to individual blocks, often adding dates, place names, relationship to quilt recipient Benoni Pearce, and even poems. One quilt block depicting a barren gnarled tree expresses the following sentiment:
"I am a broken aged tree
That long has stood the wind and rain
But now has come a cruel blast
And my last hold on earth is gone
No leaf of mine shall greet the spring
No Summers sun exalt my bloom
But I must lie before the storm
And others plant them in my room.
Presented by Your Aunt Anna Dodge."
("Lament For James, Earl of Glencairn," Robert Burns)
Other inscriptions express conventional sentiments. It is through the many dated inscriptions that some of the history of Benoni Pearce's Album Quilt has been established.
Benoni Pearce married Emma Stark in 1851, farmed in the Pawling, Dutchess County, New York, area, had two daughters and died in 1871. By 1873 his widow, Emma, had moved to Washington D.C. with their two daughters and was working as a clerk for the U.S. government, one of the early government girls. Emma Stark Pearce continued to live in Washington D.C. and worked in various government offices until her death in 1899 at age seventy. After she died the quilt remained with her daughter, Jessie, who never married. The other daughter, Augusta, apparently died at a young age. Jessie also lived in Washington D.C., kept boarders and was listed in the city directory as a china painter or artist until her own death in 1907. It was in Jessie's handwritten will that mention was made of "my album quilt . . . ." probably the one that was eventually donated to the Museum in 1972 by descendants. According to the donors they felt that the Museum was better able to preserve and care for the quilt and that such a beautiful object, Benoni Pearce's Album Quilt, should be shared and valued.
A Point de Venise à Rose needle lace border with a meandering garland of dainty three-dimensional flowers. There is no repeat of pattern in this length. The lace was originally of good quality but has now been much mended. It is the style of the late seventeenth century.
Named the “The Pocahontas Quilt” by the family of the maker, Pocahontas Virginia Gay, it is a wool counterpane that displays both her design and needlework skills. The thirty-six 11-inch blocks are appliquéd with motifs cut mainly from wool fabrics. These are further embellished with embroidery, silk fabrics, ribbon, and details in pencil or ink.
Pocahontas based her motifs on popular illustrations of sentimental vignettes and Southern heroes, as well as the Victor dog trademark adopted in 1901 by the Victor Talking Machine Company. Proud to be a seventh-generation descendant of Pocahontas and John Rolfe, she included a likeness of the Indian princess as she appears in a 17th-century engraving frequently reproduced in genealogies.
Pocahontas Gay, or “Aunt Poca” as she was known to family, was born in Virginia on September 5, 1831. She was the daughter of Neil Buchanan Gay and his wife Martha Talley. She never married and remained connected to the family home, Mill Farm in Fluvanna County, Va. She died on October 14,1922.
This pair of delicate Binche bobbin lace lappets from circa 1730 have been sewn together. They are fragile and one end was shortened. They are made of very fine linen thread and the edges are whipstitched for stabilization. The floral pattern is very dense with a ground of snowflakes and five-hole ground.
This Italian needlepoint lace, made in linen of Reticella and Punto in Aria, is in the style of the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th century. It shows a variety of archaic figures – lion, deer and man – and includes three-dimensional raised embellishments.
This is a very good quality flounce of Point de France [d’Argentan] needlepoint lace. It probably dates originally from the late 17th century, but was pieced and mended in the 19th century when some cordonnet was added. There is a great deal of raised work, with picots both on the edging and the interior raised work. The entire piece is 134 inches long and 13.5 inches wide and worked in fine linen thread.
Embroidered in dark brown silk cross-stitches and eye-stitches along the top right edge of the center of this quilt is "M. Campbell 1795." This quilt is a rare dated and signed example of the use of reverse appliqué which is found in the center panel and the eight border motifs. In reverse appliqué, the positions of the pattern and background fabrics are reversed from those of onlaid appliqué. The silhouette of the pattern is cut out of the background fabric, and openings are filled by applying a contrasting fabric from underneath. It was not often used in American quilts. The remainder of the quilt top is of geometric pieced work.
Block printed cotton fabrics of floral prints, stripes, and small geometrics, mostly on brown or tan grounds, were used for the appliqué and piecework. The lining is linen and the filling cotton. All appliquéd motifs are outline quilted along both the inside and outside edges. The white backgrounds, center border, and printed fabric blocks in the outer border are quilted in a diagonal grid and chevron patterns, seven stitches to the inch. M. Campbell's skillfully worked quilt is a notable example of the reverse appliqué technique.
Jacket lining, William Skinner and Sons Sunbak fabric; 1951. William Skinner and Sons; Tan and Green Zip-in Lining; Sunbak (Skinner trademark) wool pile reverse with rayon satin face; Holyoke, MA.
Sample of a zip-in lining for a US Army field jacket. Army tan color; Skinner's Sunbak fabric with 100% virgin wool pile backing and greenish gray rayon satin face. 65% rayon 35% wool. Tan zipper with silver metal made by Talon. 10.5 inch vent on center back hem with a button 7.5 inches up from hem and bias tape loop. Machine stitched with bias tape to finish all seams and edges. Hand stitched label and button. Slight runs in satin face fabric on center back.
In the early 1940s Welthea B. Thoday sent squares of white cotton fabric to friends, family members, and coworkers and asked that each make a block for a World War II quilt. Many of the blocks she collected contain significant dates and slogans that were popular during the period, such as “Keep em Flying” or “AMERICA IN THE AIR ON LAND ON SEA” or “Save Paper – Tin – Grease.” Other quilt blocks depict the Four Freedoms, flags, and other iconic symbols.
In a small booklet, “Record of World War II Historical Quilt,” Welthea Thoday identified and sketched each of the quilt square contributions and noted the significance and symbolism of the designs. The World War II Friendship Quilt was exhibited at several 1976 Bicentennial events.
The colors red, white, and blue dominate on this patriotic commemorative quilt. First planned in the early 1940s, the quilt was completed in the 1970s. Welthea made the central panel, copying the design from a three-cent postage stamp that was introduced on July 4, 1942. It depicts an American eagle with its wings outstretched to form a large “V” (for Victory). The eagle is surrounded by thirteen stars and a “Win the War” banner is unfurled across its breast. Around this central panel, Welthea arranged thirty-two of the pieced, appliquéd, and embroidered blocks that she had received from friends and family. Placement of the four red-and-white symbolic squares in the corners (the cross, feather, “V” and star) gives a sense of order to the other twenty-eight individually designed blocks.
Born in 1896 in Scituate, Massachusetts, Welthea B. Thoday began her career as a stenographer for a Boston automobile insurance company in 1914. In 1928 she entered the field of advertising and was one of the first women to do announcing and writing for a radio sales program. She retired at the age of 74, after twenty years as a textile editor for a Boston textile publishing company.
When Welthea was 100 years old, she was interviewed by her niece, Susan McKanna. In the taped interview, she discussed the original idea for the quilt, recalling the many government programs that were being promoted during World War II and the idea that it would be “nice to make a record of them.” In 1998, at the age of 102, Welthea Thoday died. Preserved in needle and thread, pen and ink, her World War II Friendship Quilt and the booklet “Record of World War II Historical Quilt,” together provide a vivid commentary on the period.
Grape and vine motifs with shadow effect decorate this cotton Alençon lace collar from the late 19th century. Horsehair is used to support picots on the outside edge and on some interior motifs. The entre-deux at the neck edge is made with Droschel bobbin lace. It is attributable to the Lefébure workshop, Bayeux, France, and the pattern for this collar is in Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Alençon, France. See Bruggeman, Kant in Europa, (L'Europe de la Dentelle), 1997 p. 169, and Dépalle, Brigitte Delesques, La Dentelle à l'aiguille, p. 81. It matches cuffs or borders TE*T17893B and TE*T17893C.
“Pleasant dreams to you my friends J.A.L.” is embroidered on a diamond prominently placed near the center of this throw. Sentiments such as this suggest that these throws are often called slumber throws as well as parlor throws. In general, throws were made to display fancy needlework skills and serve as ornament rather than as bedding.
This piece includes a Women's Christian Temperance Union ribbon in one block.
Often they were made in the crazy-patch style that became fashionable in the last part of the 19th century. This throw utilizes crazy-patched and embroidered plain silk diamonds for the “Tumbling Blocks” pattern, creating an intriguing optical illusion.
The center, pieced in the “Tumbling Blocks” or “Cubework” pattern, is framed by a 5 ½-inch crazy-patch border edged on each side by a 1 ¾-inch blue satin band. The lining is pink silk with a 1 ¼-inch blue silk band decorated with feather and herringbone stitches around all four edges. Silk, tinsel and chenille embroidery threads were used for the buttonhole, feather, French knot, herringbone double cross, running, stem, detached chain, and satin stitches that embellish this throw.
An embroidered patch in the border contains a name, “C. D. Whittier,” and date, “1886.” Another has American flag motifs with the dates “1776-1886.” A moose head and an elephant with “Jumbo” embroidered on it are prominent among the flowers, hearts, horseshoes, birds, fans, web, broom and other motifs typically found on patchwork of the period. “Kate Greenaway” figures are embroidered on several patches. Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) was a popular writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her distinctive style for drawing children was widely copied and appears on various decorative arts of the time.
Several painted diamond patches are signed “Agnes R. Hodgson” or “ARH 86.” One patch with that signature has a palette and brushes. Could she have been an artist who provided patches for crazy-patch work? A friend who had her own particular technique? Or was she the maker of the throw?
The only Agnes R. Hodgson that was found appears on the 1860-1880 censuses. Agnes was born in Oregon City, Oregon, in 1859 to Francis D. and Mary Hodgson. In 1870 they were living in Seneca Falls, N. Y. By 1880 she was living in Milo, Yates County, N. Y., with her parents and five younger siblings. Agnes died in April 1888 at Horseheads, N. Y., of spinal disease (probably meningitis). She is buried in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y. No information on the maker or origins of this throw was provided at the time of donation to the Collection in 1961.