Length of Cheney Brothers "Printed Satin Brocade". Lightweight silk compound satin weave with a weft float pattern of abstract swirls and whorls (almost wood-grain-like) . Printed floral design of small scattered sprigs of various sizes in blues and pinks with green leaves and brown stems.. "Champagne" (pinkish-beige) ground. (W. 24 in., L. 36 in.) This is not an actual brocade, in the technical meaning of discontinuous weft patterning. It is a jacquard-woven figure, with weft-float patterning against the satin weave ground. This fabric, called "Jouy Broche" by the company, is woven at 24" wide. There is a page from a Cheney sample book with swatches of two additional colorways of this pattern in the study card file.
Length of Cheney Brothers Novelty Velvet, "Fancy Velours Chiffon",1913. A medium weight silk novelty velvet. Horizontal lines of cut pile in black, voided to rows of blue ground in between. At intervals there are bands of lines with more distance between the pile lines, and more blue showing through.Black pile on blue ground Construction; pile weave, cut velvet. Yarns - all silk: warp – black, weft – blue, pile – black. (W. 42 in., L. 1 yard.) [NB: The linked image is the correct one, it just has a brown cast, instead of black.] Blue selvage. A swatch card in the study file with this sample describes it as "Used for dress goods. Spun silk pile, silk back, yarn dyed."
Antoinette Comstock fashioned this cushion using a crazy-patched mat that was once used under vases or lamps. She backed it with red wool fabric, and edged it with a fancy cord of silk, chenille and metal. Antoinette wrote: “The patchwork was an unfinished oblong and I made it into a small pillow or cushion. The silk cushions had been mats for valuable old vases [from] my own childhood [I] knew in our N.Y. City house.” A second cushion (TE.T15700) is also in the Collection. The two cushions are an example of refashioning a memento from the late 19th century for a different purpose in the early 20th century.
Antoinette Cole Comstock was born on February 18, 1883 in New York City. Her parents were Emily Cole (1853-1935) and Frederick Harmon Comstock (1853-1939).
Sample length of a Cheney Brothers "Colonial Prints" Frisons dress silk, 1913. Lightweight plain weave made with irregular slubbed spun silk warp and weft yarns. Printed allover floral design with a diagonal meander repeat. Ecru ground, blue and orange flowers with green and yellow leaves and stems. (W. 31 in., L. 36 in.) A page from a Cheney Brothers sample book having two small swatches of this fabric in 2 additional colorways (pinks and oranges; yellows and light purples) is filed in the study swatches. The page is labelled "Colonial Prints" 32 inch.
An unknown weaver created this red and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet featuring a “Double Rose” with a dotted ground centerfield, commonly found in New York coverlets. There are eagles, stars, Masonic symbols, and Federal-style buildings repeated in all four borders. These words are woven into to each corner, “AGRICULTURE & MANUFACTURES, ARE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR INDEPENDENCE July 4, 1836.” This cotton and wool, double-woven Jacquard coverlet was made for C. Collings in 1836 in New York State. This coverlet design has been replicated numerous times dated from 1824-1840 and appears in major museums across the country. This design was initially associated with weaver, James Alexander of New York, but the consensus has changed. This group of coverlets was possibly woven by more than one weaver whose identities have not been found. The floral medallions harken back to Scottish and English double-woven, ingrain carpet designs. See also, T16116 and T18131.
Cheney Brothers, sample of a printed silk velvet square cushion or pillow top. Silk pile, cotton backing. Printed pressed velvet. Red ground. Construction; Yarns: main ground warp, black, Z twist, single ply. Main ground weft, black. Pile red. Pattern; printed, Indienne or Kashmir shawl-style design with large central medallion, with floral and paisley elements, covering the field, leaving 1 in to 1 ½ in border of red pile. (W. 23 in., L. 23 in.
Four lengths of a cotton fabric with a palm-tree-and-pheasant design were used to create the top for this tied whole cloth comforter or counterpane. A color palate of blue and white on a dark brown ground was used for the roller-printed copy of an 1815 English block-print design. The lining, four lengths, is also a cotton roller-printed fabric of a striped geometric in brown, red, and white on a tan ground. A very thick layer of cotton was used for the filling. It is tied with white cotton. The Collection has other quilts made by Rachel Corwin.
Rachel Burr, daughter of Samuel Burr and Sibyl Scudder Burr of Massachusetts, was born March 3, 1788. She married Samuel Corwin of Orange County, New York, October 14, 1809. They had four children. Needlework examples by one of their daughters, Celia, are also in the Collection. Rachel Burr Corwin died March 14, 1849, in Orange County, New York.
This unsigned, blue & white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet has no fringe. There is a large stylized ovular central medallion made up of flowering baskets and scrolling foliage. Beyond this are scattered flowers. There is a double border around four sides of the coverlet. The innermost border is composed of similar flowering baskets and foliate scrollwork. The outermost border contains the date, “1844” and is made up of stylized floral designs and peacock feather eyes. The designs are similar to those used by New York weaver, Ira Hadsell. However, Hadsell usually signed his work. According to the donor, this coverlet was made for her great-grandmother near Syracuse, New York.
The pineapple motif, often associated with hospitality, was pieced-and-appliqued on sixteen 13-inch white blocks for this mid-19th century quilt. The blocks are framed by appliqued swags with small pineapples and buds, also of orange and green cottons. According to family information, it was made by the great-great-great aunt of the donor, unfortunately no name was given.
This blue and white cotton and wool coverlet features a variation of the Snowball pattern in the center, and a variation of the Pine Tree pattern along its borders. It is double-woven and believed to have been made in New York State in the first half of the 19th century. It was passed down through the family of the original owner to the donor, before being given to the Museum. The name of the weaver is unknown. Its condition is testimony to many years of use. Coverlets are damaged by sunlight, insects, and abrasion brought on by everyday use. They are frequently worn away at the top edge, by the owner pulling them up at night to stay warm.
Ira Hadsell (b. 1813) of Palmyra, New York wove this red and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet for Catharine M. Wilson in 1859. The coverlet design is symmetrical along the center seam and feature a large compote overflowing with flowers and accent by more botanical designs, birds, and cornucopias. There are borders on all four sides featuring swag garland designs. The warps and wefts are made up of red, S-spin wool singles and white 3-ply cotton yarns. The date"1859" appears woven under each of the cornucopias. "Catherine M. Wilson woven at Palmyra NY by Ira Hadsell" is woven along the bottom border. The coverlet measures 86 inches by 78.75 inches. Ira Hadsell was born March 16, 1813, in Marion, New York. He was the son of Sarah Hadsell and William Cogswell. Ira Hadsell led an interesting, if somewhat difficult life. He was "bound out" to A.R. Galloway and apprenticed as a canal worker at the age of eight. From age 14 through 26, Ira worked at various jobs on the Erie Canal until returning to Palmyra in 1839. Eventually, Ira went to work for James Van Ness, another well-known weaver of Wayne County. Ira Hadsell had finally found his calling. During his lifetime, Hadsell wove over 1,180 coverlets. Ira married Lydia Dansits Scudder (1810-1879) April 9, 1840. On December 30, 1879, he married Laura Jane Ingram (1855 - 1945). He died July 17, 1896. The coverlet was made for Catharine M. Wilson. She was the wife of Daniel P. Wilson and was born c. 1819 in New York. Wilson was the great-grandmother of the donor.
Album quilt made by friends and family for Mary Matthews to take with her on her sojourn as a missionary and teacher in Macedonia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The quilt consists of 25 blocks (approx. 12” x 13”) with pink sashing (2 ¾” wide) and pink and white border (1”, 1”, and 1 ¼” wide). The pieced and appliqued blocks, filling, and lining are all cotton. The blocks are mainly variations on patterns found on many album quilts of the period. The quilt was assembled for Mary Louisa Matthews who in 1888 went to Monastir (Bitola) Macedonia as a missionary, teaching at American School for Girls. Each block is inscribed with the name of a family member or friend. A few have religious inscriptions or poetry. One particular block is unusual, an appliqued Pythagorean Theorem.
Sample length of Cheney Brothers printed "Shikii" silk fabric. A lightweight, drapey plain weave fabric; rough surfaced, with silk warp and silk frisons weft. Printed with an allover pattern of Persian or Indian-inspired vases, flowers, and feathers in vases (#25546) in brown, orange, tan, black, and white on natural pongee-colored (beige) ground. Style #6562/2. Wholesaled for $1.50 per yd. (W. 30 in., L. 36 in.)
The weaver of this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet is unknown. The coverlet is unsigned, but dated in the cornerblocks which read, “U*S*A/A*D/1829.” The coverlet was woven in New York and the pattern design is reminiscent of James Alexander designs. The centerfield features a “Double Rose” medallion with mirrored repeats of the spire of Federal Hall. There is no fringe on this coverlet. There are three borders. The lower border features double-headed shielded Great Seal eagles flanked by pine trees. The side borders depict that same double-headed eagles along with depictions of Federal Hall.
Most likely this comforter (wadded bed quilt) was the product of Rachel Burr Corwin. The Collection contains three pieced-work quilts and two “comforts,” as well as her spinning wheel, initialed “RC,” and sheets and pillowcases for which she is said to have spun the linen. This particular comforter with a cotton filling also contained a complete, well-worn, pieced quilt (1840 - 1860 Rachel Burr Corwin's "Variable Star" Quilt, TE*T07116.00B). Recycling a worn-out quilt in this way provided a very warm bed covering.
One side of the comforter consists of six rectangular pieces of plain-woven cotton, roller-printed in brown and green on ivory. Long-tailed birds, hanging ornamental urns and flowering branches made up the fabric design. The other side consists of three lengths of plain-woven cotton, roller-printed undulating vertical stripes in rust, brown, and tan. It was tied with 3-ply red wool.
Rachel Burr, daughter of Samuel Burr and Sibyl Scudder Burr of Massachusetts, was born March 3, 1788. She married Samuel Corwin of Orange County, New York, October 14, 1809. They had four children. Needlework examples by one of their daughters, Celia, are also in the Collection. Rachel Burr Corwin died March 14, 1849, in Orange County, New York.
Length of Cheney Brothers "Printed Satin Brocade". All-silk. The ground is jacquard woven with a repeating s-curve swirling figure. It is over-printed with a dense ground pattern of light blue lines with a delicate flowering branch design on top of that.. Construction; Compound satin weave, weft float patterning. The ground is a pinkish-beige ("champagne"). Printed design is light blue, with flowers in pink, yellow. brown, green, turquoise blue. Cheney Silks retail label attached with glue or adhesive. (W. 24 in., L. 36 in.) This is not an actual brocade, in the technical meaning of discontinuous weft patterning. It is a jacquard-woven figure, with weft-float patterning against the satin weave ground. This fabric, called "Jouy Broche" by the company, is woven at 24" wide.
A sample length of H.R. Mallinson & Co.'s trade name Indestructible Chiffon Voile fabric--printed with an allover design of palm trees, and scenes of horse racing, beach-going, sailing, etc. Company pattern/quality numbers: 1800/2632. Colorway # 14. One of the "Playgrounds of the World" series, titled "Havana", in a cool-toned colorway of blues, with accents of tile red, gold, black and white. The company also donated a length of the same design on Vagabond Crepe in a warm-toned colorway on a white ground (T05741). An image from the publicity brochure for this series is atached to this record.
A sample length of Cheney Brothers printed faille tie silk, 1925. A medium-weight warp-faced plain weave ribbed silk fabric in blue, with a printed plaid design in light blue, red, and yellow, imitating a woven plaid. The plaid is printed with a diagonal orientation so that ties cut on the bias would show the plaid as straight. Com.# 7442. Printed pattern #1. 36" L x 24.5" W
By the 1840s a new technique [in the field] of needlepoint known as Berlin wool work was the rage. It arose in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century. New dyes became available and brightly colored wools could be worked in tent stitch on canvas. The patterns were painted by hand on “point paper,” which today would be called graph paper. Some of the patterns were copies of famous paintings.
This large canvas work picture came in an elaborate glazed gold frame with a mat of black paint and gold leaf on the inside of the glass. The inscription across the bottom is “Eliza Gleason, Joseph Interpreting the Dream of King Pharaoh January 1st, 1870.” The original frame was removed since it needed repair, and the work was reframed for exhibit from 1976 to 1981. The ground is cotton canvas and the threads are wool and silk.
According to the biblical story, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret for him. His chief cupbearer then remembered that Joseph had interpreted a dream for him when he was in prison two years earlier. So, Joseph was “brought from the dungeon” and shaved and changed his clothes. He then came before Pharaoh and told him that his dream meant there would be seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt followed by seven years of famine. Joseph recommended that “a discerning and wise man” be put in charge and that food should be collected in the good years and stored for use during the famine. This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh and Joseph ended up with the job (Genesis 41).
Eliza Gleason was born in February 1839, in Connecticut. She married Robert Gleason ca. 1864 in Brooklyn, New York. She stitched this after she was married. In the 1870 Kings County, New York, census, she has an eight year old and a baby.
A crazy quilt style needlecase, with an inside Kate Greenaway design from Briggs & Co book of patterns, page 100 #519. Briggs & Co. was founded in 1874. They invented the iron-on method for transferring an embroidery design onto a piece of fabric. Kate Greenaway was an English artist and illustrator/writer of children's book, cards, calendars and much more. Her subjects mainly consisted of children, young girls, flowers, and landscapes. Kate’s books were very popular in both Britain and America. Her artwork has endured and is still in print today. She was born in London, March 17, 1846 and died November 6, 1901.
The needlecase was embroidered by Susan Jane Thompson ca. 1880 who married John W. Deuel on March 15, 1853 in Gowanda, New York. She was born on March 9, 1830 in Derby, Connecticut to Ezra and Cornelia Baldwin Thompson and died on July 21, 1903 in Van Wies Point, New York. They had three daughters – Harriet, Bertha, and Sarah.