The date “June 3 1836” and initials “W.B.” in the center panel are plainly evident on this quilted and stuffed white counterpane. Unfortunately no further information was given at the time of donation. Does the date signify an engagement or wedding date? Is “W.B.” the maker or a person honored?
The white-work counterpane is an example of stuffed work using a method of spreading apart the threads in the lining and inserting cotton stuffing. In this way the motifs such as the plumes, sunflowers, daisies, and undulating vines are given a dimensionality. Precise quilting, 10 stitches per inch, further enhances the elegance and overall design of this bedcover.
This red, blue, and white, geometric, double-cloth coverlet features a "Snowball" center field pattern with "Diamond" border. The design is similar to those found in John Landes' pattern book No. 51. (centerfield) and No. 57 (border). It was woven circa 1800-1825 almost certainly in Pennsylvania. The coverlet also features an applied red white and blue fringe attached with 2-ply blue linen thread. It is made up of two sections which were woven as one length and seamed with a 2-ply indigo blue linen thread. Although the accession file notes that Mrs. Miller, the donor, has information on the origin of the coverlet, no such information was included in the accession file. The top edge of the coverlet has a 1" wide, red-dyed, twill woven, woolen tape attached
This “Mosaic” quilt top is made of 1 ½-inch hexagons pieced into flowers. Each is framed by a row of tiny diamonds and triangles. The center of each flower is a printed red morning-glory and the same roller-printed cotton is used for the small diamonds. According to donor information it was made by Mrs. Tarlton, and won a prize at a county fair in Vermont before the Civil War.
Mrs. Tarlton’s daughter, Nellie, married Captain McKeogh of New Orleans during the Civil War. She in turn gave the quilt to Miss Hannah Jane Seymour on the occasion of her marriage to Elliott Graham in 1891, the parents of the donor. Two of the white hexagons are inscribed “Graham” and “Hannah.” Unfortunately little is known of Mrs. Tarlton other than she moved to New Orleans with her daughter, Nellie.
When this quilt was given to the Collection in 1972, the donor indicated that it was from her husband’s relatives who lived in New Jersey. Sixteen 12-13-inch blocks are pieced in a “Blazing Star” pattern using red, white, and blue cotton fabrics. The blocks are set with sashing and borders of the same color scheme. The lining and filling are also cotton. The quilt was machine pieced and joined. Small floral designs and variations of the fleur-de-lis motif are quilted on the borders, sashing, and open white spaces. The diamond pieces that comprise the “stars” are accented with linear quilting. The hand quilting is 9 stitches per inch.
The donor, Mrs. George Maurice Morris (nee Miriam Hubbard), was a collector of 18th-century furniture. In 1934 she and her husband purchased and moved a 1754 Georgian-style home from Danvers, Mass., to Washington, D.C. It was restored and named the “The Lindens,” apparently for the linden trees along the original driveway in Massachusetts. “The Lindens” is the oldest building in Kalorama, Washington, D.C., and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Mrs. George Morris donated an 18th century-example of a palampore, an early-19th-century appliqué quilt and this late-19th- early-20th century “Blazing Star” quilt to the Collection.
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.
“This quilt was made in 1840 by Ann, a colored slave girl 16 yrs. old, who wove and spun and took care of all linen on the plantation of Capt. and Mrs. William Womack (Aunt Patsy and Uncle Billy) in Pittsylvania Co. Virginia. Grandma Adams made her home with Aunt Patsy after mother’s death and inherited her large estate.” So wrote Mrs. Womack’s great-niece, Florence Adams Dubois in a note included in the 1976 donation.
Little is known of the quiltmaker, Ann. She is probably mentioned in William Womack’s will November 1, 1849, “. . . to my beloved wife Martha Womack during her natural life the following Negro slaves to wit, Ann . . . “
Thirty 14-inch blocks appliquéd with a crossed tulip motif are set with a 2-inch tan sashing. A 5/8-inch orange cotton bias strip is seamed to the front, and whipped to the back along three sides. The fourth side has a 1 ½-inch straight strip of cotton seamed to the front, and whipped to the back. While the blocks may have been made in the 1840s, the bedcover was probably assembled some time later.
The “Variable Star” pattern was used for the 7-inch pieced blocks that alternate with 7-inch plain blocks. The pieced blocks have examples of a variety of roller-printed fabrics. Around all four edges of the quilt are ten inch red and blue floral print triangles. The initials “S N” are cross-stitched in brown silk on the lining which consists of three lengths of plain-woven cotton. The quilt has a cotton filling and is quilted 6 stitches per inch. No separate binding, the front and lining are turned in and sewn with a running stitch. This quilt is an example of mid-nineteenth century quilting utilizing a variation of the popular star design.
Pieced 8-inch blocks in the “Evening Star” (or “Sawtooth Star”) pattern are set diagonally with 8-inch plain blocks. Blocks are pieced of roller-printed cottons (1830-1860s), woven stripes, and checks. The border (22-inches on the sides, 21-inch bottom) is a geometric roller-printed cotton. Lined with an ivory cotton, filled with cotton, and quilted at 7 stitches per inch. No separate binding, the front and lining are turned in and sewn with a running stitch. Star patterns are popular quilting designs and this mid-19th century example uses a variety of fabrics with both printed and woven designs.
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.
An unidentified weaver wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet. The centerfield design features oak leaf and flower, sprig and floral, foliate swag, and leaf carpet medallions. All four of the borders depict the No. 240 engine and coal car being operated by the engineer. The cornerblocks depict four profile portraits of M. T. McKennon, the first president of the railroad. He is surrounded by the woven inscription, “Hemfield Railroad.” The Hempfield Railroad was began in 1851 and designed to connect Wheeling, Virginia (current West Virginia) to Washington, Pennsylvania. Construction was not complete until 1857 and the railroad operated until 1871 when it was sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It is not clear if these coverlets were used on the passenger cars or sold to subscribers. The railroad was initially funded through subscription, and it is possible that these coverlets were made to help facilitate that process or just to commemorate the arrival of the railroad. The coverlet was likely made c. 1851 either in Wheeling or Western Pennsylvania. The railroad operated three locomotive engines, six freight and passenger cars, and eleven coal cars.
This patriotic quilt in red and green was the inspiration for Edith Magnette’s watercolor (Plate 227) that was part of the Index of American Design project (1935-1942). Edith Magnette rendered over 50 items for the Index , many of them textile-related.
The quilt was originally owned by Mrs. Charles Gramm and made by her grandmother. It was lent to the project by Louise Zotti, and donated by her to the National Museum of American History.
The central eagle motif, surrounded by 8-pointed stars, is typical of patriotic symbols of the mid-19th century. The blocks on the border are in the “Oak Leaf and Reel” pattern, also typical of the period.
A poppy motif dominates this pieced, appliqued and embroidered quilt, probably assembled by Cynthia Hobby (1770-1863) and quilted by her granddaughter Mary Elizabeth Hitchcock Seamans (1839-1881). Twenty-five 15½-inch blocks are framed by a 9-inch border that has appliqued clusters of cherries with leafy stems and is edged with pieced sawtooth bands. Fine quilting, 12 stitches per inch, outlines all the appliqued motifs. Diagonal grid and diagonal line quilting further enhance the blocks and border on this well designed quilt.
This is one of three quilts donated by the same family.
Also known as the “Seamstresses’ Quilt,” this red and green example of mid-19th century quilting was in the George Slothower family of Baltimore County, Maryland. He was a wholesale dry goods merchant and the owner of two cotton mills: the Powhatan and Pocahontas Mills. Apparently at the time this quilt was crafted, resident seamstresses, usually of German or Dutch origin, made the family clothing and most likely this quilt.
The center basket of flowers is framed by floral-and-leaf panels and borders, each accented with red saw-tooth bands. Echo quilting highlights each of the motifs on this appliquéd quilt.
Mary Maphis Copp pieced this cotton quilt in the mid-19th century. The center panel consists of alternating “Nine-patch” and plain white 6" blocks. It is framed by a border of 24 blocks in the“Sunflower” or “Blazing Star” pattern.
The sunflowers are unusual in that they have nineteen petals. The quilting patterns of outline, double-line diagonal grid, and parallel lines enhance the design. There is no separate binding; instead the back was brought to the front and whipstitched. The quilt is a distinctive combination of a simple pattern in the center panel with a more complicated pattern in the border blocks.
Mary C. [Catherine] Maphis was born September 8, 1831, to John H. and Fannie V. Headley Maphis in Woodstock, Va. She married George W. Copp (1825-1899), a farmer, on November 7, 1850. They settled at Fisher’s Hill, a small village near Strasburg, Va. George and Mary had eight children: Frances (1851-1943), John W. (1852-1917), William H. (b. 1854), David E. (1855-1926), Silas A. ( 1856-1926), Barbara R. (b. 1859), George V. (b. 1862), and Benjamin (b. 1872). According to family information, their home was the site of a Civil War battle. It was burned and all their belongings lost.
Fisher’s Hill was part of Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign September 21-22, 1864. The Confederate Army retreated (casualty estimates of 1,235 to the Union’s 528) and left the Valley open to a “scorched earth” invasion in which dwellings and other buildings were burnt from Staunton to Strasburg, Virginia.
The Copp family eventually relocated to Strasburg. Mary died on February 11, 1886. She is buried in the Strasburg Presbyterian Church Cemetery. The quilt was donated to the National Museum by her granddaughter Mrs. Irene Copp Pifer, the daughter of Mary’s son, John W. Copp.
Olive Bender made this quilt for her son and daughter-in-law as a Christmas gift in the 1940s. Her grandson, David Bender, later donated the quilt. He recalled that his grandmother would work on quilt patches during the warm months, and then, in the winter, quilt on frames she would set up in the dining room of her Ohio farmhouse.
Nine 16”-inch blocks, appliquéd and embroidered in the “Water Lily” pattern, are set in pink and white sashing. The lily buds, leaves, water, lily pad, and flower details are embroidered. Various patterns quilted at 7 stitches per inch and scalloped edges complete the overall quilt design.
Popular in the 1920s to 1940s, the “Water Lily” motif was available in kit form or as a paper pattern. Quilt historian, Cuesta Benberry, traced this pattern to the Rainbow Quilt Block Company owned by William Pinch. His company perfected a printing process that stamped colors on muslin squares indicating the color of embroidery threads needed to complete the motif and gave the company its name, Rainbow. William Pinch (1880-1972), a professional photographer, created as many as 1,000 designs for his company. Advertised in flyers, newsletters and catalogs, the kits and patterns could be purchased by mail or in retail stores making them available to small towns and rural areas.
Olive Mae (nee Fairall) Bender was born February 13, 1892, in Frazeysburg, Ohio. She died April 18, 1971, in East Sparta, Ohio. Her quilt is an example of mid-20th-century quilting and of a design available from the Rainbow Quilt Block Company, one of many companies that promoted quilting from the 1920s on by publishing patterns and providing quilting kits.
Adele Paturel created this fascinating example of crazy patchwork before her marriage to Emile Soher in 1895. The unlined pillow sham has a dark red plush border with an embroidered fan in one corner. Delightful embroidered motifs (many three-dimensional) include a hand with a bead ring; a hot air balloon and basket; an embroidered mailbox (“USM”) surrounded by birds with letters in their beaks; a harp with strings; a bird and nest with eggs; “Flor Cuba Havana” on a box of cigars; a spider on a web inscribed with “climbing up”; a pocket watch and many other designs. Several patches have animal motifs such as a cat inscribed with “who says mice,” a deer, a retriever dog and ducks, a squirrel, a bear (California State Flag motif), and an eagle. Elaborate stitches anchor the various patches.
Adele Paturel crafted this pillow sham dated “1893” to accompany a larger crazy-patch parlor throw also in the Collection (TE.T16996). Her two daughters donated the parlor throw in 1973, and twenty years later this smaller (33” x 33”) companion piece that had been in a frame.
Adele Paturel was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1865. She was brought to San Francisco, California as an infant and lived there until her death in 1954. She married Emile Soher (1863-1910) in 1895. The whimsical motifs and multiple examples of fancy stitching are very typical of the crazy-patch fashion of the late 19th century.
According to family information, Sara Ann Mellon crafted this quilt before her marriage to Robert Dickey in 1864. Nine 16-inch blocks are appliqued with stylized star flowers, oak leaves, and sprigs of berries. The berry stems are accentuated with chain stitch embroidery. It was said that the meandering vine in the border was stitched with a hand-turned sewing machine, all the other stitching is by hand.
Sara Ann Mellon was born February 18, 1841 in Cameron, Marshall County, Virginia (now West Virginia). She married Robert Dickey (1836-1909), a veteran of the 6th West Virginia Infantry. He enlisted in 1861. Severely wounded in the summer of 1864, he was discharged in the fall. He and Sara married December 22, 1864, in Greene County, Pennsylvania. They had three children: George W., Clara, and John H. Sara died in 1927.
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.
Eliza Rosecrans Hussey personalized her pieced wool-and silk-star quilt with symbols of the Masonic Society. The embroidered motifs are interspersed between twenty-five blocks pieced in a variation of the “Feathered Star” pattern. Another silk quilt in the Collection was also made by Eliza, and was embroidered with symbols and inscriptions of the Odd Fellows. Edward Simmons Hussey, her husband, was an active member of both the Masons and the Odd Fellows.
Eliza, born October 14, 1816, in Pennsylvania, went with her family to Indiana as a young child. She married September 17, 1835. Edward Simmons Hussey in Carlisle, Indiana. They lived in various Indiana towns while Edward worked as a merchant, hotel manager, book keeper, and express agent.
By 1860 they had settled in Brazil, Indiana, where Eliza worked as a milliner. There they raised their family of ten children. Eliza, after some years as an invalid, died March 23,1880. Her carefully designed and crafted quilts are a reminder of the importance of benevolent societies such as the Masons and the Odd Fellows in the developing towns and cities in the Midwest in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Elizabeth Coates Wileman made this pieced and appliquéd child's quilt in the mid-nineteenth century while living in Ohio. Sixteen blocks are pieced of red, green, yellow and white printed cottons in a Carpenter's Wheel pattern. These blocks are set diagonally with blue and white printed cotton squares and triangles. Two appliquéd sawtooth edges, one red and one green, complete the 5½-inch border.
Esther Coates, a Quaker, was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania in 1817. She married Abram G. Wileman in 1844 in Massillon, Ohio, they divorced in 1858. They had two children Flora born in 1850, who died as a young child and Erasmus Darwin born in 1854. The quilt was probably made for Flora. Abram G. Wileman, a physician and war hero, served in the Civil War and was killed in 1863. Esther studied medicine at Penn Medical University in Philadelphia and received her degree in 1855. She practiced medicine in New Jersey. Esther died in 1873 and is buried in the Drumore Friends Cemetery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The quilt was donated to the Museum in 1964 by Dr. Lorin E. Kerr, Jr. the great grandson of Esther.