RevolutionCrossroads/si_us_revolutionary_era_collections huggingface dataset:
1800 - 1825 Cornelia Townsend's Quilted and Stuffed Counterpane
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilt
date made: 1800-1825
place made: United States: New York, Goshen
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton, linen (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 99 in x 73 in; 251 cm x 185 cm
Credit line: Mrs. Myron W. Whitney, Mrs. Augustus N. Hand, and Rear Admiral Charles Russell Train
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Cordelia Townsend may have made this quilt or it may have just been in the family as it was donated by her great-grandchildren. Cordelia was born in 1799, married William Everett in 1817 at Goshen, N.Y. She died in 1821.
The early 19th century counterpane is quilted and stuffed, with a center design of a flowering tree enclosed in an oval of feathered arcs. Beyond this are flowers, bunches of grapes, and an undulating row of long feathered leaves. A pomegranate in each corner and groups of curved leaves around the outer edge complete the quilt. The motifs are typical of this period. It has a cotton lining, filling and stuffing. The motifs are stuffed and outlined in quilting; the background is quilted in parallel lines 1/8-inch apart 8-9 stitches per inch. A white cotton tape binding is folded over edge and sewn with a running stitch through all layers. It is finished with 3" fringe on all sides.
1792 - 1810 "Treaty of Pillnitz" Pieced Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1792-1810
maker: unknown
place made: United States
Physical Description: fabric, cotton, linen (overall material)
thread, linen, wool (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 91 in x 76 in; 231 cm x 192 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Nicholas Satterlee
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Copper-plate and block-printed fabrics from the late-18th and early-19th centuries make this pieced quilt a valuable contribution to the Collection. Originally purchased at a thrift shop for $2.00, this rare find was generously donated to the Museum in 1956.
In the 21-inch pieced center section are ten fragments of a plate-printed cotton fabric thought to commemorate the Treaty of Pillnitz, 1792. It was the first formal alliance in opposition to the French Revolution. Participants whose portraits appear on the fabric segments are the King of Prussia (Frederick William II), The Empress of Russia (Catherine II), the King of Britain (George III), and the Emperor of Germany (Leopold II).
The center block is immediately surrounded by 15 ½-inch-square pieced blocks and rectangular blocks either of linen embellished with wool embroidery or plain and block-printed cotton and linen/cotton fabrics. This is framed by a complex piecing of printed, embroidered, and plain fabrics. The crewel-embroidered floral sprigs and exotic birds on linen may have been fragments from recycled bed furnishings or a petticoat. Linen thread was used for the chevron and diagonal grid quilting patterns, quilted at 7-8 stitches per inch. The various fabrics produced by different printing techniques make this quilt a remarkable example of the period.
1810 Ann Eayre's Quilted Counterpane
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilt
date made: 1810
maker: Eayre, Ann L.
place made: United States: New Jersey, Mount Holly
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 103 in x 104 in; 262 cm x 264 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Hannah E. Thompson
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Below a pair of hearts at the bottom of this counterpane is the quilted inscription: Ann L Eayre / September 28 / 1810". Ann Eayre was born in 1776, married Hewlings, and died in 1851. The significance of the date is not known.
The quilted counterpane has a large spray of flowers in the center (lily, carnation, tulip, rose, peony) enclosed in a feathered oval. Outside of this are four large baskets of flowers and a meandering row of linked double circles. This in turn is framed by a grape vine motif which is tied in a bow at the bottom of the quilt. The extreme outer edges have a 2-inch band of simple leaves. It has a white cotton lining and cotton filling. In addition to the quilted motifs, the background is quilted in parallel lines 3/8 inch apart, 9 stitches/inch. No separate binding was used, instead the back is brought to front (1/8 inch) and whip stitched. It is a typical example of early 19th century white work, both in technique and in the motifs chosen for the design.
quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilt
date made: 1800-1840
maker: unknown
place made: United States: Virginia
Physical Description: thread, linen, cotton (overall material)
fabric, linen (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 92 in x 70 in; 234 cm x 178 cm
Credit line: Gift of Miss Anna Sinton Durham
1800 - 1820 Brown-Francis Family's Patriotic Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
quilts
Date made: 1800-1820
date made: 1795-1820
quilter: unknown
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, linen, cotton (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 98 in x 95 in; 248 cm x 240 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mr. Normal L. Kilpatrick
Topics: Patriotic
Government
Social reformers
Politics
Patriotism
Quilts
Textiles
Description: This early-nineteenth-century patriotic quilt was owned by members of the Brown-Frances family of Canterbury, Connecticut, before being donated to the Museum in 1947. The donor's grandmother had acquired possession of it along with other household furnishings that were in the eighteenth-century family homestead.
The focus of the quilt, the large center block, is an adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States. An appliquéd eagle holding an arrow in one claw and a leafy sprig in the other dominates the block A shield with fifteen stars that indicate the number of states from June 1, 1792 until June 1, 1796 is behind the eagle. Appliquéd floral and bird motifs complete the block. This center block is set in a field of 4¾-inch blocks alternately plain and pieced in a nine-patch variation. The fabrics include thirty-eight roller-printed, plain colored and white cottons. It is quilted in parallel diagonal lines ¾-inch apart, 7 or 8 stitches per inch. From the late-eighteenth century the American eagle motif has signified patriotism and sacrifice. This quilt by an unknown Canturbury, Connecticut, quilt maker displays a unique rendition of that powerful symbol.
1800 - 1840 Lucy Shepherd's Wool Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1800-1840
maker: Shepherd, Lucy Addison
place made: United States: Massachusetts, Phillipston
Physical Description: fabric, wool (overall material)
thread, cotton, linen (overall material)
filling, wool (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 97 in x 97 in; 245 cm x 246 cm
Credit line: Gift of Dr. Harold H. Shepard
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Deep red and blue 11-inch squares were set diagonally, checkerboard fashion, to create this example of an early 19th century wool quilt. Each square is quilted with a floral or geometric motif. In total twenty-two different patterns, quilted 6 stitches per inch, were used.
Lucy Addison was born in New Hampshire about 1808 or 1809 and married John Shepherd (or Shepard) in 1833. The quilt may have been made in New Hampshire, but according to censuses, after they were married they lived in Phillipston, Worcester County, Massachusetts, the rest of their lives. They had one son, Timothy Addison Shepherd, born in 1836, and it was his descendent, a great-grandson of Lucy and John, who donated the quilt in 1964.
1790 - 1810 Glazed Wool Whole Cloth Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1790-1810
maker: unknown
place made: United States: New England
Physical Description: fabric, wool (overall material)
thread, wool, linen (overall material)
filing, wool (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 86 in x 85 in; 218 cm x 216 cm
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Dark blue glazed wool was used for this example of a New England whole cloth quilt. Sometimes labelled a utility quilt, a thick carded wool filling and wool fabrics make it an especially warm bedcover. While it has evidence of many repairs (darning and patches) the wool used for the top still has much of the glazed sheen. Glazing, a process involving the use of a hot press on wool fabric, resulted in a smooth, lustrous fabric surface.
The quilt center is quilted in a clamshell pattern, framed by a 5 ½-inch band of chevrons and diagonal grid quilting. A 16-inch border is quilted in interlocking circles. At some point a segment (16-inches x 18-inches) was cut from a corner. Wool and linen sewing threads and wool quilting threads are an indicator of its late 18th-early 19th century construction.
1790 - 1810 Elizabeth Weeks Johnson's Wool Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1790-1810
maker: Weeks, Elizabeth Betsey
place made: United States: Vermont, Benson
Physical Description: fabric, wool (overall material)
thread, linen, wool (overall material)
filling, wool (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 91 in x 96 in; 231 cm x 244 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur John Fraser
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Elizabeth “Betsey” Weeks made this indigo wool quilt before her marriage to James Brown. According to the family, the wool for the quilt was carded, spun, and woven by Betsey. The dark blue counterpane is quilted with wool thread in a pattern of scrolling vines and large stylized flowers, 6 stitches per inch. Carded wool was used for the filling, the seams are stitched with linen thread. “As can be seen by the worn spots and the much darning it has had much use…” commented the donor.
Elizabeth (Betsey) Weeks was born on January 18, 1773 in Vermont. She married James Brown Johnson and they lived in Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont. They had one daughter, Relief (1800-1847). According to family information, Elizabeth died on July 31, 1861. She is buried in the Old Benson Cemetery, Vermont. The donor is Elizabeth’s great, great granddaughter.
quilted petticoat
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilted Petticoat
date made: 1800-1810
Physical Description: fabric, linen (overall material)
thread, linen (overall material)
fillilng, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 34 in x 24 in; 86 cm x 61 cm
Topics: Costume
Quilts
Textiles
1800 - 1810 New England Wool Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1800-1810
maker: unknown
place made: United States: New England
Physical Description: fabric, wool, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton,silk (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 89 in x 60 in; 226 cm x 152 cm
Topics: Civil War, 1861-1865
American Civil War (1861-1865)
Quilts
Furnishings
Description: This quilt is composed of ten-inch squares of plain-colored woolen fabrics. Many are made of several pieces of fabric stitched together. The lining is initialed “H.D.” and has a very blurry oval stamp, from the U.S. Sanitary Commission. It is quilted with horizontal and vertical lines, 1 inch apart, 6 stitches/inch.
The quilt was cut down and covered in 1864 by a pieced cotton top made in Amherst, Massachusetts. The top contains many, mainly religious, inscriptions. (TE*T14021.00B) The top was at one time quilted to this older quilt, and the finished product was sent to a Union army hospital during the Civil War.
1790 - 1810 Clara Harrison's Resist-dyed Cotton Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
quilts
counterpanes
date made: 1790-1810
quilter: Harrison, Clara
Physical Description: fabric, cotton, linen (overall material)
thread, linen (overall material)
filling, wool (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 94 in x 83 in; 238 cm x 211 cm
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: The quilt is said to have been made by Clara Harrison of Middlebury, Connecticut. The top of this quilt is of indigo resist-dyed cotton that probably dates from the mid-eighteenth century. The fabrics used for this quilt were most likely sections of bed furniture and then re-used for this quilt in the late-eighteenth or very-early-nineteenth century. Bed furniture may have included curtains at the sides, head, and foot that could enclose the whole bed, a bed cover, and valances around the top and base. The lining of this quilt is linen, with a carded wool filling. It is quilted five or six stitches to the inch.
To obtain the design in the fabric, a dye-resistant substance was applied to the area that was not to be colored. It appears that the resist paste was both block printed and painted on this cotton fabric. The fabric was then dipped in an indigo dye. To achieve the two shades of blue, the lighter blue was dyed first, then covered with the resist and the fabric was dipped again for the darker blue. The resist was then removed, leaving the background without color. The indigo resist dyed cotton used for Clara Harrison's quilt is an example of recycling valuable fabrics when they are no longer suitable; too worn, faded or out of fashion for their original purpose.
1785 - 1800 White Family's Framed Medallion Embroidered Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1785-1800
maker: unknown
Physical Description: fabric, linen, cotton (overall material)
thread, linen, wool (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 90 in x 90 in; 228 cm x 228 cm
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: This complex pieced and embroidered medallion quilt came from the White family of the Westminster/Boston area. They were descendents of John White of Dorchester, England, who was instrumental in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The quilt has a crewel-embroidered linen center in a floral pattern, framed by two rows of pieced-work, and an embroidery-on-linen border. One row of pieced work is composed of 4-inch blocks, some of which are made up of many smaller scraps. The second row is of 8-inch blocks pieced with two large triangles. The center and pieced borders are lined and quilted. The outer border is embroidered with large and small birds, flowers, and insects. No two are alike. Possibly the quilt was the work of more than one person.
1790 - 1800 Pieced Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1790-1800
maker: unknown
place made: United States
Physical Description: fabric, cotton, linen/cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton, linen (overall material)
filling, wool (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 99 in x 93 in; 251 cm x 236 cm
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: This late 18th-century medallion style quilt has many examples of block-printed and plate-printed fabrics. The focal center of the quilt, a 12-inch block constructed of four triangles, is surrounded by four pieced borders made of 3-inch and 6-inch triangles. The fabrics in each row are arranged in a mirror image from the ends of the row to the center creating a kaleidoscope effect. The red, copperplate print used in the pieced section of the quilt is the fabric: “Apotheosis of Franklin and Washington” printed in England about 1785. The border fabric is cotton, plate-printed in red, and is similar to English plate prints of 1770-1795. It is quilted 6 stitches per inch in a diagonal grid pattern on the outer border with linear quilting accentuating the pieced triangles of the center.
The many fabrics of this well planned quilt make it a valuable part of the Collection.
quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilt
date made: 1790-1810
Place Made: United States
Physical Description: thread, linen (overall material)
fabric, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 104 in x 82 in; 264 cm x 208 cm
1800 - 1825 Elizabeth C. Nunn's "Liberty" Quilted Counterpane
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1800 - 1825
maker: Nunn, Elizabeth C.
Nunn, Elizabeth C.
place made: United States: Kentucky
made at: United States: Kentucky, Kentucky
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton, linen (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 83 in x 69 in; 211 cm x 176 cm
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: After its adoption in 1782, the Great Seal of the United States became a popular design motif. An adaptation of the eagle design centers the top of this hand-woven cotton quilt that was block-printed in the early 19th century for a Mrs. Farris of Kentucky. Mrs. Farris’s daughter, Elizabeth C. Nunn, lined and interlined the top with cotton and stitched the layers together in a diamond quilting pattern.
Blocks for printing such bedcovers were of crudely carved wood, with individual motifs that could be arranged in a variety of designs. The color on this example, probably originally printed with Prussian blue, has faded from washings.
Elizabeth C. born in 1783 in Virginia, married William Nunn (1783-1822) in March 1805. Elizabeth died in Kentucky in 1871.
Quilted counterpane entirely block-printed in blue: An eagle with the work "Liberty" over its head, in an oval edged with scallops. Surrounding this is a larger ring of scallops, flowers, buds with leaves, and flying birds, all enclosed in a 1-7/8" printed border. Beyond this frame are pots of fruit and flowers, and a 4-1/2" geometric border. White cotton lining. Very thin cotton filling. Sewing thread is 2-ply S-twist linen; quilting thread is 2-ply S-twist cotton. Quilting pattern: 1" diagonal grid, 6 stitches/inch. Appears to have been marked and quilted from the back. No separate binding: front and lining turned in and whipped.
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1800 - 1850 Mary Jessop's Appliqued Quilt Top
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1800-1850
maker: Jessop, Mary Gorsuch
Barry, Cecelia
place made: United States: Maryland, Baltimore county
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, linen, cotton (overall material)
filling, none (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 63 in x 63 in; 161 cm x 161 cm
Topics: Printing
Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: This quilt top was made at Vaux Hall, a plantation near Baltimore, Md., owned by Charles Jessop. The center square, composed of motifs printed about 1800 and appliquéd with linen thread, has been attributed to Mary Gorsuch Jessop. The corners, with chintz motifs printed about 1830 and sewn with cotton thread, were added later.
The sixteen block-printed motifs applied to the center square are the work of John Hewson (1744-1821), one of the few 18th-century American textile printers who have been identified. Persuaded by Benjamin Franklin to leave England before the Revolutionary War, Hewson set up his printing works on the banks of the Delaware River near Philadelphia. There he worked with such skill and success that the British, who sought to eliminate competition for their products, posted a reward during the Revolutionary War for his body, dead or alive.
Hewson survived to demonstrate fabric-printing, aboard a float, in the Grand Federal Procession held on July 4, 1788, in Philadelphia, to celebrate the adoption of the Constitution. William Bagnall ‘s <I> The Textile Industries of the United States </I>, published in 1893, states, “President Washington was accustomed to point with patriotic pride to domestic fabrics worn by Mrs. Washington and printed at the works of . . . Hewson.”
Mary Gorsuch, born in Baltimore County, Md., in 1767, married Charles Jessop (1759-1828) in 1786. Their son, William, was born in 1800 about the same time that Charles bought 200 acres of land and built Vaux Hall. Mary died in 1830. William’s wife and Mary’s daughter-in-law, Cecilia Barry Jessop, may have added the corners to the quilt top in 1830. William inherited Vaux Hall and lived there until his own death in 1866 (or 1869). Vaux Hall, named for gardens in England, was destroyed in the 1930s in the construction of a dam for Baltimore.
The quilt top was placed in a trunk with other finished family quilts and put in commercial storage. At a later date it was discovered that the lock of the trunk was broken and the finished quilts missing, leaving only this quilt top. The quilt top is significant for the John Hewson prints that were used for the appliqué.
1800 - 1825 Dove-Cator Families "American Eagle" Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1800 - 1825
post 1830
maker: unknown
place made: United States: Maryland, Baltimore county
United States: Maryland, Harford
made at: United States: Maryland
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton, linen (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 89 in x 73 in; 225 cm x 184 cm
Credit line: GIft of Carrie T. Brown
Topics: Animals
Birds
Eagles
Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: An appliquéd eagle motif is the central focus of this patriotic quilt of the early 19th century. The eagle has arrows in one talon, an olive branch in the other, symbolizing both desire for peace and readiness for war. It is a version of a symbol adopted by a resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1782 for the official seal.
Surrounding the 30 x 29-inch center are alternating blocks of pieced eight-pointed stars and plain white blocks. It is quilted at 8 stitches per inch. The “American Eagle” quilt was in the Dove-Cator families of Baltimore and Harford Counties, Md.
[None None None None '75 30' None None None None None None None None None
 None None 'Neg. No. 77-7958 T.15316 (Detail) See Neg. No. 77-7957']
1800 - 1825 Nine-patch Pieced Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: quilt
date made: 1800-1825
maker: unknown
place made: United States
Physical Description: fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 110 in x 101 in; 279 cm x 257 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Joseph B. Tucker
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
Description: Two printed cotton fabrics, an indigo and white resist and a brown polka-dot on white, were used to make this version of a "Nine-patch" pieced quilt. Eight-inch pieced blocks alternate with 8-inch printed squares. The original 5-inch border was cut down to 2-inches on three sides and rebound. The quilt is a worn, but well-ordered, geometric example of early 19th century quilt-making.
1802 - Mary Mitchel's Applique Quilt
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilt
date made: 1802
maker: Mitchel, Mary
place made: United States: Pennsylvania, Dilltown
United States: Pennsylvania
Physical Description: thread, linen, cotton (overall material)
fabric, cotton (overall material)
printed cotton, applique, stuffed work, quilting (overall production method/technique)
Measurements: overall: 104 in x 95 in; 265 cm x 240 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Lucy Stabler Ralston Smith
Topics: Quilts
Furnishings
Textiles
COUNTERPANE FRAGMENT
Collection: National Museum of American History
Object type: Quilt Fragment
quilt, fragment
date made: 1790-1810
maker: unknown
place made: World
Physical Description: fabric, wool (overall material)
thread, wool, cotton (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 21 in x 17 in; 53 cm x 43 cm
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Ester Schwartz (Mrs. Samuel)