Abram Allen; coverlet; Jacquard, double-cloth;1838; Ohio
date: label: Date made
content: 1838
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: Abram Allen wove this Jacquard, double-cloth coverlet in Ohio in 1838. Measuring eighty-two inches by seventy-four inches, the coverlet features a stylized tulip, bell-flower, or pear centerfield with bird and tree borders. The side borders also feature a quadrupled sine curve border and the bottom border is made up of a six-fold sine curve. The word Ohio and the date 1838 are woven into two lower corners of the coverlet. Although unsigned, this coverlet can be attributed to Abram Allen and is similar to another coverlet in the NMAH collection (1980.0089.01). This double-cloth coverlet was woven from a combination of two sets of wool and cotton warps that exchange places revealing the pattern and lock the two separate plain weave structures together in a complementary weave structure. Abram Allen was born May 3, 1796, in Ireland. He married Kate Cata Howlan (1800-1866) June 25, 1818, and died June 7, 1867, in Clinton, OH. Coverlet scholar, John Heisey described him as the only man in the county with a flying shuttle, suggesting he owned a broad loom. This makes more sense when considering that the coverlet is one piece rather that center-seamed. Clarita Anderson noted that later in his life, Allen was listed in various census as both a wagon-maker and farmer, suggesting that weaving was only ever a part of his economic activity in Clinton County. Henry Ford Museum in Michigan and the Art Institute of Chicago both possess coverlets in the style of the one held by NMAH.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Ohio, Clinton
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Coverlets
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. G. H. Paull
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T10093
label: catalog number
content: T10093.000
label: accession number
content: 134186
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coverlet, figured
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: jacquard (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: double weave (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: Figured and Fancy (center pattern)
label: Physical Description
content: blue (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 82 in x 74 in; 208.28 cm x 187.96 cm