Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory; coverlet; Jacquard, double cloth; c. 1856-1880; Pennsylvania
date: label: date made
content: c. 1856-1880
name: label: maker
content: Schum, Philip
notes: label: Description
content: Weavers at the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory likely wove this all-wool, mulberry and olive green, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania sometime between 1856 and 1880. There is a large central medallion composed of a starburst at the center surrounded by a floral wreath and garland of ivy. The ground is composed of a triangle design. There are borders on all four sides made up of floral urns, grape vines, and depictions of the U.S. Capitol. Each of the four corners contains an eight-pedaled floral design associated with Philip Schum’s manufactory. There is no center seam, indicating that this coverlet was woven on a broadloom and likely a power loom. There is no fringe. The coverlet is in overall poor condition and there are large sections of loss and the hems have come undone. Philip Schum (1814-1880) was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Schum immigrated to the United States with his first wife, Ana Margartha Bond in the 1830s, settling first in New York City where he worked as a malt tramper. The family soon moved to Lancaster County where Schum worked as a shoemaker and basket maker. Schum purchased a general store in 1852, and by 1856 he had become successful enough to sell the business and start the Lancaster Carpet, Coverlet, Quilt, and Yarn Manufactory. Schum expanded his business exponentially over the ensuing decades growing from four employee to over forty. He and his second wife, Anna Margaret Koch were killed by a train in their carriage in 1880. Schum’s sons took over the business which remained successful until the 1920s. There is no evidence that Schum was ever trained as a weaver.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Lancaster
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Coverlets
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Miss Vera Gregory
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T9537
label: catalog number
content: T09537.000
label: accession number
content: 171995
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coverlet, figured
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: jacquard (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: double cloth (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: capital (border pattern)
label: Physical Description
content: medallion (center pattern)
label: Physical Description
content: mulberry (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: olive green (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 82 in x 76 in; 208.28 cm x 193.04 cm