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"Figured and Fancy" Coverlets in the United States
Clarita Anderson
Department of Textiles and Consumer Economics
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20732
Introduction
"Figured and fancy" coverlets were one of the more popular textiles produced by nineteenth century professional craftsmen. 1 The purpose of this paper is to present an overview for the generalist of coverlets, based on work in progress. To accomplish this, a brief review will be undertaken of the following:
1. American coverlet history,
2. the structures used in "figured and fancy" coverlets,
3. the ethnic influences upon coverlet structure and styles, and
4. the geographic distribution of the "figured and fancy" coverlets.
The word coverlet has historically been used interchangeably with quilts and counterpanes. Coverlet, coverlid, coverlite, keuerlit, couerlet and coverled are considered a derivative of the French expression "cou- vre lit" which means "cover bed". The Oxford English Dictionary de fines coverlet as "the uppermost covering of a bed"[l]. Thus the generic use of coverlets has made it difficult to assess its precise meaning in early literature and inventories.
For the purpose of this paper, coverlets will be defined as a decora tive loom woven bedcovering used as the uppermost covering of a bed.
ARS TEXTRINA 10 (1988), pp. 13-52
The coverlet is complete when removed from the loom, with the possi ble exception of sewing panels together and/or adding or tying fringe. By contrast, quilts are denned as "two large pieces of woven material having a layer of some soft substance (such as wool, flock, or down) placed between them". Counterpanes are "the outer covering of a bed generally more or less ornamental, being woven in raised patterns, made of patchwork, etc"[2].
Coverlets have been generally, though incorrectly, classified as "non- Jacquard" or "Jacquard". "Non-Jacquard" coverlets were woven on har ness looms without additional patterning devices. The patterns were geometric and based on the arrangement of different size square and rectangle blocks. Overshot, summer and winter, point twill, and dou ble weave were the more common structures used. "Jacquard" coverlets were woven on harness looms which had an additional patterning device that may have been the Jacquard attachment. The patterns of "Jacquard" coverlets were curvilinear designs of flowers, trees, birds, animals, peo ple, buildings, money, and a limited variety of other designs. The more common structures2 used were double weave and Tied-Beiderwand, al though extant examples of Beiderwand, summer and winter, and weft faced compound twill have been documented in New York coverlets. The author has adopted the use of the term "figured and fancy" rather than "Jacquard" because these were terms that the weavers' themselves used to describe their products. In addition, it was thought that these terms were more descriptive of the curvilinear designs used in cover lets. Many of the so-called "Jacquard" coverlets were woven before the introduction of the Jacquard attachments3 in the United States and therefore the term is incorrect. "Jacquard" coverlets were most com monly classified as either single or double woven. The most common structure of single coverlets was Tied-Beiderwand and that of the double coverlets, double cloth.
History
Coverlet weaving has nearly a three hundred year documented history in the United States. Manasseh Minor's diary [3] provides the oldest known mention of coverlet weaving in the United States. The 1707 and 1709 diary entries mention that he wove coverlids [sic]. Since Minor
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was born in 1647, he could have woven coverlets prior to the 1707 entry. Gawin T. Beatty's 1792 Pennsylvania advertisement announced to the public and his friends that he wove "double coverlets".4
The earliest dated extant coverlet woven in the United States was geometric overshot coverlet dated 1783.5 The clients' initials and the date were woven in the coverlet. This was probably done by a pick up technique which required additional skill or inventiveness by the weaver. This coverlet represents a rare exception because extant geo metric coverlets were almost never dated, rarely had verifiable family information and thus remain essentially anonymous as to weaver, client, date or location.
All of the extant coverlets woven prior to 1817 had geometric pat terns. Though many elaborate and complex designs existed, they were all based on the arrangement of various size geometric blocks. After 1817, extant examples of complex curvilinear "figured and fancy" cov erlets were attributed to New York weavers. The earliest extant example of a "figured and fancy" coverlet was inscribed "Sally Loper/ December 2,18177 Westbury/ Long island"6 . Many "figured and fancy" coverlets were anonymous, but many had indentifiable logos, weavers' names, clients' names, locations, and dates.
The popularity of the "figured and fancy" coverlets moved from New York, to New Jersey, to the area of Pennsylvania along the Up per Delaware River, and westward to Ohio and Indiana. The majority of these coverlets were double woven and usually attributed to weavers of Scotch, Irish, or English heritage.
Another style of coverlet developed in southeastern Pennsylvania and moved southward to Maryland and westward through Pennsylva nia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The structure of the majority of these coverlets was Tied-Beiderwand and they were attributed to weavers of German heritage.
The majority of coverlets documented by this author which were woven by weavers in "the German tradition" have signed corner blocks. Weavers in the "Scotch and English tradition" have primarily used estab lished logos in their corner blocks. Indiana coverlets offer an excellent example of this ethnic difference. The Scotch born Muir family, used a logo or trademark in their corner block while Pennsylvania born Josiah Slaybaugh used a corner block which read as follows:
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WOVE + BY/ JOSIAH/ SLAYBAUGH/ ELKHART/ COUNTY/ INDIANA/ 1867/
Coverlets were usually composed of two loom widths of fabric or panels joined with a center seam to create a fabric rectangular in shape, and large enough to cover a double bed. Single width coverlets of 72 to 90 inches wide were usually attributed to 1840 or later although James Alexander advertised in 1818 that his loom was wide enough to produce fabrics up to ninety inches in width.
"Figured and Fancy" Coverlet Weave Structures
Any discussion of the structure involved in the "figured and fancy" cov erlets should begin with a statement made by the late Irene Emery
' ...structure inheres in the fabric and its elements and is al most invariably ascertainable; whereas evidence of the pro cess is seldom retained.' 7
In other words, the textile shows us what is the resultant product, but not how it was achieved. To further illustrate the problem, any "figured and fancy" coverlet could be duplicated on a back-strap loom by a skilled weaver with a large number of pick-sticks, infinite patience, and enough time. Therefore, double weave, Tied-Beiderwand, summer and winter, Beiderwand, and weft faced compound twills are the same respective structures whether woven on a backstrap loom, harness loom, or loom with an additional patterning device. Double weave, Tied-Beiderwand, and summer and winter have been documented in both geometric and "figured and fancy" coverlets. Beiderwand and weft faced compound twill coverlets8 have, as yet, only been documented in "figured and fancy" coverlets.
Double Weave
Although the double weave structure has been found throughout the world, many attribute the double woven coverlet to Scotch and English immigrants. Double weave is a compound weave utilizing two warp and two weft. One wrap and weft is of cotton while the other warp and weft
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is of wool. Occasionally, both the warp and weft are of wool. The rela tionship of the warp and weft is usually one to one. However, a number of weavers have used a two to one warp and weft relationship. The two to one warp and weft relationship may be what weavers referred to as half-sley.9 Plain weave is the usual structure of the two fabrics. It has the following distinguishing characteristics which are illustrated in Figures la and Ib:
• it has the sharpest delineation of motifs of any of structures used in coverlets, 10
• the fabric has a positive/negative reversibility in which the darker color occurs on one side while the lighter color occurs at the same point on the opposite side,
• the layers are separate and are connected only at the points where the surfaces interchange to form the pattern,
• coverlets in this structure are often very heavy, and
• because they are so heavy, they tend to sag where they are not joined. Some weavers tried to solve this problem by introducing a small all over pattern or by self stitching between the two layers.
"Figured and Fancy" double woven coverlets have been documented in New York, New Jersey, Eastern (Northampton and Pike Counties) and Western (Greene County) Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
Tied-Beiderwand
The structure has been attributed to Germany but a fragment with the same structure has been attributed to 13th century Spain. 11 References have been found which suggests that the structure was used in many parts of Europe [4]. Tied-Beiderwand is a compound weave utilizing one principal warp with ends that functioned as tie-down ends. The warp and one weft were cotton, and the pattern weft was wool. 12 Many times the end that functioned as a tie-down end was finer and a blue color. It has the following distinguishing characteristics which are illustrated in Figures 2a and 2b:
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• it is completely tied and has no areas of double cloth,
• ribs appear on both sides of the fabric,
• the fabric has positive/negative reversibility,
• the color and pattern reverse throughout with areas that are warp faced and areas that are weft faced,
• the relationship between the principal warp and tie-down ends maybe either 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1, and
• the pattern weft floats over five, seven, or nine warp ends depend ing on the principal warp and tie-down relationship.
"Figured and fancy" Tied-Beiderwand coverlets have been documented in New York and New Jersy but are more commonly found in Penn sylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. The relationship between the principal warp and the tie-down ends varied among differ ent weavers and different geographic locations.
Summer and Winter
Burnham and Burnham [5] attribute summer and winter to English speak ing immigrants. The structure is a compound weave utilizing one warp and two weft. The pattern of supplementary weft is wool and the weft which forms the plain weave ground and the warp are cotton. Figures 3a and 3b illustrates the following distinguishing characteristics:
• the supplementary weft never floats over more than three warp ends,
• the fabric has positive/negative reversibility, and
• it has two distinct visual areas i.e., solid areas of supplementary pattern weft floats, and ground areas consisting of pattern weft interlacing with the warp every fourth end of the pattern row.
"Figured and fancy" summer and winter coverlets have been documented in only two counties of New York. They are Scipio in Cayuga County and Orange Township in Schuyler County.
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Beiderwand
Although the structure Beiderwand has been closely linked to Germany's Schleswig-Holstein Bed Curtains, it was well known throughout Eu rope. The structure is a compound weave utilizing one principal warp which has ends that can function as a secondary warp and/or tie-down ends. The warp and one weft are cotton and the other weft are wool. Many times, the ends that function as a secondary warp and/or tie-down ends may be finer and colored blue. Beiderwand has the following dis tinguishing characteristics which are illustrated in Figures 4a and 4b:
• it has areas of doublecloth and areas that are tied,
• noticeable warp ribs occur on only one side of the fabric,
• the fabric has positive/negative reversibility, and
• the relationship between the principal warp ends and those ends which function as a second warp and/or tie-down ends may be either 2:1,3:1, and 4:1. The wool weft would then float over five, seven, or nine warp ends. Those ends that function as a second warp or tie-down ends may be finer or of a different color.
In many coverlets, "ribs" appeared in the weft-faced pattern areas of the coverlet face. This gives the appearance of a ribbed area on the face of the coverlet and implied a different structure. The ribbed effect, however, was due to the loose set of the warp and the color difference between the wool pattern area and those ends which functioned as a sec ond warp. The tradition of a colored tie-down or second warp ends may have been a solution to this problem. "Figured and fancy" Beiderwand coverlets have been documented in New York only. A number of fac tory woven centennial coverlets have been woven in this structure also. The attribution of these coverlets is not clear.
Weft Faced Compound Twill
This structure is a compound weave. It has a warp, supplementary pat tern weft, and a weft which forms a plain weave ground. The structure is often referred to as samite. One weft and the warp are cotton and
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the supplementary pattern weft is wool. The pattern weft are usually a series of different colored yarns. Figures 5a and 5b illustrates the fol lowing distinguishing characteristics:
• The fabric has positive/negative reversibility,
• the fabric has two distinct visual areas i.e. one area is formed by the supplementary weft floats with a plain weave ground, and the other area is formed by the plain weave ground, and
• right and left hand twills are formed when the twill changes di rection. This is apparently related to the point harness tie of the loom and how the pattern is repeated.
"Figured and fancy" weft faced compound twill coverlets have been documented in New York only.
"Figured and Fancy" Coverlets Characterized by State
The inherent dangers in making generalizations about coverlets is that we do not know how representative the extant coverlets are of the total number of coverlets woven and how many of the extant coverlets have been documented. The author13 is in the process of establishing a com puter data base at the University of Maryland. This will give a data base of 4,000 to 5,000 coverlets and will allow a much more accurate picture of when and where the coverlets were woven as well as a more accu rate picture of the patterns and number of patterns used by the various weavers.
New York Coverlets
The vast majority of extant New York coverlets documented were dark blue and natural. Several coverlets, attributed to New York are red, blue, and natural. One multi-colored (more than three colors) coverlet woven by Daniel Conger of Wolcott, New York has been documented in the weft-faced compound twill structure. 14 The predominate structure used in New York was double weave. Occasionally, coverlets have been doc umented in Beiderwand, Tied-Beiderwand, weft-faced compound twill, and summer and winter.
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The great seal eagle and patriotic slogans appeared more frequently in New York than in any other state [6]. Large centerfield patterns versus small centerfield patterns seem, in many instances, more related to the weavers and their loom types than to late versus early dates. Seamless coverlets were being woven in New York, as early as 1824 by James Alexander and as late as 1875 by Ira Hadsell. New York "figured and fancy" coverlets spanned the years between 1817 and 1875.
Harry Tyler was one of New Yorks' more prolific weavers. His cov erlets were double woven, seamed, and dated. Figure 6 illustrates one of the three patterns Tyler used with the Lion cornerblock. The coverlet is blue and white and woven for Electa Dye in 1840.
By contrast, Salmon Lake of Fredonia, New York is one of New York's lesser know weavers. One of his more unusual New York cov erlets has four comer blocks, One of the two upper corner blocks gives the name of his daughter, ELIZA/ MALINDA/ LAKE and the other, his son name, JAMES/ HOYT/ LAKE. One of the two lower comer blocks state A PRESENT/ TO MY/ CHILDREN and the other, WOVEN BY/ SALMON/ LAKE/ AGE 68/ 1852. 15 Figure 7 illustrates one of the two patterns and two borders used by Salmon Lake.
One of the three styles of Archibald Davison's corner blocks advised that the coverlets were "WOVEN AT THE/ ITHACA/ CARPET/ FAC TORY". Davison used three different corner block styles, three fields, and three side and bottom borders. Figure 8 illustrates one such com bination. Davison used both the double weave and Tied-Beiderwand structure.
Daniel Conger's six extant coverlets were woven in three differ ent patterns. Conger used both weft-faced compound twill and double weave structures in his coverlets. Figure 9 illustrates one of his three patterns woven in the weft-faced compound twill structure.
New Jersey Coverlets
New Jersey "figured and fancy" coverlets were woven between 1820 and 1853. The coverlets of Warren and Asbury Counties and those found in Bergen County reflect two major style differences. The Warren and Asbury coverlet designs are similar to those found in New York, Mary land, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana whereas the coverlets woven in
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Bergen County are much more distinctive and do not closely resemble those woven in other states. New Jersey coverlets were primarily blue and white but extant red coverlets have been documented which were woven by Garret, Isaac, and Peter Van Doren, and C. Van Nortwick. Van Nortwick also wove the only multi-colored coverlet that has been documented. All of the documented New Jersey coverlets have been double woven with one exception, a Tied-Beiderwand coverlet woven by Garret Van Doren. The Doren Bothers used two different variations of the "Lily and Sunburst" pattern. C. Van Nortwick also used a vari ation of the "Lily and Sunburst" and another floral design. A typical coverlet depicting this style was woven by Garret William Van Doren and is illustrated in Figure 10. The David D. Haring coverlet illustrated in Figure 11 typifies the Bergen County Coverlet style.
Maryland Coverlets
Documented Maryland "figured and fancy" coverlets date from 1835 to 1879. The structure used in all of the documented Maryland "figured and fancy" coverlets was 2:1 Tied-Beiderwand. These coverlets were all composed of two loom widths or panels joined with a center seam. The weavers worked in three adjacent counties (Washington, Frederick, and Carrol) which bordered Pennsylvania. The Maryland "figured and fancy" weavers were of German heritage and settled in areas already populated by immigrants and migrants of German or Pennsylvania Ger man Heritage. The style of their coverlets reflected the strong German influence. Eighty-two percent of Maryland coverlets used two or more pattern weft colors with three pattern weft colors the most frequent num ber used [7]. The most popular extant center fields were "Double Lily and Sunburst" (29%) and "Double Rose" (26%).
John Welty wove the largest number of extant Maryland "figured and fancy" coverlets. Although, he did not include the client's name, all but three of his thirty-eight extant coverlets were dated. Welty used the same two coverlet patterns throughout his weaving career. The "Double Lily and Sunburst" pattern is illustrated in Figure 12.
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Pennsylvania Coverlets
Pennsylvania is credited with the largest number of weavers in the 19th century. It appears that though they had vast numbers of weavers, Penn sylvania weavers' careers were much shorter. This may have been due to the large number of weavers competing for the client's business and the difficulty of earning an adequate living under these circumstances. It is also difficult to separate the "figured and fancy" weavers from the plain weavers. Walker found that out of 1,596 weavers in 8 central Penn sylvania Counties, fifteen weavers were known to weave "figured and fancy" coverlet [8].
The earliest documented "figured and fancy" coverlet was woven in 1832 by Peter Mailing and the latest was woven about 1870. Double wo ven coverlets have been documented in three Pennsylvania counties but the majority of Pennsylvania coverlets were woven by weavers with a German heritage in the German style. The most prevalent structure was Tied-Beiderwand with a warp relationship of 2:1,3:1, or 4:1. Pennsylva nia coverlets were very colorful and used red, dark blue, light blue, gold, green and natural in a variety of combinations. Occasionally the cover lets were woven in plain red and natural or blue and natural. Crossen [9] believes that patterns developed from small to large repeats to one large central medallion over a thirty year period. Style changes appear to be more dependent on the type of equipment available to the weavers and to when the weaver began to weave than on the weavers attempt to fol low style changes. Many weavers did use different centerfield patterns and corner blocks but few changed styles that would require different harness tie set ups or new looms. 16
John Lantz wove coverlets in Northampton County, Pennsylvania which is adjacent to New Jersey along the upper Delaware River. The structure is double weave and the style is similar to many New York coverlets. Figure 13 illustrates this style.
The coverlet in Figure 14 was woven by Jacob Hausman, Sr. of Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1833. The coverlet has only two mo tifs across the centerfield and therefore the motifs are considered large. Figure 12 is an example of the smaller motifs which repeat four times across the coverlet. This points out the difficulty in trying to date cover lets on the basis of motif size. The coverlet was joined and was woven
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in 4:1 Tied-Beiderwand. The colors of the coverlet were natural, red, and green.
Absalom Klinger wove in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1845. He numbered his coverlets and the example illustrated in Figure 15 was number 1,664. A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers [10] reports that the last numbered coverlet was woven in 1855 and numbered 2,003. The coverlet consisted of two loom widths joined and was red, green, dark blue, and natural. This coverlet also has a large motif but was woven twelve years later than the Hausman coverlet.
Ohio Coverlets
Ohio was second only to Pennsylvania in the number of weavers at tributed to the state [11]. The earliest Ohio "figured and fancy" coverlet was woven by William Wolf in 1836 and the latest "figured and fancy", coverlet woven in 1902, is attributed to an anonymous Ohio weaver by the German Culture Museum. Ohio had a large population of German immigrants and Pennsylvania German migrants who settled first in East ern Ohio and later in Northwestern Ohio. This area had many "figured and fancy" coverlet weavers and a ready made market for their wares.
The dominant structure then was 2:1 Tied-Beidewand but 4:1 Tied- Beiderwand has been documented as well as double cloth and Beider- wand. The majority of the double woven coverlets attributed to Ohio are not signed, dated, nor did they have identified logos. Those signed coverlets that have been documented were woven primarily in Clinton, Ashland, and Fairfield Counties. Ohio coverlets were colorful and the majority were woven in at least three different colors.
Two "figured and fancy" coverlets from Ohio are pictured in Figures 16 and 17. Figure 16 is blue and white and woven in the 2:1 Tied- Beiderwand structure. The coverlet is composed of two loom widths or panels joined with a center seam. Peter Lorenz was born in France and emigrated from France to Xenia, Greene County, Ohio. Notice the border of double headed eagles and patriotic swags.
Daniel Bury was born in Pennsylvania and migrated to Ohio. Unlike his other coverlets, this one was not dated nor did it give his location. Bury's coverlets were seamless and the motif repeated three times across the coverlet. The structure was 2:1 Tied-Beiderwand and the coverlet
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was natural, red, and blue. The coverlet's centerfield pattern reflects the Pennsylvania-German influence.
Indiana Coverlets
Indiana weavers produced some of our most varied and distinctive "fig ure and fancy" coverlets. The coverlets themselves attest to the skill of Indiana's early professional weavers. Indiana "figured and fancy" weavers, of the late 1830's and early 1840's, immigrated from Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany, and later from New York, Ohio, and Penn sylvania [12]. They were familiar with and trained on the equipment necessary for weaving "figured and fancy" coverlets. Later, equally skilled weavers migrated from New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. John La Tourettes was Indiana's only weaver born in Indiana. Weavers from Germany, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio used the Tied-Beiderwand structure, more and brighter colors, and more standardized patterns uti lizing "Four Roses", "Four Lilies", or variations of the sunburst design. The weavers from Scotland, England, and Ireland produced double- woven coverlets in a wider variety of patterns, and more subtle color combinations. All Indiana coverlets were two loom widths which were joined. The bottom borders of Indiana coverlets were usually different than the side borders, although the bottom borders did vary. The Muir Family is credited with the earliest (1838) Indiana coverlet and John Wissler with the latest (1874).
Coverlet weaving appeared to be a lucrative business since Indiana coverlets sold for as much as $10.00 a coverlet while blacksmiths and machinist earned $1.50 per twelve hour day. Weavers invested in land as soon as they were established and by the 1850 Census, many listed their occupation as farmer even though extant coverlets indicated that they were also weaving [13].
Charles Schoch's (Fig. 18) 1859 coverlet is an example of the Ger man influence on Indiana coverlets. The structure of the coverlet is 2:1 Tied-Beiderwand and is two loom widths unjoined. 17 The colors are nat ural, red, blue, blue-green, and light green and produces a much softer color combination than usual. The unusual centerfield combines all the favorite motifs of the period.
The Muir family consisted of four brothers; Robert, Thomas, John,
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and William. They were born in Scotland and thoroughly trained in weaving before they immigrated to the United States. Although John worked in Putman County, Robert in Wayne County, and William and Thomas in Marion County, they all used the same corner block logo. Figure 19 illustrates an example of one of their coverlets. Thus far, eleven different Muir patterns have been documented. The Muir fam ily did weave more than one coverlet from each pattern and these pat terns were also used by other Indiana weavers. Extant coverlets docu ment that the Cockefair Mills and Samuel Graham also used the pattern shown in Figure 19. The coverlet was double-woven and had two loom widths joined. The colors of the coverlet were dark blue, rose, and nat ural which created a subtle plaid.
Iowa Coverlets
Three "figured and fancy" weavers have been documented in Iowa. The coverlet patterns used by Daniel Stephenson and Henry Herbst were unique to these weavers. The third "figured and fancy" weaver is docu mented on a coverlet signed, "Made by C. Maddhes, Davenport, Iowa, 1855 [14]. Little else is known of him. Figure 20 illustrates one of the three known patterns of Stephenson. The coverlet has two loom widths which were joined, Tied-Beiderwand construction, and pattern colors of rose, medium blue, and dark blue.
Illinois Coverlets
Illinois was the last stopping place of many "figured and fancy" weavers who migrated westward from Pennsylvania to Ohio and then on to Illi nois in search of new markets for their coverlets or land to farm. Their coverlets are difficult to document because a number of weavers changed occupations when they settled in Illinois. The German influence is read ily seen in their coverlet patterns and colors. The dominant structure is 2:1 Tied-Beiderwand.
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Michigan Coverlets
Abram William Van Doren is the only clearly documented Michigan weaver. Enos Michael is thought, by some, to have lived and woven in Kinderhook, Michigan because of a coverlet thus inscribed. This can not be substantiated by the U.S. Population censuses or other records. Kinderhook is about six miles north of Freemont across the Indiana- Michigan border and Michael may have included the location as well as the clients name for an additional fee.
Van Doren used two centerfield patterns; a variation of the "Dou ble Lily" pattern (see Figure 10) and a rather unusual variation of the "Double Rose" pattern. Abram's "Double Lily" variation was the same pattern which his brothers, Garret and Peter used in New Jersey but his borders were different. Birds or flowers replaced the eagle and "Michi gan" or "Oakland" replaced "Liberty". His coverlets were double wo ven, two loom widths joined, had color combinations of red and natural or blue and natural. Van Doren's coverlets reflect his early New Jersey training.
Conclusions
Coverlet weaving in the United States has had a documented history which began in 1707, although "figured and fancy" coverlets were not documented until 110 years later. Five weave structures have been used in extant "figured and fancy" coverlets and these structures do not differ because they were woven on looms with additional patterning devices.
There are two major style differences based on ethnic traditions, that is German or British. Coverlets in the German tradition were usu ally very colorful; woven in Tied-Beiderwand; and had cornerblocks which advertised the weavers' name, location, and date. Coverlets in the Scotch-English tradition most often combined two colors, were woven in double weave, and had comerblock which had a logo or the clients' name, location and/or date. Sometimes the logo was combined with a date and/or the client's name. However, there are always exceptions to most generalizations.
The patterns varied within the traditions and many patterns over lapped ethnic traditions. "Figured and fancy" coverlet weaving began
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about 1817 in New York, moved southward to New Jersey, and west ward to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, and then to Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. The majority of weavers who moved westward to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan migrated from other states, probably hoping to improve their lot.
Attribution based on certerfield and/or border patterns is risky at best. The wide spread use of common patterns and the great mobility of the weavers also increase this risk. When Pauline Montgomery fin ished Indiana Coverlet Weavers and Their Coverlets [15] in 1973, she admonished that there was a real urgency about "making a permanent record as soon as possible". She also warned that every year takes its toll of weaver's decedents and records, and the coverlets move further and further away from their origin making attribution even more difficult. The intervening fourteen years have only proved how wise she was.
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Endnotcs
1 Professional weaver is defined here as one who earns at least part of his livelihood by weaving.
2 The definition of the structures is based on Anderson, Clarita; Gordon, Judith; and Towner, Naomi Whiting, Weave Structures Used in North American Coverlets (Olney, Maryland:Clarita Anderson, 1979).
3 One Hundred Years, 1816-1916: The Chronicles of An Old Business House in the City ofPiladelphia (Philadelphia, 1916), p. 15 offers 1824 as the date Mr, Horstmann imported the Jacquard loom into the United States. Edwin T. Freedly, Philadelphia and Its Manu facturers (Philadelphia: Edward Young, 1858), p. 246 claims the Jacquard loom was introduced in 1825. Arthur Cole, The Ameri can Carpet Manufacture: A History and An Analysis (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1941), p. 26 argues that the Jacquard loom was here in 1825 because Alexander Wright, Manager of the Medway Carpet Mill tried to see it in Philadephia and failed. He then went to Scotland and imported both the attachment and work man. Rita Adrosko, "American Coverlets and the Looms Used to Produce Them", a talk presented at the University of Maryland first Coverlet Symposium, September 1981 alluded to a possible 1826 date.
4 Oracle of Dauphin (Pennsylvania), 1792. Rita Adrosko, Curator of the Smithsonian Institution's Division of Textile, brought this ad vertisement to my attention.
5 Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Accession Number 58.100.
6 Smithsonian Institution, Museum of American History, Accession Number T. 15535.
7 Irene Emery, The Primary Structure of Fabric (The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., 1966), p. xv.
8 The compound point twill coverlets were similar in structure.
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9 Ira Hadsell's day book records half sleyed coverlets were ordered. When day book entries were matched to the coverlet, it was found they all had warp relationship of 2:1 double weave.
10 The right side or face of Beiderwand also shares this characteristic.
11 Art Institute of Chicago, Accession Number 19077.540.
12 There are several extant coverlets that are all wool.
13 The author wishes to acknowledge the help of Kay Hawthore in gath ering the information on New York and New Jersey Coverlets.
14 This coverlet is in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Jack.
15 The Historical Museum at the D. R. Baker Library in Fredonia, New York, Accession Number 1066.2.
16 An explanation of the various loom set-ups for controlling pattern may be found in Anderson, "Maryland Coverlets" pp. 140-147 and Crossen, Let's Get Technical pp. 30-35.
17 The coverlet was purchased in two pieces which had not yet been joined.
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References
[1] The Philological Society, The Oxford English Dictionary: Being a Corrected Re-Issue With an Introduction, Supplement and Bib liography of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, vol. 2. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1933, reprinted 1961), p. 1106.
[2] The Philological Society, The Oxford English Dictionary: Being a Corrected Re-Issue With an Introduction, Supplement and Bibliog raphy of a New English Dictionary on Historical Principle, vol. 8. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1933, reprinted 1961), p. 62.
[3] Manasseh Minor, The Diary of Manasseh Minor (n.p.: Frank Denison Miner, 1913).
[4] Clarita Anderson, Judith Gordon, and Naomi Whiting Towner, "Beiderwand?" (Olney, Maryland: Clarita Anderson, 1982), pp. 37-40.
[5] Harold B. Bumham and Dorothy K. Burnham, "Keep Me Warm One Night: Early Handweaving in Eastern Canada" (Toronto: The University of Toronto Press 1972), p. 264.
[6] Clarita Anderson and Jo B. Paoletti, "The Use of Eagles as a Deco rative and Symbolic Motifs in 19th Century American Coverlets", Ars Textrina 3 (May 1985): 170-208.
[7] Clarita S. Anderson, "Maryland Coverlets: The Artifacts, Tech nology, and the Weaver" (Ph. D. dissertation, The University of Maryland, 1985), p. 160.
[8] Sandra Rambo Walker, Country Cloth To Coverlets: Textile Tra ditions in 19th century Central Pennsylvania (Lewisburg, Penn sylvania: Oral Traditions Project of the Union County Historical Society, 1981), p. 35.
[9] Janet Gray Crossen, Let's Get Technical: An Overview of Hand- woven Pennsylvania Jacquard Coverlets: 1830-1860 (Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Janet Gray Crosson, 1978), pp. 21, 23, 25.
31
[10] John W. Heisey, A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers (Williamsburg, Virginia: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1978), p. 77.
[11] Ibid, p. 9 and John S. Still, "Ohio Coverlets", Museum Echoes 31 (April 1958): p. 30.
[ 12] Pauline Montgomery, Indiana Coverlet Weavers and Their Cover lets (Indianapolis: Hoosier Heritage Press, 1974), pp. 2-3.
[13] Ibid, pp. 5-6.
[14] Deloris H. Connolly, "Home Weaving, Professional Weaving, and Textile Mills in Southeast Iowa, 1833-1870".(M.S. Thesis, Iowa State University, 1982, pp. 89-91.
[15] Montgomery, Indiana Coverlet Weavers, p. vi.
32
Figure 1 Double Weave 1:1
la (upper) Face of Fabric 1 b (lower) Back of Fabric
33
Figure 2 Tied-Beiderwand 2:1
2a (upper) Face of Fabric 2b (lower) Back of Fabric
34
Figure 3 Beiderwand 2:1
3a (upper) Face of Fabric 3b (lower) Back of Fabric
35
!i!iSiffii!:t:i:t-:;st?Ffet;i;g
* » • m • M)M \> v It * - | t~BI* :?s-i• tr?
asJlEKris- : :?: t-:^r K- r;?*SE2n; >"- -•••:•:,-^r" ^ i->; Ki-r* •"«; i'T-i-i £-3
W HI*
*t • > * *»* Ki"»i. »i.w v *e
Figure 4 Summer and Winter
4a (upper) Face of Fabric 4b (lower) Back of Fabric
36
Figure 5 Weft Faced Compound Twill
5a (upper) Face of Fabric 5b (lower) Back of Fabric
37
Figu
re 6
Wea
ver:
Stat
e:D
ate:
Stru
ctur
e:Co
lors
:Co
llect
ion:
Har
ry T
yler
New
Yor
k18
40D
oubl
e W
eave
1:1
Blue
and
Whi
teK
en C
olw
ell
Figu
re 7
Wea
ver:
Salm
on L
ake
State
: Ne
w Yo
rkDa
te:
1847
Stru
cture
: Do
uble
Wea
ve 1
:1Co
lors:
Re
d an
d W
hite
Colle
ctio
n:
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Wm
. Pet
o
L1B
1R-
•0M
MD
Mi
TO
?
* *J
*oip
I^
HF
ipp^
fg.,%
«£
_%
Jr*
Figu
re 8
Wea
ver:
Ach
ibal
d D
avid
son
Stat
e:
New
Yor
kD
ate:
18
37St
ruct
ure:
D
oubl
e W
eave
1:1
Colo
rs:
Blue
and
Nat
ural
Colle
ctio
n:
Mrs
. Dav
ison
B. H
awth
orne
Figu
re 9
Wea
ver:
Dan
iel C
onge
rSt
ate:
New
York
Date:
18
56St
ructu
re:
Wef
t Fac
ed C
ompo
und
Twill
Colo
rs:
Blue
and
Natu
ral
Colle
ctio
n:
Ken
Colw
ell
Figu
re 1
0
Wea
ver:
G. W
. Van
Dor
enSt
ate:
New
Jerse
yDa
te:
1837
S tru
cture
: Do
uble
Wea
ve 1
:1Co
lors:
Bl
ue a
nd N
atura
lCo
llecti
on:
Mrs.
Dav
ison
B. H
awth
orne
Figu
re 1
1
Wea
ver:
Stat
e:D
ate:
Stru
ctur
e:Co
lors
:Co
llect
ion:
Dav
id D
. Har
ing
New
Jer
sey
1833
Dou
ble
Wea
ve 1
:1Bl
ue a
nd N
atur
alM
r. an
d M
rs. W
m. P
eto
Figure 12
Weaver: John B. WeltyState: MarylandDate: 1835Structure: Tied-Beiderwand2:lColors: Natural, Dark Blue, Gold and RedCollection: The Kelbaugh Collection
44
Figure 13
Weaver: John LantzState: PennsylvaniaDate: 1833Structure: Double WeaveColors: Natural and Dark BlueCollection: Mrs. Davison B. Hawthorne
•15
Figu
re 1
4
Wea
ver:
Jaco
b Ha
usm
an S
r.St
ate:
Penn
sylv
ania
Date:
18
33St
ructu
re:
Tied
-Bei
derw
and
Colo
rs:
Red,
Gre
en, a
nd N
atura
lC
olle
ctio
n:
Mrs
. D
avis
on B
. Haw
thor
ne
•
f v^
A f:
^'
Figu
re 1
5
Wea
ver:
Abs
alom
Klin
ger
Stat
e:
Penn
sylv
ania
Dat
e:
1845
Stru
ctur
e:
Tied
-Bei
derw
and
2:1
Colo
rs:
Red,
Gre
en, D
ark
Blue
, and
Nat
ural
Colle
ctio
n:
Mrs
. Dav
ison
B. H
awth
orne
Figure 16
Weaver: Peter LorenzState: OhioDate: 1841Structure: Tied-Beiderwand 2:1Colors: Dark Blue and NaturalCollection: Ken Colwell
48
Figu
re 1
7
Wea
ver:
Dan
iel B
ury
Slate
: O
hio
Date:
N
one
Stru
cture
: Ti
ed-B
eide
rwan
d2:l
Colo
rs:
Red,
Dar
k Bl
ue, a
nd N
atura
lCo
llecti
on:
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Wm
. Peto
Figure 18
Weaver: Charles ShochState: IndiannaDate: 1859Structure: Tied-Beiderwand 2:1Colors: Red, Blue, Blue-Green, Light Green
and Natural Collection: Ken Colwell
50
Figure 19
Weaver: The Muir FamilyState: IndianaDate: 1848Structure: Double Weave 1:1Colors: White, Rose, and Dark BlueCollection: Ken Colwell
51
: *'J§L4 T: 1fttS«J't':t*^* ,- *.<i-.SIf- i!
... ? y i<i*-3;t ! |i..r4rX»tS4':! -lHM! "< -;i"><iEi ;,',' I'-.' »• • ;i> •"... -
Figure 20
Weaver: Daniel StephensonState: IowaDate: 1858Structure: Tied-BiederwandColors: Natural, Rose, Light Blue, and
Dark Blue Collection: Ken Colwell
52
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