Whitework (sometimes called “muslin work”) bedcovers were especially popular at the end of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century. The vogue for all-white textiles has been related to the popularity of neoclassicism in both furnishing and clothing styles, as well as to the increased availability of both cotton fabric and the cotton thread necessary for the complex quilting and embroidery that is generally a hallmark of whitework bedcovers.

This bedcover is an example of a needlework technique known as candlewicking. The term “candlewicking” refers to embroidery with thick cotton threads that were pulled through a white cotton or linen backing to form a three-dimensional looped or fringed pile design. These threads are sometimes called “roving” or “wicking,” for the name derives from the loosely twisted yarn used as the wick in eighteenth-century candlemaking. A number of popular embroidery stitches could be used in candlewicking, including tufting, knotting, and couching, as well as the stem stitch, backstitch, satin stitch, and outline stitch. As is seen here, different weights of roving sometimes would be employed for embroidery on the same spread. The eagle design on this spread was a favorite Federal period motif and was probably adapted from the shield of the United States. The trailing grapevine that surrounds the eagle was also a popular design of the Classical Revival in American decorative arts.

Elizabeth V. Warren, "Eagle Candlewick Spread," in Stacy C. Hollander American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 303.