Block Doublecloth Coverlet181092 3/4 x 82 " (235.6 x 208.3 cm)Cotton and woolGift of Margot Paul Ernst in memory of Susan B. Ernst1989.16.110152597547Mott MillTextilesThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.repeated along top edge: 'Ann Carll / March 31 1810'http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster1545182http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster20753WestburyWestburyUnited StatesNew YorkTextileseMuseum - Collection HighlightsSchecter LeeWestburyDouble-cloth coverlet measuring 93 inches in height by 79 inches in width and constructed using two panels. Each panel measures about 41 inches. The panels are hand-sewn together. Top edge is rolled over and hand-sewn. Bottom edge and weft edges have woven applied fringe. Fringe measures about 2 inches.Two plain weave structures create this coverlet. Warp is two-ply natural cotton and two-ply indigo dyed wool. Weft is two-ply natural cotton and two-ply indigo dyed wool. Pattern consists of blazing stars and snowballs.Fancy weavers, many of them recent emigrants from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Germany, introduced complex weave structures and loom technology to America early in the nineteenth century. Their knowledge of the complicated weaving techniques used for carpet weaving was adapted to "bed carpets" or "carpet coverlets," which featured two layers of cloth woven simultaneously. Double-cloth coverlets in geometric patterns were popular throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, parts of New England, and eastern Canada, but examples that include names and dates woven into the borders seem to have been a regional preference found on New York's Long Island.
The coverlet woven for Ann Carll is the earliest known American coverlet that is named and dated in the border. It is attributed to the Mott family of weavers, Quakers who worked in the Long Island town of Westbury. Several of the twenty-one extant named and dated double-cloth coverlets produced between 1810 and 1825 were made by the Motts. The name "Ann Carll" appears clearly twice—at the center and at the bottom of a single border. The date March 31, 1810, can be read at the center and at the top. In between, the name and date appear to be stretched out and are illegible. This distortion occurs because of the manner in which the threads are grouped and tied together to make the blocks for the name and date.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Ann Carll Coverlet: Blazing Star and Snowballs," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 307. Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information. To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org Dated and named block doublecloth coverlets are a rarity. In addition, a date of 1810 is extremely early for this weave structure. The name on the coverlet is probably the name of the person for whom the textile was made, not the weaver. Carll is a prominent Long Island name from the early nineteenth century, but further research is needed to discover more about the owner and possible identity of the weaver.This may be the earliest named and dated coverlet known, attributed to the Mott family of weavers in Long Island. This belongs to the group of earliest surviving named and dated double-woven coverlets in America."The names and date are woven into the borders in a warp direction. The name or date appears clear at only one or two places in the border. The remainder of the border appears to be "gibbersish," but is a function of the groups of threads tied together to make the blocks for the name or date. name and da catalogue entryhttp://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster1545182http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster20753http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster1545182http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster20753http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster1545182http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster2075318101810 1989 16 11 Double-cloth coverlet measuring 93 inches in height by 79 inches in width and constructed using two panels. Each panel measures about 41 inches. The panels are hand-sewn together. Top edge is rolled over and hand-sewn. Bottom edge and weft edges have woven applied fringe. Fringe measures about 2 inches.Two plain weave structures create this coverlet. Warp is two-ply natural cotton and two-ply indigo dyed wool. Weft is two-ply natural cotton and two-ply indigo dyed wool. Pattern consists of blazing stars and snowballs.Fancy weavers, many of them recent emigrants from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Germany, introduced complex weave structures and loom technology to America early in the nineteenth century. Their knowledge of the complicated weaving techniques used for carpet weaving was adapted to "bed carpets" or "carpet coverlets," which featured two layers of cloth woven simultaneously. Double-cloth coverlets in geometric patterns were popular throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, parts of New England, and eastern Canada, but examples that include names and dates woven into the borders seem to have been a regional preference found on New York's Long Island.
The coverlet woven for Ann Carll is the earliest known American coverlet that is named and dated in the border. It is attributed to the Mott family of weavers, Quakers who worked in the Long Island town of Westbury. Several of the twenty-one extant named and dated double-cloth coverlets produced between 1810 and 1825 were made by the Motts. The name "Ann Carll" appears clearly twice—at the center and at the bottom of a single border. The date March 31, 1810, can be read at the center and at the top. In between, the name and date appear to be stretched out and are illegible. This distortion occurs because of the manner in which the threads are grouped and tied together to make the blocks for the name and date.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Ann Carll Coverlet: Blazing Star and Snowballs," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 307. Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information. To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org Dated and named block doublecloth coverlets are a rarity. In addition, a date of 1810 is extremely early for this weave structure. The name on the coverlet is probably the name of the person for whom the textile was made, not the weaver. Carll is a prominent Long Island name from the early nineteenth century, but further research is needed to discover more about the owner and possible identity of the weaver.This may be the earliest named and dated coverlet known, attributed to the Mott family of weavers in Long Island. This belongs to the group of earliest surviving named and dated double-woven coverlets in America."The names and date are woven into the borders in a warp direction. The name or date appears clear at only one or two places in the border. The remainder of the border appears to be "gibbersish," but is a function of the groups of threads tied together to make the blocks for the name or date. name and da catalogue entry