Towel

Description

The distinctive style of the motifs cross-stitched on this linen door towel identify it as Pennsylvania German. Along with the motifs of birds, trees, and hearts, there is also an embroidered name, “Susanna Schiffern,” and the date “1835.” Schiffern may have woven, embroidered, or owned this towel, or some combination of the three. This towel comes from Helen D. Young’s collection of handwoven textiles made in the northeastern United States before 1900. Young (1894-1983) was a prominent weaver, teacher, author, and collector of coverlets. Her collection, now at Winterthur (2017.0019.051.001 - .038), contains a diverse variety of weave structures, reflecting Young’s interest in structure and regional variation, as well as her understanding of textiles as an art form. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017. The Winterthur Library also received a significant amount of material from ATHM, including the Laura M. Allen weaving draft collection, which was previously acquired by Marguerite Porter Davison and then Helen D. Young.