Towel

Description

Sally Stockbridge wove this linen towel around 1836 in or around North Hanover, Massachusetts. The towel has an overshot M’s and O’s pattern consisting of repeating blocks of various sizes. Stockbridge’s initials, “S.S.,” are embroidered near the lower left corner. 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.