Panel (Tablecloth)

Description

This tablecloth panel is twill woven with overshot patterns, sometimes called “single snail trail” and “cat track,” consisting of repeating blocks with curving lines running diagonally between them. It has a linen warp and a cotton weft. Bits of linen thread along one of the panel’s selvedge edges suggests it was once half of a larger tablecloth joined at a center seam, but only this panel remains. This panel 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.