Tablecloth

Description

This white linen tablecloth was woven in the United States, probably during the early 19th century. It is comprised of two panels sewn together down a center seam, and has two hemmed edges. Its overshot pattern, sometimes called a “Whig Rose” pattern, consists of a grid of circles which slightly overlap their neighbors. Each circle has a block with a cross in its center and four smaller blocks surrounding it, one at each corner. In the bottom left corner of the tablecloth, the initials “M. H.” are cross stitched in cotton thread. This tablecloth 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.