Tablecloth

Description

This tablecloth consists of two panels joined at a center seam. It is made of natural-colored linen and has a warp- and weft-faced 3/1 broken twill weave. Text embroidered in red thread, centered along one edge, reads “A M 1776.” Given the importance of the year 1776 to the history of the United States, the inclusion of the date may have been added as a patriotic embellishment rather than an indication of when the tablecloth was woven. 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.