Tablecloth

Description

This white, tone on tone tablecloth was designed and woven by James Cunningham and/or Samuel Butterfield of New Hartford, New York in 1835. It is Jacquard woven, with a cotton warp and linen weft. It has two selvedge edges and two hemmed edges. The woven design consists of a central floral motif surrounded by four large repeats of flowers, birds, and stars radiating around a flower. The borders are lined with a repeating motif of an American eagle holding a stars and bar shield. Along the hemmed edges, “Under This We Prosper” is woven forwards and backwards underneath the eagles. In each corner is a depiction of George Washington, on horseback, with his sword drawn and raised. The date “1835” is above him, and to the right are the words “United We Stand Divided We Fall.” Under the figure is the name “Washington.” Like the “Under This We Prosper” text, the Washington figure and text are mirrored in two of the corners. 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.