Textile fragment, printed

Description

This cushion cover is made of printed cotton fabric featuring General Zachary Taylor surrounded by a wreath of flowers. Versions of this print were produced as early as 1848, coinciding with Taylor’s presidential campaign. The central image, based on an 1846 lithograph by New York lithographer Thomas W. Strong, depicts Taylor at the May 8, 1846 Battle of Palo Alto during the Mexican-American War. Taylor was regarded as a hero for directing U.S. troops to victory in the battle, helping pave the way to his election as president in 1848. The design on this fabric is entirely roller printed, but Winterthur’s collection includes other examples of the same pattern with different backgrounds and printing techniques: see objects 2017.0019.069.008 and 1969.3332. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.