Description:
Wholecloth green, plain weave (tammy) wool quilt made up of three selvage widths of wool with seams running down either side of the center, and quilted in matching worsted or linen thread. The quilted design is geometric, with a large diamond pattern made up of a series of three, intersecting parallel diagonal lines interspersed at regular intervals with diamond patterns and four-lobed star shapes and bordered on all four sides by additional quilting of evenly spaced, parallel diagonal lines. There are three contemporary patches seen on the quilt. A light yellow, plain weave wool (camlet) made up of selvage-wide widths is the quilt's backing fabric, Undyed cotton batting between the face fabric and the backing provided added warmth. There is an ink-inscribed, white fabric tag attached to the quilt face: "Owned by Nellie Smith / Made in 1820." The green wool face fabric has a sharp fold or crease down the center, running lengthwise; the fabric width of the green cloth is about 31-31 1/2", with the center width about 30." In the 18th century, a plain weave wool with glaze was referred to as a tammy; a twill weave wool with glaze, a shalloon; a 4:1 broken twill weave (aka the shortest float satin weave), a calamanco; and a plain weave wool with no glaze was referred to as a camblet. These terms are found in Norwich, England, sample books. The wool face was probably originally glazed given the evidence of "lines" or concertina-like folding of the wool fabric into the press where it was subjected to extreme pressure and heat through the press boards. Cleaning eliminates the glaze, but the press folds remain. Linda Eaton, Director of Collections and Senior Curator of Textiles at the Winterthur Museum (May 14, 2011), notes that wool glazing was probably not done in this country in the 18th century given current knowledge and that most evidence of glazed wool comes from England. Winterthur Museum has tested some glazed worsted fabrics, and the presence of an additonal substance such as gum has been detected in some samples suggesting that glazing may have occasionally required more than just heat and pressure of the press. While serving a decorative purpose, glazing also created the illustion of a more inherently lustrous fabric than wool, such as silk. Glazing might also added some degree of protection for the face fabric against stains or soiling. Often, when the quilting thread was the same color as the face, the quilting could have been done from the reverse side to better see the stitches. This can be determined sometimes if the quilting stiches are slightly shorter on one side than on the other. The quilt is a good example of the popularity of whole cloth wool quilts into the 19th century, owned in New England. At this time, Nellie Smith has not been identified.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.257 |
