Description:
Pieced, cotton quilt laid out in varying widths of strips of large- and small-scale, roller and clylinder printed cotton, and marked "E.H." for Elizabeth (Eliza) Macy Howland (1783-1867) of Nantucket. The daughter of William Macy (1751-1814) and Anna Hussey Macy (1753-1804) of Macy House, Nantucket, Eliza Macy married Allen Howland (1779-1809), the son of Matthew Howland (1751-1834) and Abigail Wing Howland (1758-1832) of Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, in 1803. They had four children, only one of whom lived to adulthood, Hannah Howland (1809-1855), before Allen Howland's death at sea on November 23, 1809. In 1829, Eliza Howland became the third wife of Peter Barney (1757-1838). Hannah Howland married Benjamin Russell (1804-1885) of New Bedford, Massachusetts, painter of whaleships and whaling scenes in New England and grandfather of Sheldon Howe. Widows like Eliza Howland often struggled ot make a living after their husbands died. Making a quilt out of old pieces of fabric was an act of frugality. The quilt has alternating strips - floral strips and two monochromatic blue scenic prints of the "Boar Hunt" (also see HD F.003) and a distressed family dancing, which were likely made in Manchester, England, around 1816-1820. The blue designs alternate with madder print strips. The quilt has backing made of several pieces of white, plain-weave cotton, cotton batting; and the quilting done in a chevron pattern, five to six stitches per inch, using linen thread.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Cotton Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.010A |
