Description:
Cotton whitework coverlet (Bolton type) made of machine-woven cotton in a pattern formed of raised loops of weft achieved by weft manipulation during the weaving process producing a center floral spray encircled by an eight-pointed star, geometric patterns, and a greek key border, and with "Ann M. Low 1812 G 12/4 F" woven into the spread edge. This coverlet was made for Ann Marie Caldwell Low (1784-1820) who was one of eleven children of James Caldwell (1747-1829). James Caldwell was born in County Dunegal, Ireland, and moved first to Philadelphia where he probably married Elizabeth Barnes (1749-1821), born at Dublin Ireland, in 1774, and then to Albany where he became a succesful businessman. In 1809, Ann Marie Caldwell married Dr. James Low ((1782-1822) who graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1809 and then moved to Albany. Dr. Low was a popular member of the Albany medical society, and is buried in the cemetary in Charlton, Saratoga County, NY. Dr. Low was the brother of Dr. David Low, the grandfather of Juliet McBurney Hill Wilder. It is unknown what the 1812 date may represent. Although more difficult to keep clean, white domestic textiles, especially those made from cotton, could be easily laundered. Because of the inclusion of the owner's name and a date, it is likely this example was woven in the United States. The large numbers of coverlets woven in Bolton, near Manchester, England, exported to the United States in the early 19th centuiry tended to be more anonymous.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Cotton Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.811 |
