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Maker(s):unknown
Culture:English and/or American
Title:valance
Date Made:circa 1810
Type:Bedding
Materials:Brown and yellow, block-printed and glazed plain-weave cotton; green cotton netted fringe
Place Made:textile: England; bed hangings, Newbury, Massachusetts area
Measurements:Overall: 33 x 205 in; 83.8 x 520.7 cm
Accession Number:  HD 2021.26.1
Credit Line:Gift of Maureen S. Crawford, Stow, MA
Museum Collection:  Historic Deerfield

Description:
Partial set of block-printed, glazed cotton bed hangings consisting of one continuous, pleated and shaped valance with netted fringe; one head curtain with hangings tabs; two foot curtains with hanging tabs; one shaped coverlet/counterpane.The repeating, meandering floral design is made up of two colors (black and yellow, with possibly others that have since faded), possibly known as a "drab" print in the period. The repeat is about 11" (27.94cm) long by 9.5" (24.13cm) wide. The largest motif measures about 3" (7.62cm) in diameter. By the early 19th-century, advances in technology made printed cottons available to more comsumers at a cheaper price than ever before. England, in particular, made advances in cotton cloth anf its printing, and large amounts were exported to the United States before domestic printing began in earnest domestically in the second quarter of the 19th century. Locally in Deerfield, gothic-inspired printed cotton bedhangings were owned by Seth (1787-1865) and Caroline (Stebbins) Sheldon, who married in 1810. The cotton was woven in England and was likely printed there, but there is a small chance the printing may have been done in New England. The printed design resembles those attributed to Archibald Hamilton Rowan, whose sample book of designs is now in the Winterthur Museum.. Originally from Ireland, Rowan became a calico printer on the Brandywine River in Delaware. Although he stopped prodution in 1799, the blocks may have been used by a subsequant printed. further research is needed. The valance is box-pleated along the top and is one continuous piece. A different (earlier) printed cotton strip backs the valance at this pleating and may have servde as point of attachment to the tester. When hung on a four-poster bed, its four points would have corresponded with the bed posts. At its narrowest, the valance measures 16" deep. Dyed green cotton netted and tasseled fringe is 3.5" deep and is attached all around the valance

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Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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