Comforter

Object Name:

Comforter

Object ID:

2002.635.03

Date:

1865-1890

Description:

Quilt. Alternating blocks of patched squares and unpatched printed cotton squares, mainly brown tones. The patches are variations of 8-pointed stars. All printed cottons used. Backed with "new" prequilted cotton chintz with small floral design, tied.. Comforter, made with a top pieced of eight-pointed star blocks of 1830s and 1840s calicoes, machine stitched with a silk thread to a backing of machine-quilted chintz. The chintz is quilted through a layer of cotton, without a fabric backing; each panel is 32.5" wide. This type of pre-quilted fabric was available after the Civil War period for the linings of cloaks and dressing gowns, so it appears possible that someone had an old quilt top available, and added the quilted backing 20 or 30 years later. (The silk top stitching of the knife edge also suggests a 19th-century date.) The prints of the top are primarily shades of brown, tan, and cream. The pieced star blocks are straight set and alternate with an unpieced block. The comforter has deep cut-outs (27.5" x 26.5") for the foot posts of the bed; the drops use different calicoes than the center field, but the same pieced pattern. The comforter is tied with white silk yarn at the centers and corners of the blocks.

Material:

Textile
Cotton

Dimensions:

W-108.25 L-99.5 inches

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Collection

Subjects:

Needlework, Quilting, Sewing