Preferred citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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Jacquard woven blanket formed by two layers of intersecting dyed and undyed fabric. It was manufactured, not hand woven, due to the size of the loom required and complexity of punching the cards to form the pattern. Blue base with undyed wool forming a floral design.with starburst and diamond alternating patterns in between. Green fabric tape found on edges. Design is reversed in color on opposite side. Center design is cluster of four rose plants. Border is a foliate vine with blossoms.
Supposedly owned by Harriet Lane when she attended Georgetown Visitation Convent. Unknown how it came to be in donor's possession. Donor's son and daughter-in-law posited that perhaps Charlotte A. Bauer (donor) received it from Mrs. Cynthia Westover Alden, who was a cousin by marriage to John Alden. Mrs. Cynthia W. Alden had many connections in the 1880s and may have received the blanket from Harriet Lane Johnston.
Wine bottle. Brown glass, shallow pontil, seamed shoulder and neck. Cork with red wax to seal mouth. Wine inside almost to shoulder level. Found by volunteers sometime during the early years of the James Buchanan Foundation. Bottle was found in the east end of the basement level in the Wheatland mansion.
Jacquard coverlet, cotton warp and wool weft. Wool is dyed with madder red, indigo blue and green. Made with a 4 & 1 tiedown weave structure. Joined at center seam.
Corner block reads: "Made by J. Witmer, Manor Township, for Mary Shopf, 1840."
Note: Mary Shopf''s 1841 sampler is G.80.137.1.
Witmer, Jacob (1797 - 1887) Extant coverlets: 1837-1851
Provenance
Descent: Maker Mary Shopf Hertzler to daughter Mary Hertzler Herr to son Amos Herr to daughter and donor Anna C. Herr Wilkinson.
Genealogy: Mary Shopf (1 Feb 1823 - 12 Mar 1903) m. Rudolph Hertzler, dau. Mary Hertzler (16 Aug 1849 - 14 Apr 1929) m. Christian Herr, son Amos Herr (b. 1876) m. A.M. Hollinger, dau. Anna C. Herr m. Harold Wilkinson." (Anna is donor)
Maker was possibly the daughter of Henry Shopf & Elizabeth K. Kauffman. Henry was from Manor Twp.
Finely crafted woven coverlet. Full loom width, seamless. Red, navy blue and green horizontal wool bands with lengthwise blue cotton strands as background. Designs include roses, floral medallions and leaves.
Weaver's blocks on all 4 corners: "Emanuel/ Grube/ Warwick/ T.L.A.C.P./ 1844/ P. Rudisill" (T: Township; LA: Lancaster; C:County; P: Pennsylvania)
Top and bottom edges folded over and stitched. A woven tape with wool fringes is stitched to the lower edge of the coverlet.
Woven coverlet, one piece. Navy blue wool and neutral cotton. 4-inch looped wool fringes on sides. Cotton fringe at foot end is knotted. .5-inch woven band edge at top/head is rolled & hemmed on the back. Roses & floral designs. 2 weaver's blocks at corners at foot of coverlet: "Made by/ C. Yordy/ Willow/ Street/ For/ 1847"
Date Range
1847
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
DAC
Storage Wall
Island 2
Storage Cabinet
Unit 13
Storage Shelf
Top Shelf
Storage Container
Box 1011
Object Name
Coverlet
Length (cm)
243.84
Length (ft)
8
Length (in)
96
Width (cm)
223.52
Width (ft)
7.3333333333
Width (in)
88
Dimension Details
Woven piece is 92 inches long with 4 inch knotted cotton fringe
80 inches wide with 4-inch looped wool fringes on both sides
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2020-01-30
Condition Notes
Section of border along lower edge separating; some worn blue wool threads on top. Stain on top right border
Object ID
G.84.03
Notes
" Yordy, Christian (Jr.) cited in:
1. Heisey, John W., compiler. A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers. Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Wmsbrg. Foundation, 1978. p.122
2. Anderson, Clarita. American Coverlets and Their Weavers. Wmsburg, VA, 2002. p.232; includes photo of one of his coverlets on pp. 30-31.
Woven coverlet. Single piece. Red and green horizontal wool bands with neutral cotton ground. 3-inch red and green cut self fringes on sides. On foot/lower edge, wool fringe tape has been sewn on. Head edge finished with durable woven cotton tape. Design includes double roses and foliage. Urns with leaves and grapes border the sides. 2 weaver's blocks in corners at foot end: "J.R. Gebhart/ Maytown/ 1847". Woven on both sides of top/head border: "M.S. Hershey."
Date Range
1847
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
DAC
Storage Wall
Island 2
Storage Cabinet
Unit 13
Storage Shelf
Shelf 6
Storage Container
Box 1012
Object Name
Coverlet
Length (cm)
241.3
Length (ft)
7.9166666667
Length (in)
95
Width (cm)
241.3
Width (ft)
7.9166666667
Width (in)
95
Dimension Details
Woven piece is 91 inches long with a 4-inch fringe on bottom edge
87 inches wide with 4-inch fringes on both sides
Condition
Very Good
Condition Date
2020-01-31
Condition Notes
Looks almost pristine.
Object ID
G.01.31.1
Notes
Weaver John Reuben Gebhart also cited in :
1. Hall, Eliza Calvert. The Book of Handwoven Coverlets. NY: Dover, 1988. p. 38
2. Heisey, John W., compiler. A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers. Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Wmsbrg. Foundation, 1978. p.63
3. Anderson, Clarita. American Coverlets and Their Weavers. Wmsburg, VA, 2002. p.160
Coverlet of wool and natural color cotton. Block designs of horizontal bars of tan, blue and red wool. Floral designs border the sides. On lower edge, tulips form border between two weaver's blocks, one at each corner. "John/ Schw/artz./ York./ 1847."
Date Range
1847
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
DAC
Storage Wall
Island 2
Storage Cabinet
Unit 13
Storage Shelf
Top Shelf
Storage Container
Box 1013
Object Name
Coverlet
Length (cm)
251.46
Length (ft)
8.25
Length (in)
99
Width (cm)
213.36
Width (ft)
7
Width (in)
84
Dimension Details
Length: raw edge at foot, weaving coming undone
Width: some areas of 2-inch fringe, much of fringe missing
Condition
Poor-Good
Condition Date
2020-02-06
Condition Notes
Much wear along edges: head and foot edges are frayed and many fringes are worn or missing. Central portion of coverlet is intact although entire coverlet is fragile.
Object ID
G.96.37.112
Notes
Weaver John Schwartz also cited in :
1. Heisey, John W., compiler. A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers. Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Wmsbrg. Foundation, 1978. p.104.
2. Anderson, Clarita. American Coverlets and Their Weavers. Wmsburg, VA, 2002. p.208.
3. A Schwartz coverlet pictured on p.63 and cited on p.79 of "Jacquard Coverlets" by Patricia Herr in Oct. 1982 issue of Early American Life magazine.
Woven coverlet. Entire loom width, no seam. Wool of red, dark green/blue, and light green with natural color cotton fiber. Self-fringes on sides. Attached wool fringe at foot of coverlet. Similar borders on all 4 sides with a bird at each corner. Large central medallion of flower, bands of leaves, vine, and grapes.
Weaver information in a band along the foot edge: "MADE + BY +/ H + STAGER + MOUNT JOY/ LANCASTER + CO + PA + FAST + COLOR+ NO-1"
Width: 79 inches + two sides of 3-inch fringes = 85 ins. wide
Length: 87 inches + 3-inch fringe at foot = 90 ins. long
Condition
Good/poor
Condition Date
2020-03-06
Condition Notes
Some stains. Side fringes worn. Some on left side completely worn off. Semi-circle opening on top edge is hand-stitched to prevent raveling. Maybe created to fit around a furniture post?
Object ID
G.01.28.7
Notes
Henry Stager is cited in:
1. Heisey, John W., compiler. "A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers." Wmsburg, VA: The Colonial Wmsbrg. Foundation, 1978. p. 108.
2. Anderson, Clarita. "American Coverlets and Their Weavers." Wmsburg, VA, 2002. p. 215.
* His coverlets were not dated, but in book "American Coverlet Weavers" on p. 108: (Stager was) "weaving in Mt. Joy by at least 1843."
