Woven jacquard coverlet with red roses, blue 9-petaled flowers, 8-point stars, red birds, and blue rose trees.
Center field: alternate stripes of blocks of red roses with blue 9-petaled flowers encircled by small 8-point stars with 2 larger stars between flowers.
Outer border: Alternate redbirds and blue rose treets on 3 sides.
Head edge: Bound with commercial red twill tape.
Center seam: Self fringe on 3 edges. Side wool fringes are looped.
Corner blocks: "Made by J. Witmer Manor Township for Hennah Sauder 1839"
Coverlet of red wool and blue-green cotton. 2 loom widths decoratively and strongly seamed in the center with red wool. This coverlet is comparatively light weight. Self-fringes of red wool on both sides. Foot end is rolled and hand-stitched. Red wool fringes appear to have been individually applied.Top/head edge is finished with a 1.5-inch wide folded silky red binding. Some machine stitching in black thread and also hand-stitching to attach the binding.
Center field contains rows of circular designs. Roses border the lower edge and foliage in urns border the sides.
Unlike most coverlets, Satler's weaver's blocks in bottom corners are oriented to be read from the top of the coverlet.
Deed to Wheatland on parchment. Indenture for purchase of Wheatland by James Buchanan from William Meredith and Catherine Meredith. Dated December 2, 1848 with seal of William Meredith and of Catherine Meredith. Not signed by James Buchanan. Some fold marks and stain
Conservation proposal by Lancaster Galleries (Fine Art, Custom Framing, Restoration) June and July 2001. Quote to suface clean, mount, glaze to prevent fading, and seal.
Framed flag of John Wise used on Balloon flights. 13 stars, 7 red stripes, 6 white stripes. Attached note reads, "This flag has accompanied 239 aerial voyages - has travelled in the air over 11,000 miles - has been constantly the harbinger of good fortune and no serious accident ever occurred while it was present. It is a talisman of good luck. It is over 34 years old and was made in 1834." Bdly faded.
Passport for Samuel Ashmead, June 25, 1846. Signed by James Buchanan. Framed between two pieces of glass with narrow black wooden frame. Two small metal eye hooks with picture wire at top of frame.
Provenance
Samuel Ashmead was a botanist from the Germantown, PA area. He was the donor's husband's great-great grandfather. Passport hung in the donor's husband's grandfather's house for as long as she could remember.
Framed between two pieces of glass. Top right corner has 2 rips in paper caused by humidity and too small of frame. Paper has been folded into fourths with small hole at center of sheet. Also folds horizontally into thirds. Brown spots or stains all over
Object ID
W.MSS07.4.2
Place of Origin
Washington, D.C.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
