Bedcover
The flowering tree design derives from the Indian palampores that were made for export to the American and European market and were often made into whole cloth bedcovers. It is constructed from over 150 pieces of English block- and roller-printed chintz.
Made by Mary Firth, American (Salem County, New Jersey)
Geography:
Probably made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Period:
antebellumDate:
1825-1830Medium:
Cotton plain weave with block- and roller-printed chintz appliquéDimensions:
10 × 10 feet (304.8 × 304.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
1962-44-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mrs. Lewis Benson, 1962
Probably made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Period:
antebellumDate:
1825-1830Medium:
Cotton plain weave with block- and roller-printed chintz appliquéDimensions:
10 × 10 feet (304.8 × 304.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1962-44-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mrs. Lewis Benson, 1962
Explore the Collections
The Fine Art of TextilesThe flowering tree is constructed from over 150 pieces of English block- and roller-printed chintz. Most of the former were produced at the Bannister Hall near Preston, Lancashire, from designs commissioned by Richard Ovey of Covent Garden, the leading London merchant for furniture prints from 1790 to 1831. Mary Firth was a member of a Quaker family form Salem County, New Jersey. Dilys E. Blum, from The Fine Art of Textiles: The Collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (1997), p. 94.
