Civil War Coverlet "Baltimore" / SOLD

Civil War Coverlet "Baltimore" - Inventory Number: PER 088 / SOLD

Woven coverlet made in Baltimore during the Civil War era.  These were used as bed coverings. They were made of wool and cotton on floor looms by hand. Coverlets were woven of two or more colors, made to be reversible with a light and dark color pattern showing as a negative on the back side.

To make fancy coverlets, an expensive loom attachment was required. Thus, most coverlet making between 1820 and 1860 was generally practiced by men, who wove for clients in solitary to 6-person “factories” or workshops. Many weavers were born and trained in Europe. These Scotch, Irish, English, Dutch, and Germans came to the U.S. to practice their trade, as they were pushed out of business in Europe, where the industrial revolution occurred earlier than in the U.S.  Once in the U.S., immigrant weavers often moved beyond coastal cities, where industrialization already had begun, to rural towns.  This example has been referred to as the “Baltimore” Pattern, utilizing red, white, and blue and a less encountered green.  Intricate woven patterns of floral designs and panels with American eagles in the corners.  Three edges exhibit fringe in good condition, the fourth was designed bare as it would rest near the face.  A very attractive example!

Inventory Number: PER 088 / SOLD