Governor’s Garden Coverlet (indigo, red, white)

People

Maker/Creator: Julia Ann Harman
Maker/Creator: Eliza J. Harman

Date

1855-1900

Places

Topeco

Material/Medium

Wool, cotton

Specifications

• Pattern: Governor’s Garden
• Colors: indigo, red, white
• Dimensions: 105 x 73  1/2 inches
• Panels: three (24  1/2 inches wide) joined and hemmed with hand-stitching
• Pattern is not matched

Description

This Governor’s Garden coverlet features indigo squares accented by red and white borders.  It is the longest coverlet in our collection and its three panels may well have had a matched pattern at one time.  To prevent excessive wear, panels were sometimes taken apart and turned.

Keywords

Overshot coverlet

Bio Sketch

The great-great grandparents of C. W. and Margaret  Harman included brothers who married sisters: Jacob Harman, Jr., who married Anna Hylton, and  Benjamin Harman who married Martha Hylton. The Harmans were sons of Jacob and Christina Mock Harman.  Anna and Martha were daughters of Archelaus & Katherine Weddle Hylton.

Jacob, Jr., and Anna Harman’s daughters Julia Ann (1834-1902) and Eliza J. (1849-1913) never married. They were the family weavers and one of them most likely made this coverlet according to Margaret Harman.

Notes

In overshot coverlets, the weft threads float over the warp to create the patterns.  With the indigo wool thread forming the squares of the pattern on the top side of this coverlet, squares on the reverse side appear almost white. The diagonal red wool stitching on this corner was added after the weaving was completed.