Anonymous Needlework

317 Pages·2015·8.13 MB·English

Anonymous Needlework: Uncovering
British Patchwork 1680-1820

Bridget Long
Submitted to the University of Hertfordshire in partial fulfilment of the
requirements of the degree of PhD
May 2014
Abstract
During the eighteen century there was a significant growth in patchwork materially and
linguistically. It was the century when patchwork was stitched at all levels of society and has
been identified as the time when patchwork moved out from the small domestic world of
decorative sewing into the wider public sphere, leaving behind other needlework as it became
embedded in the language and writing of the period.
This research examines the social and cultural contexts relating to the making of
patchwork in the long eighteenth century and in doing so contributes to the story of women
and their material lives in the period. Noted for its longevity, surviving as a widespread
practice across the century, patchwork was a democratic needlework that was practiced by
any woman capable of stitching a variety of fabric pieces together to make a larger whole.
A widespread understanding of the term and familiarity with the practice enabled it to
be employed successfully in the literal and figurative language of the period. Patchwork was
heralded as a fashionable activity in the early eighteenth century, but was later used to
represent the ideal of the moral and capable housewife, devoted to her sewing skills and
thrifty in her practice. The figurative style of the period allowed the simultaneous use of the
word in differing ways so that patchwork was used both positively and negatively in
literature, drama, critical review, political debate and theoretical discourse.
Contents
Abstract
List of Figures
Photograph Credits
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Page No.
Introduction 1
Patchwork in the history of needlework 4
Documenting patchwork in the context of material cultural studies 8
The relationship between patchwork and key themes in the study of
eighteenth-century Britain 12
Eighteenth-century style and design influences 20
Research methodologies 24
Patchwork uncovered 1680-1820 28
Chapter 1 The Material Evidence to be found in Patchwork 32
The survivors 33
Documenting quiltmaking 36
Recording eighteenth-century patchwork: the methodology for research 39
What is eighteenth-century patchwork? 41
Sewing techniques 46
The fabrics in patchwork 55
Design layouts 56
Patchwork shapes 58
Conclusion 60
Chapter 2 Beds and Bedcovers 64
Studies of beds, bedcovers and bedchambers 66
Bedcovers at the Old Bailey Court 73
Old Bailey: Rugs 78
Old Bailey: Hillings 80
Old Bailey: Quilts 80
Old Bailey: Counterpanes 84
Old Bailey: Coverlets 88
Old Bailey bedcovers: Evaluation 89
Beds and bedcovers in probate inventories in Huntingdonshire 92
Huntingdonshire: Types of beds and bedcovers 94
Huntingdonshire: Bedcover use 97
Conclusion 102
Chapter 3 Owners and Makers of Patchwork 105
Documentary sources 106
Earning a living from patchwork 107
The patchwork lives of women of lower rank 112
Patchwork for the middling and genteel 121
Conclusion 131
Chapter 4 Patchwork in the Domestic Context 133
Women’s role at home 134
Needlework at home 138
Learning to sew outside the home 144
Needlework as a source of consolation, reflection and entertainment 160
Conclusion 163
Chapter 5 ‘Worked patchwork for a work bag’: Making Patchwork 165
Sourcing the materials for patchwork 166
Designs for needlework 177
Designing patchwork 181
Conclusion 191
Chapter 6 The Eighteenth-century Language of Patchwork 193
The literal meaning and use of patchwork 194
The figurative use of patchwork 203
Conclusion 210
Conclusion 213
Appendix 1 Glossary 220
Appendix 2 Database for the Patchwork Objects 224
Appendix 3 Sources for the Recorded Patchwork Objects 226
Appendix 4 Mosaic Patchwork Construction 235
Bibliography 236
Figures 257
Illustrations
1 Patchwork quilt (detail), late eighteenth century, linen and cotton, collection of the
Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, T.2012.7.
2 Patchwork quilt, early nineteenth century, cotton, private collection
3 Patchwork quilt and curtain (detail), said to have been made in 1708, cotton, collection of
Levens Hall, Cumbria.
4 Set of patchwork bed furnishings made by Anna Brereton, 1801-1805, cotton, collection of
Norwich Castle Museum, 1929.116.
5 Patchwork chair seat cover, late eighteenth century, cotton, collection of University of the
Creative Arts, Farnham, Surrey, 8008.
6 Patchwork cushions, late eighteenth century, silk, collection of National Trust, Cotehele,
348284.1c and d.
7 Patchwork pocket, late eighteenth century, cotton and linen, collection of the Henry Francis
du Pont Winterthur Museum, DE, USA, 1960.0195.
8 Patchwork housewife or sewing case signed SH and dated 1754, silk and flannel, collection
of Victoria and Albert Museum, T.285-1984.
9 Half of a patchwork housewife or sewing case, 1767, silk and cotton or linen, Foundling
Hospital Billet Book, 1764-7, A/FH/A/9/1/179, London Metropolitan Archives.
10 Patchwork banner made by E. Blythewood, 1814, cotton, db48, collection of Hampshire
County Council Arts and Museums Service, 1956.53.
11 Patchwork chasuble and maniple, 1720-30, silk and velvet, private collection.
12 Mosaic patchwork (detail front and back), late-eighteenth century, cotton and linen,
private collection.
13 Mosaic patchwork coverlet signed EH and dated 1718 in centre, silk, wool and linen,
collection of Quilt Museum and Gallery, York, 2000.11.A.
14 Mosaic patchwork coverlet, 1735-1770, silk, collection of Hampshire County Council
Arts and Museums Service, ACM 1950.257
15 Mosaic patchwork coverlet (detail), back of the work, showing paper templates and
marked guidelines for construction, late eighteenth century, cotton and linen, private
collection.
16 Set of patchwork bed hangings, early eighteenth century, cotton, linen, fustian and silk,
collection of Victoria and Albert Museum, T242.F-1908.
17 Mosaic patchwork quilt made by Anna Ruggles 1796 (details), selective cutting from
printed fabrics, collection of International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska –
Lincoln, NE, USA 2008.040.0140.
18 Fragment of mosaic patchwork coverlet (details), late-eighteenth century, selective cutting
from printed fabrics, private collection.
19 Seamed patchwork (details front and back), late-eighteenth century, collection of Tullie
House Museum, Carlisle, Cumbria, Cat.14.
20 Whip-stitched patchwork (detail), late-eighteenth or early nineteenth century, private
collection.
21 Inlaid patchwork and embroidered coverlet or hanging 1766, wool, collection of
Sevenoaks Museum, Kent, k1972.
22 Patchwork coverlet 1726, silk, cotton, linen and worsted, collection of the McCord
Museum of Canadian History, Montreal, Canada, M972.3.1.
23 Patchwork coverlet 1765, silk, Schloss Berlin Collection, Castle Doorn, Netherlands,
11198.
24 Patchwork quilt, 1690-1750, silk and velvet, collection of the Victoria and Albert
Museum, T.201.1984.
25 Fragment of a patchwork and embroidered coverlet, 1700-1720, silk and velvet, collection
of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, VA, 2005-1-A.
26 Appliqué and Broderie perse appliqué coverlet, c. 1790, cotton and linen, collection of the
Cowper and Newton Museum, Olney, Buckinghamshire, OLNCM.2657.
27 Patchwork coverlet signed MCB and dated 1797, cotton and linen, collection of the
Victoria and Albert Museum, T.102.1938.
28 Patchwork coverlet, 1803-5, cotton and linen, collection of Victoria and Albert Museum,
T.9.1962.
29 Appliqué quilt 1795, cotton and linen, collection of Brooklyn Museum, NY, USA, 41.285.
30 Appliqué and patchwork coverlet, 1810-20, cotton, collection of Gunnersbury Park
Museum, London, 2894.
31 Patchwork coverlet made by Ann West in 1820, wool, collection of Victoria and Albert
museum, T.23.2007.
32 Broderie perse appliqué coverlet, late eighteenth century, cotton and linen, loan to the
collection of the Quilt Museum and Gallery, York, 1985.3.A.
33 Patchwork quilt, late eighteenth century, silk, collection of Victoria and Albert museum,
T.117-1973.
34 Patchwork and appliqué coverlet, 1780-1808, cotton and linen, private collection.
35 Printed panel commemorating Princess Charlotte’s marriage in 1816, cotton, Private
collection.
36 Patchwork quilt inscribed ‘mary robson her work done in the year of our lord 1801’,
cotton and linen, collection of Quilt Museum and Gallery, York, 2009-4-A.
37 Mosaic patchwork coverlet, mainly late-eighteenth century with 1820s additions on edges,
cotton and linen, private collection.
38 William Hogarth The Idle ‘Prentice return’d from Sea, & in a Garret with a common
Prostitute, 1747, printed engraving, Lewis Walpole Library, New Haven, Conn.,
747.09.30.072.
39 Fragments of Green and Yellow Rugs (detail), eighteenth century, Collection of Henry
Francis du Pont Winterthur museum, DE, USA.
40 Back of a patchwork quilt (detail), cotton, c.1810, private collection.
41 Anon., The Case of the Quilt-Makers, printed broadsheet, c. 1720, Collection of Jonathan
Holstein.
42 Anne Hutton’s quilt, cotton, c.1715, Private collection.
43 ‘A description of the miseries of a Garreteer Poet’, from F. Coventry, The History of
Pompey the Little; or, The Life and Adventures of a Lap Dog, (London, 1751), p. 219, Lewis
Walpole Library, Conn., 751.02.00.01.
44 Tie-on pocket made from woven quilting (Marcella), early nineteenth century, Private
collection.
45 Weft-loop woven counterpane 1809, cotton, Collection of the Victoria and Albert
museum, T.12-1935.
46 Patchwork quilt made by Ann Cartwrite 1796, cotton and linen, private collection
47 After John Hamilton Mortimer, John Hamilton Mortimer with a student, c.1765, oil on
canvas, National Portrait Gallery, NPG.234.
48 Patchwork coverlet (detail), late eighteenth century, private collection.
49 J. Taylor, The Needle’s Excellency, A new book wherin divers admirable works wrought
with the needle, 12th edition, (London, 1640), pp.33 and 34, Cambridge University Library.
50 Mosaic patchwork coverlet, late eighteenth century, cotton and linen, private collection.
51 Fragments of a mosaic patchwork coverlet, late eighteenth century, cotton and linen,
private collection.
52 Detail of Fig. 51 fragments of patchwork coverlet, late eighteenth century, private
collection.
53 Silk embroidered picture, late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, private collection.
54 Hexagon quilt made by Anna Ruggles dated 1796, cotton, collection of International Quilt
Study Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, NE, USA, 2008.040.0140.
55 Mosaic patchwork coverlet (detail), late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, cotton,
private collection.
56 Mosaic patchwork fragment made by Sarah Ann Chalk dated 1802 (detail), cotton, private
collection.
57 Mosaic patchwork coverlet, late eighteenth century, cotton, collection of Wilson Art
Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham, 1940.339.
Photograph Credits
References are to figure numbers:
Brooklyn Museum, USA: 29
Cambridge University Library: 49
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, USA: 25
Gunnersbury Park Museum, London: 30
Hampshire County Council Arts and Museums Service: 10, 14
Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, USA: 39
International Quilt Study Center and Museum, University of Lincoln-Nebraska, USA: 17, 54
Courtesy of the collection of Jonathan Holstein: 41
Courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, USA: 38, 43
London Metropolitan Archives: 9
McCord Museum of Canadian History, Canada: 22
National Portrait Gallery: 47
National Trust, Cotehele: 6
Norwich Castle Museum: 4
Quilt Museum and Gallery, York: 13, 15, 32, 34, 36, 37, 40, 42, 46, 50
Sevenoaks Museum: 21
Schloss Berlin Collection, Castle Doorn, Netherlands: 23
University of the Creative Arts, Farnham: 5
V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum: 8, 16, 24, 27, 28, 31, 33, 45
Photograph reproduced with the permission of the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester: 1
Remaining images are author’s own