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On Wednesday 30 April 2020, Shelley Anderson wrote:

In the 18th century embroidery known as needle painting was immensely popular. Needle painting reproduced famous works of art in thread, often against a painted background. I highlighted one famous needle painter, Mary Delany, in a recent TRC blog. The embroideress Mary Linwood (1755-1845) was even more famous.

Mary Linwood, 1755-1845, painted c. 1800 by John Hoppner. Courtesy Victoria & Albert Museum, London, acc. no. 1439-1874.Mary completed her first embroidered painting when she was just thirteen years old. Within a few decades her reproductions of works by artists like Gainsborough, Raphael, Reynolds and Rubens were making her famous. She worked in crewel wool, in shades especially dyed for her paintings, adding silk floss for lustre. Among landscape artist John Constable’s earliest commission was the painting of a background to one of Mary’s embroideries. She won a medal from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts for her “excellent imitation of pictures in needlework” and in 1785 was summoned to Windsor Castle by King George III (1738-1820) to show her work, which was praised by Queen Charlotte (1744-1818). By around 1800 she commissioned John Hoppner, a favourite of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV), to paint her own portrait (see illustration). She is depicted with wool yarn in her lap, holding one of her own paintings.

On Wednesday, 29 April 2020, Beverley Bennett and Susan Cave wrote about the sometimes curious names given to the types of quilt and quilt blocks in America:

Many of our TRC visitors and blog readers have asked us about quilt names. There are thousands of them, and sometimes we struggle to find the correct one for the era as fashion in quilt patterns are like children’s names when the “Emily and Charles” of one generation become “Kylie and Storm” in another. If the quilt comes with a name given by the maker, we stick to it, even if it doesn’t tally with the official block name in our reference books. That way, we keep the maker’s vision and preserve her name for it accordingly.

American quilt block, late 19th century, with 'Pine Tree' motif (TRC 2019.2047).

The names of some simple blocks are obvious and have remained unchanged, such as the Four Patch (2019.2532) and the Nine Patch (2019.2473). Other block names are purely descriptive and their origins can clearly be seen. Examples in the TRC Collection include Baskets (2018.3127 and 2019.2014), the Bow Tie (2019.2046), which was a very common pattern in the 1930’s, the Pine Tree (2019.2047) and the Pinwheel (2019.2526). Stars of all descriptions are a popular choice for names. Those in our collection include the Lone Star (2018.3118) and the Feathered Star (2019.1106), along with a spectacular Starburst (2018.3119).

However, there are some names that may have been clear at the time the block was named, but not so clear to us today, such as the Churn Dash (2018.2617q), which was the name of the implement used to churn butter and looks much like the block in cross section. Also, the TRC has several Sugar Cone blocks (2017.4351a, 2017.4351b), which date back to the days when sugar was sold in a cone-shaped solid block and had to be cut to be used.

Quilt top, USA, 1930's, with 'Jacob’s Ladder' pattern ('Steps to the Altar' variation) (TRC 2018.2411).

The Bible was the most important book in early America, so it is not surprising that many quilts are named from the verses. Faith sustained families going through hardship and danger, as migration pushed them steadily across the country. Quilts made on journeys reflect this for example, with names such as Job’s Tears and Job’s Troubles. Others biblical patterns include Crown of Thorns, The Garden of Adam and Eve and Cross and Crown. The TRC has a quilt top called Jacob’s Ladder (Steps to the Altar variation) in red and white (2018.2411). The Old Testament book, Song of Solomon, was a favourite for young girls as it was slightly saucy, an example being The Rose of Sharon appliqué pattern. The TRC holds a Rose of Sharon cluster appliqué quilt (2018.2405). Designs also came from literature, Sir Walter Scott’s Lady of the Lake, and John Bunyan’s Delectable Mountains from Paradise Lost.

Pattern names changed with the move west. The Eastern Star in Pennsylvania gradually became Tippecanoe and Tyler, the Ohio Star, the Lone Star and finally the Texas Star, which follows the story of not only the pioneer family, but their contact with American Indians and adaptation to the new environment across the different Indian territories and states.

Quilt top, USA, 1930's, with 'Dutch Rose' pattern (TRC 2017.4291).

The Dutch have contributed to American quilt pattern names too. Like the English migrants of the 18th century, the Dutch had a tradition of patchwork but mainly in mosaics (hexagons, triangles) which became Grandmothers Flower Garden in the New World. We have two mosaic Snow Crystal blocks – 2018.2617g, 2018.2617h – which are a variation of Grandmothers Flower Garden and a Dutch Rose quilt top (2017.4291) also known as a Carpenters Star.

Since women made the quilts, it is surprising that many of the names are seriously masculine. Barn Raising, the Anvil, Indian Hatchet and the many varieties of Sawteeth are just a few. One of the most graphic (and most beautiful, an eight-pointed star with sawteeth) is Chips and Whetstone. The whetstone was carried by the man of the house to sharpen his axe, which he then used to make wood chips out of ash, oak and hickory logs. There are also designs reflecting America’s dependence on the mercantile trade, such as Mariner’s Compass and Ocean Waves. Hardly female pursuits! However, some block names are specifically named after women. There are a series of blocks named after President's wives, such as Martha Washington’s Star and Mrs. Cleveland’s Choice, which we have in the collection (2018.2625).

Quilt top, USA, late 19th century (TRC 2018.2625). The decoration is named 'Mrs Cleveland's Choice,'

Perhaps the most significant quilt names are those where women expressed their political opinions and sentiments long before they received the vote in 1920. In an environment dominated by men, a quilt block emerged in the 1840’s called 54-40-or Fight, which signifies the latitude of the northern American boundary. Clay’s Choice is also early as the popular statesman, Henry Clay, became famous for his anti-slavery statements around the same time. Radical Rose is a block with a black centre expressing sympathy for the abolitionist movement. The Whig Rose and the Harrison Rose are clear political messages.

Quilt block names are symbols of the daily lives of Americans, infused with meaning for us to decipher and to imagine the life and times of the maker. You may think our reference books, with many thousands of patterns, would tell us everything we need to know. Ah, no. We have one block at the TRC that we simply cannot name but we live in hope, so watch this space!

On Tuesday, 28 April 2020, Willem Vogelsang wrote about a particular hair style of Pashtun women in nineteenth century Afghanistan:

I have long been fascinated with 19th century illustrations of Afghanistan. They tell a lot, not only about Afghanistan itself, but also about the artists and their backgrounds. Many of these depictions were made by British artists that accompanied the so-called 'Army of the Indus', which in 1838/1839 invaded the country, only to be defeated in January 1842 in the mountain passes east of Kabul.

Some of the drawings illustrate an unusual type of hair decoration for unmarried women from among the Pashtun (Pathan) nomads, in the east of the country. It is a tuft of hair, mixed with gum, mud or dung, which hangs down the forehead and covers the nose.

"Ghiljie women in the lower orders.” Coloured lithograph by Robert Carrick, after James Rattray. Plate VI in Rattray 1847/1848. Original size: 17,9 x 25.1 cm

One particularly interesting illustration is a lithograph published in 1847/1848, and is based on the work of the British officer and artist, James Rattray. According to the accompanying text, the women were "[bringing] the whole of their hair to the front of their face, and kneading it into a compact cake with an admixture of dung and mud, ornament it with beads, bits of metal and coloured glass." Some of the young women were very pretty, Rattray observed, but others were squint-eyed from peering around the sides of their "odious distinction". 

On Sunday, 26 April 2020, Beverley Bennett and Susan Cave wrote about a particular quilt in the TRC collection that was made in the USA against the backdrop of WW2:

The quilts at the TRC are windows into the lives of everyday women. As well as being functional, they are social documents giving context to what was happening at the time. We have no doubt that during this period of the COVID-19 global lockdown, with the prevailing complex emotions and situations, quilts will be made reflecting this historic phase.

An autograph quilt top, USA, mid-20th century (TRC 2017.3366).

Two months ago, we published a blog on fashion during the communist period in Romania. Today, on Sunday, 26 April 2020, TRC volunteer Heidi Stanionyte from Estonia writes about fashion in Eastern Europe and in her country during the period of Soviet domination (1940-1990/1991):

During Communism, people had a limited choice of clothes to buy. As the Cold War, which started soon after the Second World War, became more prominent in the 1950's, salaries remained low and international trade was limited without access to modern, Western clothes. For instance, the Hungarian Statistical Agency reported in 1956 that Hungarian women could on average afford one winter coat in a decade, one simple dress in three years, and an inexpensive cotton dress once every year.

Hand knitted, woollen jacket, Romania, 1970's and 1980's. Donation Radu family (TRC 2020.0347a). The jacket and skirt were made in the style of the fashion house of Chanel. in Paris.

Hand knitted, woollen skirt, Romania, 1970's and 1980's. Donation Radu family (TRC 2020.0347b). The jacket and skirt were made in the style of the fashion house of Chanel, Paris.

Dyeing with woad. Photograph by Shelley Anderson.On Friday, 24 April 2020, Shelley Anderson wrote:

I have been lucky as a TRC volunteer to have been involved in several Intensive Textile Courses. One of the course’s highlights for me (other than being able to get up close and handling some beautiful textiles), is the section on dyes and dying. It is fascinating to see the incredible range of colours, and the sometimes subtle (and often not so subtle) differences that temperature, mordants or materials can make.

I became curious to explore more and bought some small packets of dye seeds in the TRC shop. My madder (used to make a red dye), alas, didn’t grow well, but the weld (also called dyer’s weed, a plant that has been used to make yellow dye since Roman times) did. What really flourished, and is still flourishing after three years, is the woad. (I learned later that woad is considered a weed in parts of the USA, and millions of dollars are spent in eradicating it). In Europe, the leaves of woad (Isatis tinctoria) have been used to make a blue dye for thousands of years. Woad dyed textiles have been discovered in Iron Age burial sites in Hallstatt (Austria), while seeds have been found in a Neolithic cave in France. Centuries later, woad was also used to make blue pigment in illuminated manuscripts.

The TRC in Leiden is currently publishing a series of embroidery charts. Please click here for more charts and information. They are free to use, so enjoy! If you click on the illustrations below, you are directed to a PDF file, much easier to use, to copy, print and/or enlarge.

Lady Curzon wearing her Peacock Dress, which was decorated with beetlewings.The TRC shop sells an assortment of textile related items, including books, magazines, garments, indigo cloth, beads, and embroidery and sewing tools. The shop also sells beetlewings. TRC Needles contains an entry about this spectacular material and its use for embroidery. Actually, it is not a wing, but the casement that covers the wings of a specific type of beetle that lives, among other places, in South and Southeast Asia. This shiny, translucent material has been used for hundreds of years to decorate clothing and other textiles.

Perhaps one of the most famous dresses decorated with beetlewings is the Peacock Dress, which was worn by Lady Curzon at the coronation ball of the Delhi durbar of 1903 (to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII). The dress is now housed at Keddlestone Hall, Derbyshire, England. 

A few days ago we received a photograph of a piece of (Russian) bobbin tape lace worked by Ria Heemskerk, in The Netherlands, who bought a handful of beetlewings in the TRC shop some time ago. She used it to great effect.

Piece of bobbin lace decorated with beetlewings, worked by Ria Heemskerk.