Images(8)

Counterpane, white cotton embroidery

Date1815

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Summerdean

MediumLinen, cotton

Dimensions100 1/2 inches H X 82 1/2 inches W
Selvage width 34 to 34 1/2 inches
Fringe width 7 inches

Credit LineGift from The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2025-83

DescriptionWhite linen warp/cotton weft counterpane embroidered with heavy white cotton thread in a modified outline stitch from the back, leaving short dash stitches on the front. The design consists of a center diamond enclosing a flower bouquet and oval chain. Tulip sprays fill the triangular spaces between the center diamond and a square frame. Two outer borders are filled with flower sprays, swags, four-petal flowers, words, initials, and date. Counterpane is made of two selvage-width panels stitched down the center. Sides and bottom have a wide applied netted fringe with heavier darning through the net in a geometric angled design. Top finished with a narrow hem. The embroidered inscriptions on bottom, sides, and top outer edges read: "Isabella Dunlap Her Counterpan 1815 / Dabney Carr James C Johnson Wyatt Wingfield 1815 / MW ITJ(?) WJ ESJ WB CA EDT JC JT / ND"Label TextWhile this counterpane gone through discoloration and staining in the years since its creation, it still remains a striking example of a young woman's needlework. The inscription attributes this bedcovering to Isabella Dunlap, who worked it around the age of 21 in her hometown of Summerdean, Virginia. Whitework counterpanes were common projects for women with the means to acquire- and maintain- the textiles needed. Often, they were associated with a woman's marriage; however, Dunlap worked this piece three years before she married.Inscription(s)"Isabella Dunlap Her Counterpan 1815 / Dabney Carr James C Johnson Wyatt Wingfield 1815 / MW ITJ(?) WJ ESJ WB CA EDT JC JT / ND"Provenance1815, maker Isabella Dunlap (later Mrs. Robert Douglas Sterrett, married 1818) [1794-1866] (Augusta and Rockbridge County, VA); dates unknown, descended to Isabella’s daughter Elizabeth “Betsy” Jane Sterrett (Mrs. Adam McChesney) Brown [1830-1889] (Rockbridge County, VA); dates unknown, found in Brown home and descended to their granddaughter Betsy Davidson (Mrs. George W.) Smith [1908-2010] (Camp Hill, PA); 1974, gift to Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2025, gift to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)