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Coverlet, White Woven Dimity
Record

Coverlet, White Woven Dimity

Date1780-1830
OriginAmerica, Virginia
MediumCotton ground and cotton warp (fiber identification by eye)
DimensionsOverall: (89" x 93"); Side panels: (29.5" x 93"); Middle panel (30" x 93")
Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Lewis S. Philhower
Object number1963-69
DescriptionThis is a white cotton coverlet woven in a dimity weave and composed of three panels. The pattern is a tabby ground with warp ribs of varying widths in broad stripes running warp-wise.The hems are narrow at the tops and bottoms.Label TextThis whitework coverlet is significant for its color, quality, and the life of the maker. White was a notoriously difficult color to keep clean during and after creation, signifying the value of the homespun projects.Mark(s)In ink "M H" or "M N" In ink Possible number or dateProvenanceHistory of ownership in the Philhower family (Norfolk). Donor formerly resided on Capitol Landing Road, Williamsburg.

The provenance of the piece cannot be determined. However, the donors, Mr. and Mrs. Louis S. Philhower of Norfolk, Virginia claim someone within the family wove the textile. If this is true, Mary Margaret Huges Feely Howe may be a possible candidate for maker. Mrs. Howe is the only figure within the family tree that is both contemporary with the coverlet and possesses the initials "M.H". The "M" could refer to either Mary or Margaret and the "H" could refer to either her middle name Huges or her married name Howe. Margaret was born in Virginia in 1804 and buried in Pulaski County, Virginia in 1869. However, the inscriptions may not be contemporary with the maker and could also be a reference to Margaret Howe Faris or Margaret Houston Wassum Philhower, Louis S. Philhower's great aunt and mother, respectively.