In the summer of 2010, the New-York Historical Society acquired a hand-crocheted bedcover commemorating the American Centennial. Created in New York City circa 1876 by Anna Mary Schweckendick, the coverlet became a treasured family heirloom, handed down from mother to daughter for five generations. While inherited objects often hold great sentimental value for the family that preserves them, the significance of this particular object extends far beyond the personal dimension. The materials and handwork techniques used to make the cover, together with its complex iconography, attest to the dramatic economic, technological, political, and cultural changes shaping nineteenth-century United States.
Although obviously a painstakingly hand-worked piece of fiber art, this object is not a pure expression of personal craft. At least two other nearly identical bedcovers with unrelated provenances exist indicating that the piece was made from a commercially produced pattern. Multi-figured, patriotic, rooted in the realm of domesticity, and testifying to the transformation wrought by industrialization, it articulates, in textile form, the nationalist narrative of post-Civil War America. Intricately rendered using iconography reaching back to the nation’s founding, the coverlet incorporates the highly impassioned patriotism and transformative expression of nationalism forged during the conflict as embodied by a classically draped allegorical female alternately known as Liberty or Columbia, the American flag, the Great Seal of the United States featuring the eagle and shield, and the office of the presidency.
In my presentation I plan to focus on this core group of emblems which through advancements in manufacturing and communication became ubiquitous adornments on consumer commodities. I will use images of late-nineteenth-century material culture, including an array of everyday objects that were mass-produced, sold, and displayed, helping to solidify and perpetuate a common American cultural identity.
About the presenterAdrienne Karen Meyer
Adrienne Meyer worked in the fashion industry for twenty years before returning to school to become a recent graduate of the Master Program in the History of Decorative Arts and Design at Parsons The New School. While a research assistant at the New-York Historical Society she contributed to several publications including Stories in Silver, and coordinated the project team responsible for launching the Object of the Day website feature at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.