Amanda Ellis 11/8/1119th c. American ArtPaper 3

A Final Look at American Textiles My Concluding Research and Opinions

Before I begin writing a final paper upon the importance of textiles in nineteenth-

century art, a further explanation as to why I chose this topic is needed. In a class

centered around historical American paintings and architecture, how does this topic

connect? After preliminary research, I have come to find that textiles relate to this class

quite a bit. This surprised me because I originally chose textiles as a way to keep my

enthusiasm in a topic I find uninteresting. By researching textiles, I was able to relate to

American art in a way I could not before. Sewing, quilting, and ʻcraftingʼ are activities in

which I participate in, therefore I could better understand the importance of this class

through folk art rather than the works we studied through slides. As a result, I have

come to appreciate nineteenth-century American art much more, and I see how artists

of all kinds have influenced our culture. I still find textiles to be more interesting,

however, than works by Copley, Bierstadt, or Cassatt. Therefore I devoted my research

to find the influences of unnamed folk artists and argue that textiles have an undeniable

importance within nineteenth-century American art.

While in class, we discussed the piece entitled “George Washington and

His Family Portrait” (anonymous, c. 1810), and it is what first sparked my interest in

textile art. It caused me to question how the often overlooked use of textiles contributed

to the definition of a new culture. When fine art was predominantly defined as oil

paintings, who decided to paint with thread? And who were the artists who found their

expression not in the forging of sculpture, but in the fabrication of the American

wardrobe? Hopefully by examining the treatment of textiles, we can discover how they

contributed to the creation of American art.

An obvious use of textiles within American art was to depict wealth and luxury.

This was used both in paintings and in wardrobe. In a sense, more materials meant

more wealth, therefore paintings often included an abundance of fabric that was either

part of the environmental decor or worn by the subject. Looking at John Singleton

Copleyʼs portraits would be a prime example of this use of textiles. Often, Copley was

commissioned to portray upper class individuals in their best possible light. A great

advantage to Copley was the fact that painting allowed for exaggeration. Waistcoat

buttons could be maneuvered to make the man appear thicker, and elaborate dresses

could be repainted for several figures. Wealth was displayed through possession, and in

Copleyʼs work they could possess anything he painted, including fine tapestries and

clothing. In the portrait entitled “The Copley Family” (Copley, c.1776), the use of textiles

almost dominates the piece. Every figure in the family is extravagantly dressed in a

variety of fine fabrics. The plush couch and pillows are upholstered with a delicately

patterned cloth, as well as the draping tapestry on the left. Even the doll that was

seemingly tossed upon the floral rug is clothed in decorative attire. The importance of

textiles in displaying wealth and prestige is obvious within Copleyʼs painting, and it was

skillfully used in promoting the American elite.

Textiles were also important for the middle class, as they were often the only

form of art they could afford. Making samplers, quilts, coverlets and bed hangings were

not only more cost effective, but functional as well. Textiles were portable and necessary

Amanda Ellis 11/8/1119th c. American Art

for the creation of the average household. Bed hangings, for instance, kept those in

colonial America warm at night and created a canvas for creative embroidery. A young

girlʼs education at this time was predominantly based around homemaking, which

included sewing and embroidery. Therefore, women were the ʻartistsʼ of the households

and left their legacies through textiles. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example,

Ruth Rogers is remembered because of her featured embroidered sampler made in

1739. Most girls were required to learn the craft of embroidery through the creation of a

sampler, which comprised of letters and patterns. Rogers excelled in her sampler by

including multiple decorative motifs, and an image of Adam and Eve. Not much is

known about Rogers, other than the fact that she was eight when she created the

sampler. It is likely that this sampler was passed along the family as an heirloom.

Although it was nothing like Copleyʼs portraits, it displayed an obedience and skill from a

young girl that any family, as well as suitor, would be proud of.

Among the textiles produced in the nineteenth-century, the quilt was arguably the

most universal. Made by women of all classes, it created a myriad of opportunities for

creativity as well as social interaction. Quilts were made for functional use, to honor a

certain event, express a relationship, or decorate a home. The fact that most quilts were

made for aesthetic reasons set them apart from other textile collections. Unlike

samplers, these textiles did not become art, but were directly made to be art. One

extraordinary example would be the “Signature Quilt” created by Adeline Harris Sears

within the years of 1856 and 1863. Seventeen years old at the time, Harris sent out

pieces of white silk to prominent figures around the world. Some of the signatures that

returned were Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln and seven other Presidents, Ralph

Waldo Emerson, heroes from the Civil War, and several popular artists of the age. Upon

receiving the returned signatures, Harris sewed the silk into a colorful geometric pattern.

The finished piece not only represents the beauty of quilts, but what cultural aspects

were important to an educated girl of the nineteenth-century. Harris used her abilities in

textiles to express her worldview which may have otherwise gone unknown. Women

often found their voices in textiles because other forms of expression were not available

to those below the upper class.

From the preliminary research, it is easy to argue that textiles played a major part

in the nineteenth-century American image. While landscape painters advertised

Americaʼs land, Copley advertised the American people. If Copley had painted the same

figures without the elaborate wardrobes and tapestries, who would they become? Most

certainly they would not represent a nationality deserving respect from Europe. And

without the embroidered samplers and quilts, how would we remember the unnamed

middle class women, who also held beliefs and changed history? It would be hard to

argue against the influence of textiles given the plethora of examples preserved in

museums and collections. Even today, textiles are a major part of our visual culture

thanks to the progress of innovative artists and techniques.

These realizations, however, were only the beginning in my search to

understand, as I have formed several more questions as the result of further research.

For instance, what aspects about textiles made it so much more influential to the

American identity than other art forms? How is the growth of American culture reflected

in textiles? Who else, other than women, gained a creative voice through this medium?

A simple response to the first question is that Americans have always needed

Amanda Ellis 11/8/1119th c. American Art

clothes. When the first pioneers came over from England, they did not transport

paintings, prints, or any sort of artistic material. They did, however, wear clothes. It may

seem like a primitive explanation for the existence of textiles, but the need for protection

and warmth was an undeniable fact. This fact created a pool of consumers who needed

textiles in order to live. Laborers, raw materials, and necessary technology would soon

follow to cater to these consumers. As the population expanded, more clothes were

either created or imported from England. Although the first textiles in America came

straight from the mother country, the “...North American population (its growth and its

composition), climate, soil and sheer land mass resulted in a textile tradition different

from that of the European nations, even though much in the way of technology and

design was initially drawn from them.” (Harris, pg. 250)

As colonies and trades were established, the increase of textile manufacturing

mirrored its continued increase in population. More materials such as silk, wool, and

cotton were produced rather than imported, and Britain could not help but notice. In

1699, a ban was placed upon the exporting of woolen cloths between other countries as

well as other colonies. In 1719, Britain even had the nerve to ban weaving throughout

the Carolina colonies. It was obvious that Americaʼs textile manufacturing was a threat

to Britainʼs economy, but they were powerless to repress its growth. By 1760, the

colonies within Philadelphia held the highest population and the greatest concentration

of textile manufacturing in the continent. Even Britain began importing about 4,000 ships

worth of textiles from America annually in the 1840ʼs. The growth of textiles was like an

unstoppable train that pulled America into its own economic power.

Textiles was also an important factor in the Industrial Revolution. An integrated

mill which combined hand-carding, spinning, and weaving was created by George

Cabot in 1787, followed soon after by the water-powered cotton-spinning mill invented

by Samuel Slater in 1790. In 1793, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, which greatly

eased the process of removing the lint from the seed and resulted in greater

productivity. These creations were the stepping stones into more advanced technology

and an industrial society. As the production of necessary textiles became more

streamlined, it also allowed for more exploration in the art of textiles. Homemade textiles

and designs were always prevalent, but as Americans became wealthier and more

efficient in their lifestyles, there was more time for further creativity. Overall, the life-

sustaining and profitable aspects of textiles are what differentiated this form of ʻfolkʼ art

and paved the way towards a society capable of producing ʻfinerʼ pieces comparable to

foreign artists.

Not only do textiles reflect the economic health of America, it also has a deep

connection to its growth of culture. From the beginning, textiles have been a way to add

warmth and decor to a home. Often the quilts, coverlets, bed curtains, and rugs were

the only decorated item a family owned, and were the focus point of the home. Learning

necessary textile skills was a major aspect of a girls education, and the level of her

needleworking was an influential factor towards her future. Therefore girls would create

elaborate samplers for school, which were often required for graduation, in order to

show off their abilities. This highly reflected the patriarchal society in which men needed

proficient women to manage the home. Looking at a young girls sampler was like

looking at her resume for a housewife role, therefore the American sampler began to

Amanda Ellis 11/8/1119th c. American Art

take on characteristics different from those seen in Europe. In Europe, the typical

sampler included the alphabet, letters, reclining stags, carnations, and fleur-de-lis

designs. American samplers often include similar designs, but were further decorated

with with verses, peoms, biblical quotations, makers name, community in which she

lived, birthdate, date completed, and even an elaborate pictorial scene. Another major

difference was that American samplers were framed and displayed, while European

samplers were rolled into storage and used only as a stitching reference. Obviously

these samplers meant much more to the American culture than to Europeʼs. Not every

girl enjoyed the practice, however, as evidenced by a stitched phrase in a sampler from

1800;

“Patty Polk did this and she hated every stitch she did in it. She loves to

read much more.” -Patty Polk, age 10 (Bishop, Atkins, Niemann, and Coblentz, p103)

Although the design of samplers reflected the importance of capable matriarchs,

it did not reflect a wide expanse of creativity. In the early 19th century, “...samplers were

not fully explored as an art form because they were too much a part of the socialization

process; conformity, restraint, and sentimentality were important, and thus, the

ʻcreativity of sampler makers and development of a powerful sampler style were

inhibitedʼ” (Bishop, Atkins, Niemann, and Coblentz, p103). A woman, at the time, was

distinguished in the way that she submitted to her given roles. Respectable girls made

what their teachers taught, and teachers profited from this as they sold their specific

design for others to copy. Newspapers became lined with ads for popular patterns, and

the result was an assimilation of the American textile produced within homes. New

education opportunities in the for women in the 1830ʻs also did not encourage creativity,

as stronger curriculums replaced the practice of needlework. Pre-drawn patterns,

especially from Germany, became the norm and were dubbed the title ʻBerlin workʼ.

Only women who could afford hobbies were able to continue in more original and

creative textile endeavors.

One technique of textile art that defied the creative trends were quilts. It is said

that “quilts may, in fact, be considered one of Americaʼs great indigenous art

forms” (Bishop, Atkins, Niemann, and Coblentz, p121). Although samplers reached a

pinnacle of originality, quilts continued to expand and differ in its material and

composition. This technique could be accomplished with a wide variety of fabrics

including scraps found within the average home. Men in the tailor trade even

participated in the quilting sensation by reusing leftover resources. The popularity of this

textile art resulted in social gatherings, or ʻquilting beesʼ, in which people could gather to

socialize, share ideas, and express themselves. Many of the expressions made their

way into the quilting work and reflected the status of the American culture at the time.

When Britain placed tariffs on imported cotton, Americans responded by

producing more of their own cottons printed with patriotic designs. Compositions of the

quilts were also quite patriotic, as seen by the piece entitled “Trade and Commerce”, in

which ships are sailing around little scenes of contemporary people. It was common to

see red, white, and blue color schemes along with icons of the growing American

government. Quilting had become another medium in which to advocate a free America

and promote loyalty. Historical scenes also preserved a sense of nostalgia, along with

the use of old fabrics from hair ribbons, mens neckties, a favorite dress, etc. It may be

Amanda Ellis 11/8/1119th c. American Art

true to say, therefore, that not only the “...history of quilts is embedded in our culture but

also that the history of our culture is embedded in quilts.” (Bishop, Atkins, Niemann, and

Coblentz, p130)

In the mid 19th century, however, the popularity of womenʼs magazines put a

damper on the creative scope of quilts. Similar to what happened to samplers, popular

designs were being advertised and copied by the many women who viewed the

magazines. Unlike samplers, however, there was an untouched demographic which

took charge of the creative field. African Americans living in America, either free or in

slavery, did not partake in the reading of womenʼs magazines. Therefore, they were

unscathed by the pressure to conform in their designs.

A technique called “crazy” quilting originated with the African Americans, and

have become a popular approach to the art. Most of the materials for construction were

gained through leftovers, discards, and handouts. Crazy quilting took advantage of the

hodge-podge of fabrics through improvisation, something that most American women

would never try. It resulted in dazzling and original quilts that were similar to the block

patterns seen in native African textiles. No two quilts were the same, and the simple

process of piecing scraps together did not require extensive technology. Similar to

quilting bees, the African American communities would come together and sew multiple

quilts in one night in order to help their neighbors. It is a beautiful reflection of the

growing power and voice that African Americans held together against their oppressive

circumstances.

In conclusion, there is much to be said about textiles, both through visual

observation and through in-depth research. Although textiles may not be what first

comes to mind when one thinks about nineteenth-century American art, it cannot be

denied that it played an essential role. Looking back to the slide of “George Washington

and His Family Portrait” (anonymous, c. 1810), it does not do the topic justice. One slide

cannot begin to cover the amounts of information that can be learned about American

textiles. Many scholars may just brush it aside as ʻfolk artʼ or a ʻcraftʼ, which limits

interpretations to certain connotations. What I have revealed through research,

however, is that textiles were much more than a folk art, they were a deeply connected

part of the developing American culture. By researching this topic I was able to greatly

enhance my American art studies, and better understand the given curriculum. Although

it is important to know such names as Sargent or Homer, I would advocate that

discussing the unknown wives, tailors, and immigrants is just as essential to fully

understand nineteenth-century American art.

Amanda Ellis 11/8/1119th c. American Art

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