Pillow cover

ca. 1876–77

Not on view

Designed by Wheeler soon after her return from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, this pillow cover is embroidered with Madonna lilies nearly identical to those on a curtain border exhibited there by London's Royal School of Needlework. English precedents supplied not only patterns but also the stitches and fabrics that Wheeler adopted early in her career. Made of a rough wool twill (bordered with silk velvet), this cover is embroidered mainly with wool yarn in a traditional crewel stitch. In its studied simplicity it echoes the early embroidery work of English designer William Morris. A proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement, Morris experimented with natural dyes and a variety of stitches to create works that evoked those of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the golden age of English embroidery.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Pillow cover
Artist: Candace Wheeler (American, Delhi, New York 1827–1923 New York)
Date: ca. 1876–77
Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
Culture: American
Medium: Wool twill embroidered with wool and silk thread, silk velvet border
Dimensions: 22 x 22 1/2 in. (55.9 x 57.2 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Candace Pullman Wheeler, 2002
Object Number: 2002.355.1
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

By Candace Wheeler

From the same time and place

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Bees with Honeycomb, Candace Wheeler American, Wallpaper fragment printed in six colors with four additional metallic colors — Bees with Honeycomb
Candace Wheeler
1881

Spider Web, Candace Wheeler American, Pen, black ink, and gouache with graphite scoring lines and corrections — Spider Web
Candace Wheeler
1847–1923

Irises panel, Candace Wheeler American, Silk embroidered with silk and metallic-wrapped cotton threads, metal sequins, and cut-glass beads, American — Irises panel
Multiple artists/makers
1883

Bees-and-honeycomb textile, Candace Wheeler American, Silk and wool, woven, American — Bees-and-honeycomb textile
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1883

Daffodil textile, Candace Wheeler American, Printed and woven cotton velvet, American — Daffodil textile
Candace Wheeler
Associated Artists
1883–1900

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