Embroidered blanket

This Massachusetts-made embroidered blanket bedcover shows the transition in bedcovering styles in New England between the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. In the eighteenth century, heavy pile bed rugs such as MMA 13.207 and 33.122 were the favored type of wool bedcovering. Bed rugs began with a blanket base, just like this piece, but the blanket’s surface was completely covered with looped running stitches that made the pile of the rug. At some point, this fashion for such heavy wool coverings changed—perhaps more efficient heating like stoves instead of fireplaces made them not as necessary. However, the overall design of this embroidered bedcover is not that different from the designs commonly found on bed rugs, which also center on bouquet of flowers springing from a two handled pot surrounded by a wide scrolling floral border, like this piece.

The blanket bedcover is made with a black wool twill weave ground fabric. It is constructed of three vertical lengths of fabric that are seamed together, each measuring 28" wide. It is hand-embroidered with wool yarn in shades of blue, green, coral and white. The embroidered design is centered on a large pot of flowers and foliage. There is an embroidered inscription above the pot of flowers that reads: "Polly. Delano/ Dec 26th 1815". Moving out from the two-handled pot of flowers, there is a narrow scrolling border, a wide flowering vine border and a final border at the edge of the piece that features eight-pointed stars within a scallop design. The bedcover has two rounded corners at the bottom and is edged on three sides with a 6 ½ inch knotted border with a short fringe. A small area of the knotted border on the top right is a modern replacement—it was intentionally made in lighter colors to distinguish it from the original knotted border. The hand embroidery stitches include stem, satin, straight, and herringbone stitches and French knots. The knotted border is made from the same wool as the embroidery threads.

The presumed maker, Polly Delano (b. ca. 1795-1864) of Rochester, Plymouth County, MA married ship carpenter Jonathan Handy on December 17, 1815. Since the inscription on the bedcover dates it to December 26, 1815, it can be assumed that it was made to celebrate the wedding, either by Polly herself, or as a gift by friends or family members.