Bed Rug
1796
Medium
Wool, plain weave; with cut pile formed by wool yarns embroidered in looped running stitches
Dimensions
249.4 × 246.1 cm (98 1/4 × 97 in.)
Classification
needlework - quilt
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
49691
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
It is not surprising that early American textiles reflect the strong influence of European, especially English, designs and techniques. Materials were scarce and making utilitarian objects such as bedcoverings depended entirely on raw products that could be raised by a family or community. Yet indigenous forms of American needlework did develop, as can be seen in this masterful bed rug. Although the coiling tendrils of its design are reminiscent of motifs that appear in sixteenth- and seventeent...