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Towel

A work made of linen, plain weaves; pieced; cut and drawn thread work embroidered with cotton and linen in overcast and darning stitches; pulled thread work with linen in loop stitches; embroidered with cotton in cross and darning stitches; warp fringe; tapes of linen, plain weave.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of linen, plain weaves; pieced; cut and drawn thread work embroidered with cotton and linen in overcast and darning stitches; pulled thread work with linen in loop stitches; embroidered with cotton in cross and darning stitches; warp fringe; tapes of linen, plain weave.

Date:

1831

Artist:

Elizabeth Bofgholder (American, active c. 1831)
United States, Pennsylvania

About this artwork

This towel displays traditional German motifs (such as a peacock and birds in a nest) in a symmetrical arrangement. Made in Pennsylvania Dutch and German communities, towels of this type were typically made by older women, as they are technically more difficult and elaborate to create than samplers. The height of towel production for purely decorative use occurred during the 1830s.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Artist

Elizabeth Borgholder (Maker)

Title

Towel

Place

United States (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1831

Medium

Linen, plain weaves; pieced; cut and drawn thread work embroidered with cotton and linen in overcast and darning stitches; pulled thread work with linen in loop stitches; embroidered with cotton in cross and darning stitches; warp fringe; tapes of linen, plain weave

Dimensions

145.1 × 32.1 cm (57 1/8 × 12 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Decorative Arts Auction Account

Reference Number

1948.93

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/62506/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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