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Patchwork Coverlet

1802-1830 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This coverlet is a striking example of the craft of patchwork, a popular pastime in the nineteenth century. The overall design combines a variety of blocks or shapes, with appliquéd flowers, and an embrodiered central medallion. Ann Randoll was part of the Coate family of Somerset, but it has not been possible to find out anything about her despite considerable genealogical research. Several printed cottons date from after 1802, so this may be her birth or another significant family date, rather than the date the patchwork was completed.

The coverlet is composed of hundreds of tiny pieces of printed cotton, and some printed linen, and together these show the development of textile printing from about 1780 to the1820s. One stylised flower printed in red on green comes from India, where the technique of printing with wooden blocks on cotton was first perfected. Another fabric used was a large-scale furnishing linen, printed in France. The coverlet is dominated by the many attractive, small-scale floral sprigs and stripes that became so fashionable in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, and show the great variety of designs that became available from Britain's manufacturers as mechanisation and technology improved.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Embroidered and pieced printed cotton and linen
Brief description
Patchwork coverlet, printed cotton and linen, Somerset, 1802-1830
Physical description
Patchwork coverlet, of printed cotton and linen, dating from the 1780s to the 1820s. Central panel embroidered with '27 October 1802 / Ann Randoll'.
Dimensions
  • Approx. height: 375cm
  • Approx. width: 300cm
  • Weight: 7kg (Note: weight including roller)
  • Top edge width: 2533mm
  • Bottom edge width: 2482mm
  • Proper right length: 3111mm
  • Proper left length: 3110mm
  • Weighed on roller weight: 15.5kg
Marks and inscriptions
Central panel embroidered with '27 October 1802 / Ann Randoll'.
Gallery label
Embroidered patchwork coverlet Ann Randoll, possibly Somerset About 1820; dated 1802 The variety of printed cottons available by the end of the 18th century can be seen in the wide range of dress fabrics used here. They include a large-scale copperplate-printed textile of the 1780s (possibly French); an Indian fabric in red and green; a flag design, possibly commemorating a naval victory; and several cottons in the 'seaweed' style popular in the 1820s. The embroidery at the centre - 'Ann Randoll / October 27 1802' - records a date significantly earlier than some of the textiles. Randoll seems to have made the quilt to commemorate an earlier event in her life. Cotton and linen Given by the Coate family in memory of Randoll Coate V&A: T.32-2007(20th March 2010)
Credit line
Given by the Coate family in memory of Randoll Coate
Object history
According to the International Genealogical Index (www.familysearch.org) an Ann Randle died on 7 October 1802, having been baptised on 8 June 1800 in Bedworth Warwickshire. Her parents were Samuel and Lydia Randle.
Summary
This coverlet is a striking example of the craft of patchwork, a popular pastime in the nineteenth century. The overall design combines a variety of blocks or shapes, with appliquéd flowers, and an embrodiered central medallion. Ann Randoll was part of the Coate family of Somerset, but it has not been possible to find out anything about her despite considerable genealogical research. Several printed cottons date from after 1802, so this may be her birth or another significant family date, rather than the date the patchwork was completed.

The coverlet is composed of hundreds of tiny pieces of printed cotton, and some printed linen, and together these show the development of textile printing from about 1780 to the1820s. One stylised flower printed in red on green comes from India, where the technique of printing with wooden blocks on cotton was first perfected. Another fabric used was a large-scale furnishing linen, printed in France. The coverlet is dominated by the many attractive, small-scale floral sprigs and stripes that became so fashionable in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, and show the great variety of designs that became available from Britain's manufacturers as mechanisation and technology improved.
Bibliographic reference
Sue Prichard (ed.), Quilts, 1700-2010 : hidden histories, untold stories, London: V&A, 2010 no. 20 Linda Parry, 'Complexity and context: nineteenth-century British quilts', in Sue Prichard (ed.), Quilts 1700-2010 (London: V&A, 2010) p.69
Collection
Accession number
T.32-2007

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Record createdAugust 1, 2007
Record URL
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