Bed coverlet of broderie perse applique in cotton, England, 1811-1815

Bed coverlet of broderie perse white cotton, unlined, with an applied design of block-printed chintzes, most of which may be dated to the years 1804-1811. The coverlet has a square central compartment containing a peacock. The frame surrounding this is divided into smaller square compartments containing flowers and Chinoiserie vases and other motifs. Outside the frame is a wide border on which are scattered birds, vases of flowers and chinoiserie motifs. The outer border is a glazed cotton with a red ground and printed in black with a classical design of two-handled urns alternating with a group containing an eagle and lyre.

According to the donor, this coverlet was made in the Greater Manchester area by a member of the Kershaw family. The Kershaws owned a medical practice in Middleton in the early nineteenth century, and later moved to Wales.

Many of the printed cottons were printed at Bannister Hall, near Preston, Lancashire, between the years 1804 and 1811. Bannister Hall was one of the leading print works for woodblock chintzes in England in the early nineteenth century, producing innovative and constantly changing designs. The red and black 'classical' border round the edge was printed for George Anstey, a leading London linen-draper, in 1804. The Chinese vases come from two fabrics printed at Bannister Hall in 1805 and 1806. The little zig-zag border surrounding the central panel was also printed for Anstey in 1805, and the palm tree with white blossom at the base in 1811.

In about 1805 classical arabesques re-appear in a vogue for textiles printed in vibrant colours of red, yellow, orange, and black, as shown in the borders of this coverlet. Many of these patterns can be traced to earlier books of engraved designs, and the colours are well documented in the records of Bannister Hall, to which the fashionable London linen drapers like Richard Ovey and Abraham Allen sent their designs and instructions.

The application of shaped pieces of fabric onto a ground material can create very striking designs. In this instance, the maker has use a variation of applique known as 'Broderie Perse', whereby individual printed motifs, such as flowers or birds, are cut from fashionable chintzes and then stitched onto a larger piece of plain fabric.

Many of the English textiles seen here were printed between 1804 and 1811 at Bannister Hall, a printworks near Preston that supplied leading London drapers. The striking colours of the border and its classical motifs were highly fashionable in around 1805. Such a large scale applique project provided the maker with the opportunity to display not only her needlework skills, but also her access to some of these desirable textiles.

T.382-1960