Coverlet c. 1840

Editor: Here we have a "Coverlet" created around 1840. It’s a weaving—a textile— currently held at The Art Institute of Chicago, which to me looks like waves... or maybe even water droplets frozen in time! The pattern seems both chaotic and controlled. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Oh, it's a piece that hums with quiet intention, isn't it? The endlessness of the pattern invites a trance, almost meditative. When I look at the all-over weaving, I imagine the countless hours it must have taken to create. And isn't that dedication woven, quite literally, into its very fiber? I find it deeply poetic! Do you get that same sense of endless time from this? Editor: Absolutely, the patience needed is mind-boggling! Was there anything specific happening at that time that may have led to such a design? Curator: Well, you know, so much of women's labor has been about creating functional objects that were also, inherently, art. This coverlet sits right at that intersection. It warmed bodies, but it also offered a sort of visual and tactile comfort – maybe even a secret language within the geometric forms. Does that make sense, a coded comfort? Editor: Yes, I get that—especially thinking of the time when this was created, where visual expression wasn't necessarily encouraged for all. It's functional, beautiful and potentially revolutionary. I have a totally new view of it. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. The closer we look, the more these seemingly simple objects reveal. A beautiful dance, don’t you think?