Embroidered bed hangings 1757 - 1775

Ruth Culver Coleman created this textile hanging, likely in colonial America, sometime in the 18th century. It is made from linen embroidered with wool in shades of blue. The indigo dye used to color the wool hints at a global economy of trade and enslavement, which helped make decorative objects such as these bed hangings available to wealthy landowners in the colonies. Indigo cultivation was a labor-intensive process often carried out by enslaved people. The textile itself also tells us a lot about gendered social structures, with women like Coleman being responsible for the production of textiles for domestic use. The floral motifs, neatly arranged, also suggest Coleman's familiarity with European design and aesthetic values. This artifact shows how the creation and use of household objects were connected to much wider structures. To more fully understand this piece, one might research early American economic history and read the personal papers of women involved in textile production.