Weaving a Legacy: The Don and Jean Stuck Coverlet Collection

Nineteenth-century handwoven coverlets are exceptional windows on the early years of American culture. They are increasingly prized by collectors for their superb craftsmanship and beauty of design as well as their historical significance.
Produced by professional weavers, many of whom had fled the industrial revolution in Europe, coverlets were used as the uppermost coverings of beds. In addition to their intricate and colorful designs, many have personal inscriptions woven into their corner blocks or borders. The peak of production for handwoven coverlets was the relatively short period between 1820 and the end of the Civil War, when the weaving industry was rapidly becoming fully mechanized.
The Don and Jean Stuck Coverlet Collection at the Columbus Museum of Art is the largest public collection of coverlets in the United States. The works of 185 known weavers are documented here, as are those of many anonymous weavers. With works from the nine most prominent coverlet-producing states and Canada, the collection includes examples of most weave structures and has a broad representation of colors, centerfield and border designs, and corner blocks.