An American Legacy

In the world of coverlets, few names are as well-known and respected as Foster McCarl. A love of American history led him to purchase his first historic coverlet in Ephrata, Pennsylvania in 1959. Coverlets often had the names of the weaver and recipient, as well as the location and date, woven into the fabric. It was that unique wealth of information about the people who made and used these artifacts that initially intrigued Foster and his wife Muriel. In the following years and decades, they spent countless hours cultivating what became one of the finest collections of handwoven coverlets in the country.Brian McCarl, the second of their four sons, inherited their love of history and antiques. He remembers accompanying his parents on antiquing trips throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio during his childhood, developing friendships with dealers and other collectors. Coverlets became an intimate part of everyday life rather than artifacts to be stored away under glass. “We lived with them,” Brian recalls. “We used them, put them on beds, rotated them month-to-month. They were beautiful.”

In 2005, the family made the decision to donate Foster’s collection of over three hundred coverlets to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery was established within the Fred M. Rogers Center on campus as a permanent home for the collection. It was Foster’s wish that his coverlets be displayed for the public and used to inspire a deeper appreciation of American history in students of all ages. He died in 2007 at the age of 83, shortly before the Gallery opened. Brian McCarl was instrumental in helping his father document and catalog his coverlet collection in his later years. At a certain point, Brian began to assemble a collection of his own. Like his father, he sought out the unique and unusual— rare patterns, or examples from the same weaver with different designs and corner blocks. One of his favorites is a blue and white coverlet woven by Philip Anshutz with tiny cannons woven throughout the centerfield. He also appreciates Samuel B. Musselman’s coverlets for their brilliant use of color in the Pennsylvania Dutch style.

Brian has always viewed his coverlets as an extension and continuation of the collection that his father started many years ago. He feels proud to have been a part of continuing the family tradition in the way that Foster would have wanted. In 2023, Brian’s coverlets were donated to the McCarl Coverlet Gallery through a gift of the McCarl Foundation. Now a permanent part of the McCarl Collection, they will continue to spark the wonder and curiosity of generations to come.

“An American Legacy: The Brian McCarl Collection” opens April 17th, 2024. The exhibit will be on display in the McCarl Gallery from April 17th through August 16th, featuring 28 selected highlights from Brian McCarl's collection of 115 historic handwoven coverlets. A printed catalog of the entire collection will be released in conjunction with the opening reception.