The Coverlet Documentation Project
The Coverlet Documentation Project is an effort to create an open access, digital repository of images, stories and information about coverlets in private and public collections across the country.
Visit the McCarl Gallery on CatalogIt HUB to view some of the coverlet collections that we’ve documented so far.
Why go digital?
Physical storage space at museums and historical societies is at a premium, and many of these institutions have no room to take donations. At the same time, many coverlet owners have no wish to relinquish their family heirlooms or prized collections. But storage space isn’t an issue with digital collections, and we can document your cherished coverlets for posterity without taking them out of your hands. A digital repository solves both problems at once.
Get involved
If you have an heirloom coverlet or a small collection, we welcome you to submit photos and information about your coverlets remotely, or you can bring in your coverlets to the McCarl Gallery and we will take care of the rest. If you have a larger collection, read on below.
Where it started
In 1986, Katherine “Kay” Hawthorne joined textile historian Clarita Anderson in an endeavor to document Jacquard-woven coverlets. Over the years, the two women amassed a database of over 14,000 textiles. Originally housed at the University of Maryland, the database came to Saint Vincent College in 2009.
Limited by the technology of their time, the original database existed in hard copy. Thousands of physical photographs and hand-written records were eventually converted into a primitive computer spreadsheet. The Coverlet Documentation Project is a continuation of their work that takes advantage of modern technology — specifically digital photography, cloud storage, and online collections.
This new stage of the project began in the summer of 2024. Since then, we have photographed over 2000 coverlets…and counting.
Where it’s going
The information and images that we collect for the Documentation Project support research into the who, what, where, when, & how of 19th-century coverlet weaving. The public face of this research is freely accessible in our online wiki The Coverlet Index (read more here).
Bring in your coverlets!
Do you have a family heirloom coverlet, or a small collection? If you’re able, please schedule a time to bring them in to the McCarl Gallery, and we will happily photograph and document your coverlet(s) free of charge, in exchange for permission to publish the images and/or records for posterity. We will provide you with high resolution digital images of your coverlet(s) as a thank you for participating.
Large collection? We travel!
Do you have a large collection of coverlets that’s too extensive to bring to the McCarl Gallery? We may be able to come to you with our portable photography studio, depending on funding, staff availability, and other logistics. A somewhat large space is required, but we can get creative about squeezing in. Please contact us to discuss the possibilities.
Documentation highlights
These are some of the collections that we have documented and published online, with the permission of the owners.
Click on a thumbnail to view the full collection.
Collection of West Overton Village
Collection of John & Janet Simmermaker, the "Nationals" (mostly non-Indiana coverlets)
Collection of Riene Wells & Dean Herriges
Collection of Kitty Bell & Ron Walter (cataloging in progress)
Collection of Jeffrey & Carolyn Payne
Collection of Compass Inn Museum
Ankeney-Woods Collection
Private New York Collection
Collections with fewer than 10 coverlets are combined into one folder in our online collection