Whitework Bedspread, 1828
Many early 1800s bedspreads boldly proclaim the maker’s name. Household textiles have traditionally been considered the property of the women living there, even when they had no legal property rights to speak of, so Mercy was building on tradition by inscribing her name on her handiwork. But she was also asserting her rights to something of her own in households where she was never mistress. Mercy Deuel never married; as a spinster sister living in various siblings’ households, she probably wanted to claim something as hers alone.
Cambridge, New York. Cotton thread on cotton ground. Gift of Violet R. Ford 62.181