Name/Title
CoverletEntry/Object ID
2012.12.1Description
Purple and white overshot coverlet. The undyed cotton and purple wool are woven into square and rectangular designs of varying sizes.Context
Around 1864, Mary Ann Stack (1852–1928) hand wove this decorative bedcover using a reversible overshot pattern. The overshot weave was produced—likely on a loom—by combining natural cotton and dyed wool to create a variety of block shapes. According to family history, Mary used wool and cotton from her father's farm and boiled down poisonous poke berries to make the purple dye. While this is possible, her father, John (1823–1897), was not growing cotton when the 1850 agricultural census was conducted a decade before. Instead, the five people he enslaved primarily harvested hay, sweet potatoes, and beans.
Years after finishing this coverlet, Mary wedded prominent planter, Confederate veteran, and magistrate, Charles Kinsler (1847–1920). Together, Mary and Charles had at least eight children.Made/Created
Artist
Mary Ann Stack KinslerDate made
1864Place
City
Columbia, South Carolina