Pillowcases

Object/Artifact

-

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Pillowcases

Entry/Object ID

1974.10.2

Description

Pair of plain woven linen pillowcases made by Abigail Carpenter Gay (1771-1856) of New London, New Hampshire. The letters A and G are worked in cross stitch, the A an unusual configuration, and the number 15.

Made/Created

Artist

Gay, Abigail Carpenter

Date made

1800 - 1830

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

These pillowcases were carefully marked in a more complicated alphabet and unusual exaggerated numerals than Nabby Gay’s other items. That these were the 15th and 16th pairs of pillowcases out of perhaps even more, suggests the quantity of linens needed to maintain household standards of cleanliness in the days before washers and dryers.