Edwin and Mary Bloomfield Coverlet

Maker:

UNKNOWN

Date:

1850

Made from appliquéd hexagon clusters and squares of cross-stitched quotes with printed cotton borders, the design of this coverlet is very unusual. The excerpts of text all have a religious significance, and mainly relate to the death of a child, indicating that this coverlet commemorates the tragic loss experienced by two parents, Edwin and Mary Bloomfield, whose names are placed in the central hexagon.

Detailed family history research has shown that this coverlet is very closely related to another within the collection. The William Wyatt Coverlet, dated 1849, shares not only a similar unusual design with religious text and Maltese crosses motifs - but also several examples of the same fabric. Research has shown that Ann Wyatt was the sister of Mary Bloomfield, providing a definite link between the two coverlets, and perhaps accounting for the similarity in style, design and fabrics.