The 1782 Bed Rug from the collections at Peachfield, usually situated in our master bedroom, as been featured these last few months at the “New London County Quilts and Bed Covers 1750-1825” Exhibition at the Florence Griswold Museum in New Lyme Connecticut.
NSCDA-NJ President, Mary Prendergast, took a trip to the New Lyme to see the rug on display.
The 1782 Bed Rug has been donated to Peachfield’s collections by the family of Phoebe E. (Harris) Dinsmore, who noted that it had come from New England.
The unique bed rug features various tints of blue wool on an undyed woven wool background, and measures 78″w by 81″l. Too few bed rugs have survived to allow any constructive or definite conclusion to be drawn about sources of patterns. For sure, the maker created a work that is colorful, wonderful and seemingly unique in the history of needlework. The upper head end has a semi-geometric design of squares, triangles and concentric cyma lines forming an arch above the initials “S S” and date “1782”. Bed rugs seldom go on the market, but when they do, museums compete against collectors. The 1782 Bed Rug in the Peachfield collections is in excellent overall condition and integrity meriting its conservation and restoration.
