Artifact: Striped Blanket
Materials: Wool weft, cotton warp
Dimensions: OL: 78"; OW: 79"
Date: 1775-1830
Origin: America
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Striped Blankets
Department: Household
Customer: James Compton
Ledger Page: 189
Imported From: Blankets were typically imported from England.
Product Description
Blankets were a type of bed cover made of a heavy woolen cloth. They were often adorned with stripes and embroidered at the corners with crowns, stars, or roses. While these were household items for American colonists, they also served a key role in trade with Native Americans.
Citation: Florence M. Montgomery. Textiles in America, 1650-1870 : a Dictionary Based on Original Documents : Prints and Paintings, Commercial Records, American Merchants' Papers, Shopkeepers' Advertisements, and Pattern Books with Original Swatches of Cloth. (New York :Norton, 1984), 169-171.;
Historical Price: 17 shillings, 6 pence per pair of blankets; Modern USD: $196
Product Variations
The databases record twenty-five purchases of blankets. Qualifiers include coarse, duffle, dutch, fine, small, and striped. Their prices range from four shillings for a small blanket to twenty five shillings for a pair of Dutch blankets.
