Jerusha Foote Johnson
Bed Rug

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Bed Rug
Date1782
Made inColchester, Connecticut, United States
MediumWool
Dimensions82 1/2 × 85 1/4 in. (209.6 × 216.5 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by the Gloria Garic Anderson Endowment Fund for Accessions
Object numberB.2023.4
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

While the term “rug” today refers to a small floor covering, this usage developed only in the early 19th century. Previously, one of its meanings was a type of heavy coverlet. Most early bed rugs were one color made of heavy cloth and imported to the colonies. By contrast, the tradition of these bed rugs is one of needlework in the home, representing a commitment of time, materials, and skill, and often becoming treasured family heirlooms. Only sixty surviving examples are known.


Most of the surviving bed rugs came from Connecticut, but they were made in other New England colonies and states. Many of the Connecticut examples originated in New London County, including this bed rug. Reaching across the southeastern corner of Connecticut, New London County enjoyed stability and prosperity from farming and maritime businesses, giving rise to households with the resources to create these spectacular bed coverings.


Jerusha Foote Johnson likely made this rug, initialed I. I. and dated 1782, in Colchester, Connecticut, one of a family whose women created several surviving bed rugs. In 1779, Jerusha married Revolutionary War soldier Joseph Johnson, and she made this rug in the latter years of the war, when access to imported textiles was curtailed. Using several shades of blue, she created her rug with a looped-pile face and a pattern of flowers and meandering vines, with the largest flower appearing to emerge from a pair of feather-like elements at the base of the design.


ProvenancePossibly Jerusha Foote Johnson (1755–1831), Colchester, Connecticut; [...]; Estate of Elizabeth G. Holahan (1903–2002), Rochester, New York; [Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, New York, September 24, 2005, lot 194]; [Nathan Liverant and Sons Antiques, Colchester, Connecticut]; Frederick and Susan Coplan, Avon, Connecticut; sold through [Nathan Liverant and Son Antiques, 2023]; purchased by MFAH, 2023.
Exhibition HistoryBed Furnishing in Early America, An Intimate Look. Wadsworth Atheneum, September 26, 2018–January 27, 2019.

New London County Quilts and Bed Covers, 1750–1825. The Florence Griswold Museum, February 12–May 1, 2022
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Recto: Inscription and date are incorporated into the design with worked in yarn at center top edge: I · I; 1782
Verso: [none]
[none]
[none]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Bed Rug
Lucy Williams Lathrop
1804
Wool
B.2023.3
scan from file photograph
c. 1740
Cotton twill, wool
B.56.183.2
scan from file photograph
c. 1740
Cotton twill and wool
B.56.183.1.A-.C
scan from file photograph
c. 1740
Cotton twill, wool
B.56.183.3
scan from file photograph
c. 1740
Cotton twill, wool
B.56.183.4
Sampler
Sarah Johnson
1769
Silk on linen
B.2013.27
Counterpane
18th century
Wool embroidered with crewel wool
B.63.73
Coverlet
early 19th century
Wool, wool thread, possibly linen and cotton
B.79.12
Framed Panel from Bed Hangings
Daniel Marot
c. 1690
Linen and wool
73.29
Framed Panel from Bed Hanging
Daniel Marot
c. 1690
Linen and wool
73.30