The patriotism conveyed by this coverlet's depiction of the Capitol in Washington is reinforced by its red, white, and dark blue colors. The edifice might have been difficult to identify without its caption, as the dome of the Capitol was not installed until 1865, a number of years after this coverlet was made.

Technical notes and description: Cotton and wool warp and weft tied Biederwand weave cloth. Four rows of three full circles with four trumpet-shaped blossoms set in a star-poked wheel make up the ground. The four corners feature a dovelike bird in profile.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.