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1984-152, Quilt
Quilt Top or Counterpane, Appliqued and Embroidered
1984-152, Quilt

Quilt Top or Counterpane, Appliqued and Embroidered

Date1839 (dated)
Artist/Maker Rebecca Fullan
OriginNorthern Ireland, Dungannon
MediumMulticolor plate-, block-, and roller-printed cottons with wool and cotton embroidery
Dimensions98" square
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1984-152
DescriptionThis quilt top is made up of pieced printed cottons and wool embroidery on a ground of white cotton. A center floral design is embroidered in wool, with an inscription "Rebecca Fullan/ Dungannon/1839." Surrounding the center are concentric borders of cut out and appliqued printed cottons, appliqued with buttonhole stitches. The counterpane may have been intended to be quilted.
Label TextMiss Rebecca Fullan embroidered and signed this quilt top in 1839, the same year she married William Halligan in Northern Ireland. She had grown up in Dungannon, about 40 miles from Belfast. The quilt top later found its way to the United States, where it was presumed to have originated in Dungannon, Virginia, the town named after the Northern Ireland location. Genealogy and a history of Dungannon, Virginia, prove that the quilt top originated in Ireland, not Virginia. Even so, the technique of appliqueing with buttonhole stitches mirrors techniques used in America, suggesting outside influences on Southern United States quiltmaking.
ProvenanceThe last owner of the counterpane believed that it was made in Dungannon, Virginia. (Letter in object file from Mrs. Ford (Mary) Jennings, April 15, 1984). A telephone conversation between Linda Baumgarten and Mrs. Jennings on 5/3/1984, indicated that the piece was "bought years ago from someone who got it out of Dungannon." Note that subsequent researched uncovered that the quilt top was actually made in Dungannon, Ireland.