
The Mary Queen of Scots bed set was donated to the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1953 by Henry A. Hoffman from Litchfield, Connecticut, the set is estimated to date from around the 1840s. At the bequest of Hoffman, the bed set is listed as containing a pillow sham made from cotton and linen; a bed valance made from cotton; a cotton bedspread and a bed curtain also made from cotton. The fabric used for the bed set is slightly quilted in a diamond pattern, copperplate printed in brown toile with vignettes of Mary Queen of Scots printed over a cream background.

Copperplate printed fabrics were instantly successful being used both for furnishings and dress materials. In the colonies and later the United States, copperplate printed fabrics were imported from England. Florence M. Montgomery writes that ” Benjamin Franklin must have been among the first Americans to become acquainted with the process of copperplate textile printing.” The fabrics that were popularly used for copperplate printing were cotton and linens, these fabrics could be quilted or not. During the 18th century quilts while serving a practical function could also offer an opportunity for display and played a big role as a decorative item. At this time popular patterns for copperplate printed textiles were floral patterns, pastoral scenes, birds such as peacocks and hens, small vignettes, the oriental style inspired patterns known as chinoiseries, and classical and literary subjects.
Today the Rhode Island Historical Society houses many other copperplate printed fabrics such as two bed hangings, one from around 1770 (1969.1.1) and another one that was donated in 1990 (1990.36.11a) among other textiles.
~ Debby de Afonseca, Collections and Research Intern
Bibliography
Benes, Peter. Textiles in New England II: Four Centuries of Material Life. Boston, MA: Boston University, 2001.
Montgomery, Florence M. Printed Textiles: English and American Cottons and Linens, 1700-1850. Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 1999.
Further Reading
‘Fortunes to be Acquired’–Textiles in 18th-Century Rhode Island. Rhode Island History. Vol. 31 (April 1972). Providence: Rhode Island Historical Society, 1972. Montgomery, Florence M.
Cooper, Wendy A. The Furniture and Furnishings of John Brown, Merchant of Providence, 1736-1803. Newark, DE, 1971.